A FORMER Labour Colne town councillor is demanding an apology from Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson over a claim he had never attended a meeting for three years.

Ian Graham was allowed to miss meetings because of ill-health until the resignation of Liberal Demcorat Graham Roach led to a double by-election.

In a letter to a constituent Mr Stephenson said“Perhaps if Labour’s only representative in Colne had attended a meeting in the last three years some of these concerns could have been raised earlier.”

Mr Graham said: “I was shocked when I saw this letter stating that I have not attended a meeting in three years. It is clearly untrue and is a fact that could have been easily checked.”

Mr Stephenson said: "Colne council taxpayers have been left £5,000 out of pocket by the disqualification of a Labour councillor for non-attendance. This led to an unnecessary by-election which Labour unsurprisingly lost badly."