A councillor is facing an investigation after allegations that he broke the rules by speaking in housing debates.

But Terry Joslin, a Labour member of Didcot town council, refuted the claims and insisted he had done nothing wrong.

The Local Government Ombudsman confirmed that he was looking into a complaint that Mr Joslin continued to speak and vote in debates on the expansion of Didcot when he had a personal interest in the issue. The row blew up yesterday when a statement was sent anonymously to the Oxford Mail making wide-ranging allegations against Didcot Labour Party.

It claimed that Mr Joslin ignored advice from South Oxfordshire District Council's deputy chief executive Robin Hooper that councillors with a "clear and substantial interest" in future housing plans for Didcot should be barred from speaking or voting. But Mr Hooper told the Oxford Mail that this interpretation of his advice was wrong.

He said: "What I did was to write to all South Oxfordshire district councillors in Didcot, who live within a quarter-of-a-mile of one of the areas proposed for possible development, pointing out that they ought to consider if they should declare an interest. It was up to the individual members to decide."

Mr Joslin said: "I did not feel that there were any grounds for declaring a personal interest during debates. "It is ridiculous to say that living as I do in Oxford Crescent - more than 400 metres from the nearest development area west of the town - could affect the value of my property."

He described the anonymous statement as "cowardly and defamatory".

He said: "It is clearly intended to undermine my position in the debate over the future growth of Didcot."

Story date: Tuesday 13 April

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