IN RESPONSE to the article, Angry councillor walks out of heated meeting (Keighley News, March 29). May I point out some facts that Keighley’s deputy town mayor Cllr Amjid Ahmed [who chaired the last full meeting of the Keighley Town Council] and the leader of the Labour group on Keighley Town Council, Cllr Phil Shaw, need correcting on.

Firstly, the deputy mayor cannot stop any vote taking place. If any proposal to council is proposed and seconded, which in this case it was, the vote must take place.

If any councillor thinks the proposed motion is wrong for any reason, then they have the choice to vote against the proposal.

For Cllr Shaw to state that the deputy mayor used the correct procedure is wrong.

Perhaps Cllr Shaw along with Cllr Ahmed should read all standing orders and associated documents before making such statements.

Cllr Shaw also stated that all party members are encouraged to vote the party way when electing a mayor and deputy.

This is in conflict with an e-mail sent out by another junior Labour member who clearly states that all party members may vote for who they prefer to be mayor or deputy and not who the party chooses.

I would point out also, that whoever is chosen as Keighley town mayor or deputy mayor should be the right person for the job who will best represent the people of Keighley, rather than someone a party have been “told” to vote for.

COUNCILLOR MICHAEL WESTERMAN Keighley Town Council

* Cllr Phil Shaw responds: “I’d expect that the chairman of the meeting would first have to ask for a proposer or a seconder for a motion, otherwise there would be no point in having an agenda.

“If the chairman does not ask for this then there won’t be a vote.

“I’d ask Cllr Westerman, what is the point in having a chairman for our meetings if all town councillors are able to run the meetings?

“Our locum clerk said our chairman at that meeting was within his rights to do what he did.

“If I’m wrong I’d be happy to be put right, and if a councillor wants to go through our town council’s standing orders with me I’d be happy to do that.”