Council seeks legal advice

And the man who proposed the advice was sought, was the very councillor who refused to leave the council chamber.

During a debate on rights at the council meeting last month, independent unionist David Jones labelled Sinn Fein's John O'Dowd an 'insulting tw*t'.

Following his outburst, Mayor Councillor Meta Crozier asked Mr Jones to retract his comments, to which he refused.

She then asked him to withdraw from the chamber and again he refused.

Mr O'Dowd said he did not wish for the mayor to be in the position to have to forcibly remove a councillor from the chamber.

The matter was referred to the council's policy and resources committee to consider Mr Jones's behaviour.

The minutes released by the council this week show that Councillor Jones proposed the council seek legal advice as to how to deal with his conduct, in particular his removal from the chamber.

The minutes show that Councillors John O'Dowd and Mairead O'Dowd recorded that they considered it inappropriate for Councillor Jones to propose the recommendations.

However, chairman Kenneth Twyble said that as a member of the committee he felt it appropriate for Councillor Jones to make the recommendations.