A ROW over seating arrangements has broken out ahead of a full council meeting.

County councillor John Shuttleworth was told by Collette Longbottom, Durham County Council’s head of legal services, he can no longer sit at a table at the front of the elected chamber in County Hall when the authority meets later today (Wednesday October 29).

The decision to move Cllr Shuttleworth and fellow independent Weardale county councillor Anita Savory was taken at a meeting of the constitution working group.

But Cllr Shuttleworth, who has been on the council for 17 years, said the working group had nothing to do with seating arrangements and he vowed to stay put.

He said: “This is petty childishness when as a local authority we have bigger issues to deal with.

“We have been sat there for six years and if feelings are so strong over this it should be debated at full council.”

The current set-up catered for Cllr Eddie Murphy and Cllr Reg Ord – former members of Cllr Shuttleworth’s independent group – who for health reasons were allowed to sit at the table so they could participate better in debates.

However, Cllr Murphy died in May and Cllr Ord is no longer a member of the authority.

Cllr Watts Stelling, who raised the issue along with leader of the Liberal Democrats Amanda Hopgood, said: “There is no reason John and the remainder of his group need to be at the front of the chamber and he has been asked to sit where he would normally sit.

“John has blown this out of proportion. He has spat the dummy out.”

Cllr Hopgood said: “It is protocol. We are just putting it back to where it has always been.”