THE cost of dealing with the Carol Broad expenses affair is growing by the day -- but councillors believe they have finally found a way forward.

Disciplining the controversy hit councillor is to be the duty of the Independent group after a meeting.

She will also have 'reasonable' legal expenses paid for her challenge to the standards committee verdict which was slammed by legal advisers last week. That verdict has been set aside.

The agreement was backed by Independent leader Cllr Tricia Heath as well as the other four main parties.

But six other Independent councillors, including committee chairmen Paul Morris and Keith Budden and group secretary, Geoff Knight, rebelled against the plan.

A stormy meeting saw temperatures inside Morecambe Town Hall reach boiling point.

Controversy started when the council's chief executive, Mark Cullinan, received a fax from Cllr Broad's solicitors moments before the meeting listing councillors who, in their opinion, should not be allowed to take part in discussions because they had previously made comments on the issue.

A list of 22 councillors was eventually read out, though it had been suggested that each councillor should be told individually.

The majority of the councillors named agreed to declare an interest and leave the meeting but others, including MBI Mark Turner and the the Mayor, Pat Quinton refused.

Labour Cllr Joe Ravetz: "This list is an affront to the council."

Conservative Cllr Terry Evans said: "I think this list has destroyed the democratic process. People should decide whether they have an interest."

However, the debating chamber was still half empty, with just 31 of 60 councillors left to vote on the proposal.

The debate was stormy, with a proposal by Cllrs Morris and Budden, who feared that the Independent group was being put in an unfair position.

Free Independent Paul Woodruff said: "It is almost as if the party political groups have handed the Independents the rope. Whatever decision they make will not be acceptable to the political groups who want to see them out of power as soon as possible."

But Labour leader Cllr Abbott Bryning said: "The meeting was held as a sort of sounding board to produce some common ground between the different parties. The proposal was agreed by all party representatives."

The plan was eventually agreed, though with expensive legal bills for the council's own lawyers and Cllr Broad's legal bill, taxpayers could end up spending more on dealing with the Broad case than the £8,000 in childcare expenses claimed by the housing committee chairman.

Meanwhile, the taxpayer will pick up the tab for any legal action taken against members of Lancaster city council's standards committee.

The indemnity, which will be backdated to include the Carol Broad case, will mean councillors and the soon to be appointed independent outside members will not find themselves threatened with personal legal action if one of their decisions is challenged.

The issue came to a head when acting Conservative group leader, Cllr Clive Lamb, ordered group members to quit the standards committee until indemnity was granted.

Councillors agree that indemnity is needed, but some independent members suggested it should only apply to decisions of the committee, rather than statements in meetings.

They fear the indemnification will give councillors a licence to slander political opponents in standards committee meetings.

Independent Cllr Geoff Wilson said: "It does worry me that I can go in and defame people and the council picks up the tab for it."

The chief executive, Mark Cullinan, said: "They would be covered, but the council would have the opportunity to deal with it as a matter of member discipline."