Wigan MBC has called in two consultants to try and bring peace to warring factions in the council chamber. The Standards Board for England told the council to act after it found Wigan councillors had made more complaints about fellow members than any other council – complaining at three times the national average for a metropolitan council. The board also found opposition councillors believed there was bias towards the controlling Labour group by senior officers. Now the council has invited Prof Alan Lawson and Dr David Bright, from Hull University's business school, to advise on how to stop the political groupings falling out with each other. There has been continuous friction between the Labour group, which, with 46 seats, has overwhelming power, and a collection of Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and various independents, which holds a total of 28 seats between them. The latest incident in the council chamber surrounds a councillor having his tape recorder confiscated when it was discovered he was taping proceedings at January's council meeting.
