WHITEFIELD Councillor Alan Matthews has been suspended for two weeks for bringing the council into disrepute.

And the Labour councillor has been ordered to write a letter of apology to Tory member Yvonne Creswell after "gagging" her at a meeting.

Coun Matthews, who has represented Besses ward for the last 26 years, was reported to the Standards Board for England over his conduct at a planning committee in January. He was chairing the meeting, and refused to allow the Elton councillor to speak unless she apologised for her "disgusting" remarks at a previous meeting.

Coun Matthews told the Guide that the "gagging order" had been made by the planning committee, but other councillors said this was not the case.

Following local investigation, Bury's standards committee found that he had breached two parts of the council's code of conduct: failing to treat Coun Creswell with respect, and behaving in a manner that would diminish public confidence in his office and the authority, thus bringing them into disrepute.

Panel chairman, independent member Mrs Anne Brown, told Tuesday's meeting that there was no justification for his "unacceptable" behaviour.

Coun Matthews admitted that he did breach the code of conduct, but not deliberately, and made a plea for leniency. Fellow Besses councillor Derek Boden and former council leader Colin Jones told the panel that he was an honourable and conscientious man who, while plain-speaking, would never knowingly bring the council into disrepute.

Coun Matthews says he will not appeal, and his ban - which means he may not attend council meetings nor claim his allowances - will start on November 14. His letter of apology has to be approved by the standards committee.

"I have already apologised to the councillor concerned and I accept what has now been decided," he said. "After the two weeks are up I will continue as I always have, acting in the best interests of my constituents and the borough."

Coun Creswell said she was surprised at the brevity of the ban, when Tory members Bob Bibby and Jim Taylor were respectively given eight and six-week suspensions last year for breaches of the code. She had earlier been cleared by the Board of Labour complaints about her behaviour at the original planning meeting.

She added: "I'm glad the whole thing is over. Unless it involves a serious offence, we should be able to sort things out ourselves rather than reporting people to the standards board. Let's get together and work for the people of Bury."