There were heated exchanges at the full meeting of the council.

It started with a motion by Nadim Muslim in which he suggested the council ought to condemn Keir Starmer for his approach to housebuilding.

The thrust of the motion by Cllr Muslim, a Bromley Cross councillor for the Conservative Group since 2018, was about the intention to build on the Green Belt. Mr Starmer addressed this issue in an interview with the Bolton News this year.

In it he suggested the Labour Group "wrangled" control of the council in the election and came under criticism from leader Nick Peel as a result.

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Cllr Peel said: "The will of the people is to be accepted so stop sulking and accept it. 

"I understand you were the Tory Party campaign coordinator as well. Why have you not been sacked? If you worked in the private sector with this result you would be out on your heel."

The argument escalated as Emily Mort, a Tonge with the Haulgh councillor for the Labour Group, revealed she received casework from residents in Bromley Cross as well as her ward.

She said Cllr Muslim has an out of office response on his email which states he will respond in three weeks.

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Cllr Mort said: "Your interest in Labour Party policy and in Labour Party leadership should be commended. 

"I am interested to understand where you find the time to take an interest and to comment in this meeting when I have had five pieces of Bromley Cross casework across my desk as you have not responded to residents' concerns and queries."

Cllr Muslim's colleagues Samantha Connor and Hilary Fairclough made comebacks to Cllr Mort's speech.

Cllr Connor said she lacked "common courtesy" and Cllr Fairclough said she was "appalled" and "shocked".

And Cllr Muslim said: "You lied saying the Bromley Cross councillors have an out of office response saying we'll get back in [three weeks]. Not a single Bromley Cross councillor has this on their email."

"I expect an apology and a retraction by the end of the week."

The Bolton News understands Cllr Mort does not intend to apologise to Cllr Muslim.

One serving councillor described the scenes as 'farcical' and said the chamber should pull together in the same direction.

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.