A SENIOR councillor has reacted angrily after being denied the opportunity to speak at a council meeting.

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, had put forward a motion at the meeting and had wanted the opportunity to discuss it.

The motion would have introduced a requirement for the Council to consider the public health ramifications of any decision it made.

But at the meeting of the full council yesterday, both the Labour and the Conservative groups voted against a debate on the matter, instead taking it straight to a vote.

This prompted an outcry from Cllr Sunderland, who pointed out that the Council was due to debate free speech later on the same agenda.

The Liberal Democrats then lost the vote, and the motion was not carried.

Afterwards, Cllr Sunderland accused her political opponents of arrogance.

“They won’t even debate it,” she said.