A PARISH councillor who told a member of the public to shut up' during a meeting has been rapped across the knuckles by the district council's standards committee.

A complaint was made to the committee following a Burton-in-Lonsdale Parish Council meeting in July last year, alleging David Edmondson, who is no longer on the parish council, had failed to treat a member of the public with respect.

Mr Edmondson was also reported for failing to declare a personal and prejudicial interest in a matter and failed to withdraw from the room when the matter was being discussed.

Both complaints breach the Model Code of Conduct for Parish Councils, adopted in 2002.

The matter was brought before the ethical standards officer in October 2006 following the complaint from Burton-in-Lonsdale Parish Council clerk Susan Gregory.

The allegation was investigated and referred to the committee. The findings noted that at a meeting of the parish council in June 2006, Mr Edmondson did not declare an interest when an item concerning Riverside Lane, an area of land in the village which adjoins the former councillor's home, was discussed.

In July 2006 the item was again discussed and he did not declare an interest. He also spoke at the meeting.

During the same meeting a member of the public spoke on the same subject and Mr Edmondson told him to shut up.

The standards committee stated in its report that it agreed that because the former councillor's home was immediately adjacent to the land being discussed, a member of the public would think that his interest was so significant that it could affect his decision on the matter'.

The committee also agreed he failed to treat a member of the public with respect.

Mr Edmondson, in a letter of mitigation to the hearing, which he did not attend, stated: "I only told a member of the public to shut up' because he was arguing with me and had been allowed to speak for a long time. I know that I should not have done this, but the council was also wrong to allow him to speak as he did. At the following meeting it was ruled that members of the public would only be allowed to speak for three minutes."

Mr Edmondson said that in respect of not declaring an interest: "I did not declare an interest because I was concerned about by-laws not being adhered to in general, rather than the Riverside land, as the council was not enforcing them. At this meeting I was angry because the by-laws were being pushed to one side and this was why I spoke."

Mr Edmondson did not attend any further meetings of the parish council from July 2006 and, in line with council policy on attendance of meetings, was disqualified as a parish representative.

Because the matter before them concerned a former councillor, in determining he was found to be in breach of the Code of Conduct, the only sanction available to them was one of censure.