A COUNCILLOR who criticised the public for asking questions that he refused to answer was accused of rudeness at a council meeting.

He was given a ticking off by a woman he had upset.

Cllr Howard Doe (Con) was asked to reassure users of local leisure centres facing cuts and closures, at last Thursday’s full council meeting.

Eventually, after a spate of public questions and pressure from opposition councillors, the Tory cabinet member, responsible for community services, accused some of paranoia.

The deputy leader of the opposition, Cllr Glyn Griffiths (Lab), sprang to their defence, followed by Sunny Ee, who told Cllr Doe: “I think you have said enough. We are not allowed to contribute to the debate.”

Cllr Griffiths said: “It is scandalous he should say people who have dared to raise issues with him were paranoid. Members of the public came along and submitted questions about issues which are rightly of public concern, and of concern to them.”

Earlier, Cllr Doe had clashed with two questioners in the council chamber at the Municipal Buildings in Gillingham. He instructed Jan Head, the Stirling Centre’s former manager: “If you haven’t put them in writing to myself or officers, please do.”

Mrs Head repeated earlier claims that Cllr Doe ignored cost savings ideas that could have kept the Stirling Centre in profit.

She was unimpressed when he said: “They will be looked at. Certainly we won’t ignore them.”

She said: “I am sure you will.”

A Standards Board member listened as Cllr Doe immediately retorted: “Why ask the question then?”

Anxious parents, heart attack patients and general users took it in turns to make last-minute bids to stop him reducing opening times and to save the creche facilities both at the Stirling Centre and the Black Lion Leisure Centre.

It was not the council’s responsibility to fund health care for heart attack victims, he said. That was for the PCT, he told pensioner Jack Milner.

Sunny Ee was told there was a huge gap in funding the creches that could not be reduced, and refused to give customers the opportunity to discuss future creche facilities at the re-designed Black Lion.