COUNCILLORS have abandoned the idea of trying to claim on insurance after losing a costly judicial review.

Yarm Town Council also rejected a proposal from one member to call in police to investigate how decisions were made leading to a legal claim which ended up costing the people of Yarm nearly £40,000.

Instead, the authority, which also decided to freeze council tax precept this year, has agreed to draw a line under the episode.

The judicial review was held in 2012 and involved claims that Stockton Borough Council’s plans to introduce pay and display parking in Yarm High Street were not legally constituted.

The town council lost the challenge and since then there have been accusations that it did not correctly follow procedures leading to the judicial review.

The town council has agreed to investigate exactly how the decision was made after being prompted by a Freedom of Information request by members of the Save Stoctkon South group.

An approach to its insurers to investigate whether the town council could claim the money back because it is insured against staff error, failed. The insurance company explained the authority could have taken out legal insurance, but had not done so.

Councillor Chris Johnson urged the council take the matter to the police, arguing a key decision on which solicitors to employ had wrongly not been put to the council.

He said: “It is my belief as public servants we are now lawfully and morally required to report this matter to the police.”

However, the idea was rejected by four votes to three, with two abstentions, at a parish council meeting.

Councillor Marjorie Simpson said that Coun Johnson was a key member of the council at the time, along with former chairman Jason Hadlow, and yet they were the ones pushing for the new investigation.

After the meeting, she said: “It is true that councillors were misguidedly persuaded to agree to go forward with the judicial review. There is nothing wrong with this – they vote as they see fit.”

Also after the meeting, Coun Johnson said: “I’m very disappointed. A majority of councillors believe that criminal behaviour was involved in the judicial review and yet given the opportunity to do something about it, they chose not to.”

Pay and display parking is due to start in Yarm after Easter.