A LOCAL authority is set to change its procedures to investigate complaints against councillors in the middle of an inquiry into its leader.

The move was approved at a stormy meeting of the committee overseeing the probe into the behaviour of Ribble Valley Borough Council Leader Ken Hind.

Opposition leaders said they would seek to suspend any alteration to the system until a debate at next month’s full council meeting.

Cllr Hind is at the centre of a council investigation into a bullying complaint from Conservative group colleague Cllr Sue Bibby.

Speaking at Wednesday night’s special meeting of the Accounts and Audit committee, Cllr Hind said: “I have not at any time refused to comply with the disciplinary procedure, quite the contrary.

“Ribble Valley is a small council. The system is confused, uncertain and in need of reform.”

The committee had been recommended to go ahead with the investigation despite concerns about Cllr Hind’s attitude expressed by council chief executive Marshal Scott.

Tory councillor Jan Alcock moved that the long-standing Ribble Valley Council complaints procedure be altered to introduce an independent element into the current investigation.

She said the procedure should be changed to bring in a monitoring officer and three Conservative councillors from other local authorities to adjudicate on the complaint against Cllr Hind.

Her amendment also said that after the completion of the current investigation, the council's procedures for complaints against councillors should be reviewed and revised.

It was carried by six votes to three.

Cllr Terry Hill, leader of the breakaway Democratic Conservative group, said after the meeting: “This badly flawed decision will be called in for review by the next Full Council where hopefully it will be overturned. It is a total disgrace.”

Liberal Democrat leader Allan Knox said: “I will be working to get the decision called in and overturned.”