A BOROUGH councillor launched an astonishing verbal attack when he stood up at a committee meeting and proposed a Conservative colleague for a post that he did not want him to win.

In the last year, Tory councillor John Downes has attended just one meeting out of nine of the environment overview and scrutiny committee of which he is a member.

Fellow Conservative councillor John Clegg did his duty when he had to propose him as vice-chairman - but at the same time launched a verbal broadside against his party colleague.

Cllr Clegg told members: "I'm under instructions to promote and support Cllr John Downes as vice-chairman of this Oscom. However, before I carry out my instructions there are two material facts that you should know before they are able to make an informed choice.

"Material fact one - this official position carries an extra £1,260 allowance from the public purse. Material fact two - this environment Oscom has met nine times since it was formed in January last year. From the official minutes you will see that Cllr Downes has attended one of the nine committee meetings. You can also easily see from these records that his is the worst record of attendance by any councillor.

"During this period I was the Conservative group's whip and as such all apologies and excuses for non-attendance should have come through me. In this case none were ever received.

"Therefore, with these two facts now told to you, I very reluctantly propose Cllr Downes as vice-chairman of this committee.

"In reluctantly proposing Cllr Downes I have carried out my instructions to the full - but more importantly I have discharged my higher duty to this committee and to the majority of its hard-working councillors.

"I will not see this council or the work of this committee with its majority of hard-working councillors brought into disrepute by a totally inappropriate appointment."

In the event, Cllr Downes lost the election for vice-chairman and the position went to independent Cllr Martin Biermann.

Cllr Downes was not actually present at the committee meeting to witness the attack by Cllr Clegg because his return flight from a visit to Ireland was delayed 24 hours.

But leading Conservative Cllr Phil Heath told The Gazette: "We are quite astounded at what Cllr Clegg did. We can only assume it was a personal attack. We were not aware of any antagonism between them. Cllr Clegg agreed to propose him.

"It is completely untrue that there were no apologies for Cllr Downes' absences. He had been chairman of Basingstoke Con-servative Party for three years and was asked to carry on for a fourth year.

"He agreed to do this but it meant he could not meet his council commitments as he could not make most of the meetings. So we had a blanket apology from Cllr Downes for any meetings he could not attend."

Cllr Downes was also astonished by the attack against him. He said: "I was asked to stay on an extra year as chairman and this meant quite a lot of extra work. But I always kept the leader and deputy leader of the Conservative group absolutely informed of what I was doing.

"If I was not able to turn up at a meeting, they always received apologies and explanations. I was not aware Cllr Clegg was whip.

"The amazing thing about this is that all these appointments to committees were fully discussed at a meeting of Tory councillors immediately after the election - and, significantly, Cllr Clegg did not say a word about this.

"I think this is a personal vendetta against me."

Last year Cllr Downes represented Upton Grey on the council. At the May elections he was returned as member for Chineham.