Town hall bosses have been cleared of misconduct following a row over a new mosque.
Council leader Howard Sykes was among seven Lib Dem councillors accused of “fast-tracking” the planning application for a mosque on Waterloo Street, Glodwick. But an investigation has now ruled they did not bring the council or their office into disrepute.
Councillors Jackie Stanton, Mark Alcock, Roger Hindle, Lynne Thompson, Mohammed Masud and former councillor Mohammed Mohib Uddin have also been cleared.
Labour MPs Phil Woolas and Michael Meacher sparked the investigation after accusing the Lib Dems of rushing the plans through ahead of May’s elections in order to win votes.
The mosque was due before the council’s planning committee in March but did not make the agenda as further negotiations were taking place with the developers. But following an election rally where mosque members raised the matter, it was decided that it should be dealt with urgently.
Standards Board officers found no evidence of improper conduct and said there were valid grounds for bringing the application forward such as concerns that funding would be lost if it was delayed.
Coun Sykes said: “Whilst I welcome the conclusions of the Standards Board I cannot let this opportunity pass without expressing my complete and utter outrage at what was a blatant political stunt by the Labour Party by referring my colleagues and me to the Standards Board.”