There were extraordinary scenes at a meeting of Dudley Council after a ‘rant’ from the mayor sparked a walkout.

During her last outing as chair of the council on April 28, outgoing mayor Hilary Bills clashed with Cllr Steve Edwards from the Dudley Independent Group over her decision not to allow a notice of motion to be debated.

Cllr Edwards raised a question to the leadership of the ruling Conservative group asking if councillors should have the right to challenge decisions made by top councillors after advice from non-elected officers.

Cllr Bills insisted on answering instead, she said: “I don’t think you are telling the truth, I understand when something is in order and when it is out of order.

“I had already ruled it out of order before I even spoke to the officer, the monitoring officer worked with you to put together a motion that was in rule that you chose to ignore.

“I am the person in charge of this meeting and I ruled it out of order.”

The contentious notice of motion called for headteachers to consider taking a softer line with parents taking their children out of school in term time for holidays. Currently parents can be fined for taking children out of school for a holiday as it is not considered an exceptional circumstance.

Cllr Bills, a former headteacher, said: “I don’t like doing what I am about to do but do you know who I am?

“I joined the National Union of Teachers in 1970 and to this day I am still a trustee of half a million teachers, you are trying to incite headteachers to break the law.

“To say we have got to change things because you did not get what you wanted; I do not agree. 

“Let’s get it straight, I have still got time in my rant, you have gone to the press, you have been rude about democratic services, where is your apology to them? 

“You said democracy is dead in Dudley, well I am sorry, it isn’t.”

Cllr Edwards tried again to put his question to the leader of the council or cabinet member Cllr Simon Phipps, who is working on alterations to the authority’s constitution and suggested the mayor did not understand the question.

He was was interrupted by Cllr Bills.

After asking the mayor to be quiet, Cllr Edwards said: “I haven’t called out anyone in this chamber, what I am saying is democracy shouldn’t leave absolute power with one person, calling me a liar is out of order and disrespectful.”

Cllr Bills said: “I have done everything according to what a mayor can do – I did the right thing.”

The mayor then attempted to move to another question but Cllr Edwards continued to address her, as the meeting became unruly he was ordered to leave the chamber.

After being told to leave three times, Cllr Edwards, along with the other five members of the DIG group left, while the mayor, still on her feet, hummed a tune and added: “I am not going to be lied about.”

Members of the Dudley Independent Group will appear on Black Country Week with Ian Marrey, on Black Country Radio from 10am this Saturday.