OPPOSITION groups have been left angry after a vice-chairman was “shamefully snubbed” for the position of chairman at an “undignified” meeting of Tendring Council.

It is customary for the vice-chairman of the council to be voted in as the next year’s chairman following the end of the incumbent’s year in office.

But at the annual meeting of Tendring Council on Tuesday, independent councillor Karen Yallop was side-lined in favour of a second term for Conservative councillor Mark Platt.

The council is led by the Conservatives, but the party only returned to power following the last election with the support of the independents.

Since then a number of defections has left the Tories with a majority, although the independent group leader still remains as part of the administration.

It is understood that the Conservative group wanted to ensure a Tory was chairman of the council next year – an election year - rather than an independent to give them the upper hand.

The chairman would have a casting vote as to which party runs the council in the event the authority was split politically following the election.

Current chairman Mark Platt, who was praised for raising a lot of money for charity in the past year, was voted in as chairman for a second term by 29 votes to 21.

Opposition councillors were left outraged after the council’s deputy leader Carlo Guglielmi proposed Conservative councillor Jeff Bray for the position of vice-chairman.

Independent councillor Graham Steady said the attempt to side-line Mrs Yallop was “disgraceful” and Liberal Democrat Gary Scott said he was “appalled”.

With a number of backbench Conservative councillors threatening to abstain from the vote or vote against their party colleague, Mr Bray declined the nomination.

Mr Bray said he was “surprised and flattered” to be nominated, but that it was “not the right thing to do”.

Mrs Yallop was instead appointed unopposed as vice-chairman for a second term.

Mrs Yallop, a former mayor of Brightlingsea, said she was “disappointed” by the evening’s events.

She added: “It was not unexpected. But I take my role as vice-chairman very seriously and I will continue to do the same as I have in the past year.”

Labour group leader Ivan Henderson, who had proposed Mrs Yallop for the position of chairman, labelled the meeting as “undignified”.

He said: “It’s a shameful snub to someone who has been loyal to the leader of the administration.

“The Conservatives may not have been in administration at all without the support of Mrs Yallop.

“At the very hour she expected them to repay that loyalty, they turned their back on her.”

Mr Platt, who represents the Hamford ward, had not responded at the time of going to press.