TORIES have slammed the Labour group after walking out at a town hall meeting.

The group left last night’s full Trafford Council meeting after a disagreement over the Conservative's decision to move an amendment on the motion that urged the leading Tory group to withdraw their support for any and all building on the Flixton greenbelt.

Instead, the group asked Labour councillors to develop further thinking before determining whether it would support final proposals when finished in June 2018.

In a statement to Messenger Newspapers the Conservative group said: “In a move that is worrying and indicative of the chaos engulfing the Trafford Labour group, and in an affront to democracy, Labour councillors abdicated their responsibilities to the residents they pretend to serve and walked out of a meeting of Trafford Council.

“Trafford Conservatives today condemned the action taken which appeared to be for no other reason than to pull a party political stunt that resulted in wasting taxpayers’ money and leaving many important issues unheard.

Those in the public gallery were left bemused and unimpressed as Cllr Western suddenly shouted ‘right we are leaving’ after the Council’s independent Statutory Monitoring Officer had ruled upon a legitimate Conservative amendment.

“Disgracefully, this premature and petulant action left motions on Dignity in Social Care, Public Sector Pay Cap, Universal Credit and Minimum Waiting Times for Non-Urgent Surgery, issues that matter to the people and businesses of Trafford unheard.”

Leader of the Council, Cllr Sean Anstee said: “The Conservative group moved a legitimate and appropriate amendment that was ruled acceptable by the Council’s independent statutory and most senior legal officer. We are shocked and confused as to why the Labour group chose not to accept this professional advice and walk out.

"That the default position of the Labour group and their leader is to walk out of a debate for no legitimate reason simply serves to indicate how unfit their temperament for office is and exhibits a childish nature that has no place in Trafford politics. They should apologise unreservedly to the residents of the borough and reflect on how their actions portray our communities.

"This type of behaviour cannot be tolerated in Trafford and needs to be called out. It is a sign of things to come should Labour ever get near control of the Council that they would just walk out anytime somebody disagreed with them and would wilfully ignore the professional advice of senior officers. Our residents deserve better.

"Politicians often receive a bad press, but Trafford Conservatives and my administration are working hard to find solutions to difficult issues, to not duck our responsibilities and to behave in a manner that is built on integrity, ethics and trust so that we use politics for the good it can be in Trafford."