OTLEY'S new mayor has been labelled disrespectful after failing to turn up to his own mayor-making ceremony.

Councillor Nigel Francis should have accepted office at Monday's annual meeting of the town council - but couldn't make it because he was on holiday in Holland.

Opposition councillors were left fuming while Coun Francis's brother, outgoing mayor Coun Gerard Francis had to explain that his brother had 'mixed his dates up' - even though the date was known a year in advance.

It meant the usual after-ceremony party, put on by the new mayor for members of the public and councillors, did not take place and left Coun Gerard Francis in place as mayor until the next full council meeting.

Former Labour town councillor Ray Dunn told Monday's meeting that Coun Francis's failure to turn up showed 'great disrespect', but Liberal Democrat Coun Colin Campbell defended the mayor elect by saying he had a 'prior commitment'.

"I've known of other councillors who've missed meetings because they were skiing. The councillors are not the mayor elect's keepers," he said.

After the meeting, Coun John Eveleigh, Labour group leader, said that Coun Nigel Francis was either incompetent or had no respect for the town.

"It just shows his absolute disrespect for the town. I don't want to get into a political row, but he would've known for a year about this.

"He became deputy mayor at last year's AGM and bearing anything major, like losing his seat at the elections, he would have known he would have been made mayor at this year's AGM.

"He is either incompetent, or he has total disregard for the town."

Coun Eveleigh added as a result the town's mayor making ceremony, which did see new deputy mayor Coun Jonathan Kirkland formally accept office, was a let down for the public.

"As a mayor making ceremony, it was a complete damp squib," he said.

The annual general meeting of the town council is set a year in advance and is always held a week before the annual meeting of Leeds City Council.

Coun Francis, as last year's deputy town mayor and the council's only independent councillor, would have expected to have been made mayor from May this year - unless he had lost his seat at last month's local council elections.

Town mayor Coun Gerard Francis confirmed his brother was on holiday and was due back last night.

He added he was very cross and would stay mayor until the next council meeting on June 2 even if his brother returned wanting to take over office.

"He really dropped me in it. I am cross about it. He said he'd got all his dates mixed up, but we do know a year in advance when the meeting is going to be and it's always in the same week.

"I can't explain why he did it, but what he did was unbelievable."

l At Monday's meeting, the Liberal Democrats claimed chairmanship of all seven committees and sub committees and in addition put Coun Nigel Francis as an ex-officio member of all committees. The position of vice chairman in all committees is also taken by either a Liberal Democrat or Conservative member.