A 'notice of motion' put forward by a Tenby councillor for the council chamber's bar to be dismantled and for any expenditure on the Mayor's allowance to be properly accounted for, has been dismissed.

Clr. Mike Thorne put forward the notice of motion at Tuesday night's meeting of the town council, claiming that the current practice of drinking alcohol at the end of meetings and quarterlies should cease forthwith.

"Not all councillors are invited and they therefore tend to be divisive gatherings, where the principal business appears to be gossip and character assassination," he said.

"I understood that in the past these quarterly meetings were gatherings of the leaders of the various voluntary organisations and other agencies in the town, to thank them for work they do for the town, but for whatever reason, they do not appear to come anymore, and we are therefore left with gatherings made up largely of the Mayor's family and friends.

"Again, therefore, these drinking sessions are of no public benefit and should either revert to the previous established practice or cease forthwith," continued Clr. Thorne, who claimed that the maintenance of a permanent bar in the council chamber was not in the public interest and it should be dismantled, with the stock disposed of.

He also called for any expenditure that came out of the Mayor's allowance (which currently costs £2,000 per year), to be properly accounted for with receipts.

Mayor, Clr. Mrs. Sue Lane, informed Clr. Thorne and other members, that the bar in the Mayor's Parlour had been in place since 1987 and had been utilised by Tenby's Mayors since then.

She also gave a rundown of various events and functions that she had attended in her capacity as Mayor of Tenby during her current term in office, giving examples of numerous occasions where she had funded the expenses out of her own pocket.

"As an example, I recently made a trip to Gibraltar for talks on possible twinning with Tenby, and did not ask for one penny from the town council, so I think that Clr. Thorne is being a little naive in what he is saying," said Clr. Mrs. Lane.

Deputy Mayor, Clr. Mrs. Julie Evans, explained that the £2,000 allowance was a discretionary amount that was agreed amongst the town council, to give the opportunity to any councillor to take on the role of Mayor should they put themselves forward for the duty.

"Often the person who becomes Mayor will end up spending probably double the amount of the allowance, and end up using their own finances," she said.

Clr. Mrs. Caroline Thomas felt that if the allowance was cut, it would end up costing the council more money in the long run to fund the Mayor's civic duties.

Clr. Thorne asked the town clerk, Mr. Andrew Davies, if it was normal practice for the allowance to be given in one block sum.

Mr. Davies explained that it depended on the individual, with some Mayors preferring to have the allowance in one block and others given it in quarterlies, but that this practice was not unique to Tenby Town Council.

Clr. Mrs. Sandra Williams dismissed Clr. Thorne's remarks about the gatherings after meetings being an opportunity for some to gossip.

"I feel totally insulted and offended that it has been suggested that some of us councillors only stay behind to give a character assassination on others," she remarked, while Clr. Paul Rapi said that he was glad that the allowance issue had been brought up and minuted, as it would show to others that the position of Mayor was not an easy one financially.

Clr. Mike Evans dismissed the notice of motion and felt that it should be put to the vote so that matters could move on.

"There seems to be an intent to bring this chamber into disrepute; we need to be working together for the people of this town," he commented.

"Let's bring an end to this matter here and now. I for one give my full support to the Mayor, who does an excellent job in her duties. All those I speak to from various authorities and bodies, from the young to the elderly, speak very highly of her and what she does," said Clr. Evans.

After being put to the vote, Clr. Thorne's notice of motion received no support from members.