Volunteers at a community centre are demanding that the leader of Oxford City Council is thrown off their management committee.

South Oxford Community Association was involved in a bitter three-year row with the city council over non-payment of business rates.

Volunteers claimed the £1,000 bill was unfair for a non profit-making organisation. They only agreed to pay after court action was threatened. Now the association has written to the city's Labour group saying it no longer wants council leader John Tanner, a member of the association for ten years, to sit on its management committee in his role as overseer.

Cllr Tanner once said the council would pursue the debt "to hell and back".

Emma Lenz, association secretary, said: "We think his position as leader of the Labour Group will bring him into conflict with the management committee and we would be grateful if another Labour councillor is selected." But Cllr Tanner claimed the demand was part of a political campaign by the association's new chairman, Deborah Glass, of the Green Party.

A decision on whether to re-select Cllr Tanner will be made next month.

Story date: Tuesday 27 April

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