A COUNCIL leader has been criticised for effectively giving the authority's members an eight week 'summer holiday' without any meetings.

Leader of Hyndburn's opposition Labour group Coun Jean Battle said Coun Peter Britcliffe's actions meant he could pass legislation while on holiday without proper scrutiny.

She claimed that when councillors returned in September their agendas would be so long that they would be unable to do their job properly.

Coun Britcliffe, who is currently holdaying on the Costa Brava, said he organised cover for when he was away.

The last full council and cabinet meetings were on July 15 and 16 respectively. The next are tabled in for September 3 and September 10.

A spokesperson for the council said that meetings usually occured every three to four weeks.

Coun Battle said that the council met in the summer last year to break up the workload and with important issues like regional assemblies coming up they should have met to debate matters this year.

Coun Battle said: "Eight weeks is a long time and it will be a mammoth agenda when we meet for Cabinet on September 10.

"We should have met before this, especially with the issue of regional assemblies and having no time to discuss it until we get to full council.

"A lot of work has been done by the council over the summer period and anything could have been passed.

"Coun Britcliffe could be using emergency powers to pass things and we wouldn't know about it until September."

Speaking from Spain, Coun Britcliffe said: "When we issued the programme of meetings why did she not ask for one then?

"If she wanted one we would have been happy to set up a meeting, but she never did. It's a bit strange that now she is complaining."