A LEIGH town councillor is facing calls to resign after branding residents a mob and ordering them to "shut up" during a tirade at a meeting.
A video shared on social media showed culture and community committee chairman Paul Gilson losing his temper with residents who “disrupted” the meeting by “repeatedly asking questions”.
It is the latest in a series of clashes between council members and residents, since Tories took over last year. Police have been called to meetings to help control the situation and residents have called for some Tory councillors to resign.
Mr Gilson, who shouted “shut up, shut up” at residents during the outburst, has claimed he had been provoked.
However Jean De Tourtoulon, who attended the meeting, said the outburst was “totally uncalled for” and claimed residents are now asking for him to resign.
She said: “We weren’t a mob at all and we will never be a mob. Paul Gilson was involving the residents which is what we want and he was doing extremely well.
“He just totally lost it and the residents are asking that he resigns. It was totally uncalled for. We weren’t shouting as a mob.
“A resident asked a question. He’s a gentleman. He stood up and asked a question and at that point Bernard Arscott said something to him and he got up with such ferocity his chair flew and he shouted “shut up, shut up” and it was totally uncalled for.”
Four councillors have now resigned from the council, including Owen Cartey, Anne Robinson, Murat Agdeve and Mark Flewitt.
Mr Gilson, a longstanding member of the fishing community in Leigh, admitted he had also considered resigning.
He said: “What’s not being put across is, the mob wouldn’t shut up and they were disrupting the meeting. They had their 15 minutes. I’m very generous. I let them join in which I shouldn’t do but I try and engage everybody.
“There is a group of people trying to overturn the democratic vote of the electorate. They do not want the Conservatives running Leigh Town Council. We’ve lost four councillors now because of the abuse.”
He added: “I might as well just join the rest and give up because that’s what it makes you want to do.”
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