MEMBERS of a borough council have been issued with a “gagging order” instructing them not to discuss the circumstances surrounding the sudden resignation of a man who was heading a quango.

The move came as Ashford council confirmed that Martin Bacon, managing director of Ashford's Future, had left his post after pornographic material had been discovered on his office computer.

Mr Bacon was responsible for a quango charged with delivering jobs and homes to the town.

Council chief executive David Hill warned councillors in a briefing note that they could be breaking data protection legislation if they publicly discussed the matter.

The note, which detailed some of the facts surrounding Mr Bacon’s departure, also suggested that anyone seeking details of the resignation by lodging Freedom of Information requests would be unlikely to succeed.

Opposition councillors say that the order is frustrating their efforts to get to the bottom of the saga. They warned that it could mean vital questions about whether council chiefs followed proper procedures could go unanswered.

Council leader Paul Clokie revealed that Mr Bacon had resigned.

Cllr Peter Davison, leader of the Independent group, said: “As far as I am concerned, I do not believe that we have a clear picture of what happened and who did what. The allegations [about Mr Bacon] were kept from us for four weeks.”

He has threatened to demand an independent inquiry if the council fails to rebut allegations made about the manner in which the resignation was handled.

Labour’s Cllr Mick Hubert, an observer to the board of Ashford’s Future, said: “The question is whether councillors should have learned about this earlier. The simple answer is probably yes. Why we didn’t is a question I’d like to get an answer to.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Clokie did finally confirm that Mr Bacon had left after pornographic material was discovered on his office computer.

“We had a man who had done something very stupid and which would normally be a disciplinary matter, not a sackable offence.

The reason we had a discussion with him [about his position] was because the story had brought the council into disrepute and we cannot have that,” he added.

FULL STORY IN THIS WEEK'S KENTISH EXPRESS