AN unwittingly recorded alleged conversation between Ribble Valley council leader Ken Hind and his wife Sue showed they were behind plans to change the council’s complaints procedure in the midst of an investigation into his conduct, opposition claimed.

Cllr Sue Hind bought a recording device ahead of a meeting last month where a motion proposing to change the process of how the council deals with complaints against members was approved.

But the device was not switched off following the meeting and also recorded a conversation between the Hinds at their home where they discussed how the meeting had gone exactly as they planned it, Cllr Paul Elms said.

Cllr Sue Hind accused Cllr Elms of lying because she did not know how to work the device and nothing had been recorded.

She said she had bought the device the day before the meeting but all the instructions were in Japanese or German and she could not work out how to use it.

The day after the meeting, Cllr Hind said she had taken the device to her daughter, who she claimed confirmed nothing had been recorded.

But Cllr Elms maintained the recording existed and had been heard by council officers as well as members.

At the meeting last month, proposals to have complaints against councillors dealt with by people from outside the council were approved.

But at last night's call-in meeting, the decision was reversed - meaning all complaints against councillors will be dealt with internally.

Cllr Ken Hind is the subject of a current Ribble Valley Council inquiry into a complaint of bullying by Conservative group colleague Cllr Sue Bibby.

Cllr Hind’s behaviour towards Cllr Bibby, whom he replaced as planning chairman in May 2017 after being elected leader, sparked the shock resignation in July of three senior councillors from the local Conservative group.

Former deputy leaders Cllr Terry Hill and Cllr Paul Elms quit with senior colleague Cllr Robert Thompson to form the breakaway Democratic Conservative group.

They were later joined by Cllr Joyce Holgate and Cllr Ruth Hargreaves.

In April this year Cllr Hind defeated Cllr Elms for the leadership of the Conservative group by just one vote after three secret ballots – and promised to run an inclusive regime.

Leader of the opposition, Cllr Allan Knox, said: "Following the special meeting of Accounts and Audit Committee on November 21, one of the leader’s team said that a 'they had struck a good blow that night'.

"The only blow I saw being struck that night was against the reputation and integrity of the council.

"To me there are two issues that are in some was joined; in some ways separate.

"The first is whether we continue with the process we agreed and set down many years ago. Or do we, half way through dealing with a complaint, abandon those procedures and make up something else on the fly, a process for which no advice from officers was ever sought.

"The report clearly sets out that what the policy and procedures are. At no point in the five full council meetings or four meetings of accounts and audit committee we have had since the complaint was lodged did any member either propose a notice of motion or ask for a report to the committee in a bid to update the procedure.

"In fact going back to when the policies and procedure were brought in – the fact is that until now, no member ever asked for them to be changed.

"The second issue of concern was that it was two witnesses on behalf of the subject member i.e. the leader who proposed and seconded changes to the process – whoever heard of witnesses having the right to choose the jury to which they gave evidence?"

Cllr Hind maintained bringing in external people to deal with complaints was not illegal and added it would make the process more impartial.

He said the legal advice he had sought suggested the change was actually good practice.

But separate legal advice provided to chief executive Marshall Thomas prior to the meeting suggested otherwise, the meeting heard.

Cllr Hind said: "Since November 18, 2017, we have faced - my wife and I - the possibility of this complaint.

"We have responded at every stage to the requirements of the committee and it's fair to say I have argued for an adjudication.

"We are being criticised and it is being suggested that the procedure voted through by the council's audit committee was totally unacceptable - that is not the case.

"In good faith, those who proposed the motion put it forward."

Cllr Hind denied the suggestion he had influenced Cllr Jan Alcock to put forward a motion suggesting the change in policy.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Knox called on Cllr Ken Hind to stand down as leader.

He said: “Thankfully the call-in has worked and the council will not be acting illegally.

“It is clear that those who proposed this illegal course of action, or were party to it, need to consider their positions.

“They were prepared to drag the reputation of the council through the mud for their own political advantage, rather than stick to the council’s agreed procedures.”