The chairman of High Wycombe Town Committee has apologised after a councillor said he was “extremely fortunate” not to face a vote of no confidence.

Cllr Ed Gemmell was criticised by fellow committee members during a disagreement over how the group had handled Buckinghamshire’s emerging Local Plan.

However, no formal no-confidence motion was submitted and no vote on his position took place.

The disagreement arose after councillors asked why the Local Plan had not been included on the committee’s published agenda.

Councillors agreed almost unanimously to add the Local Plan discussion to the meeting.

Cllr Chris Chilton said the plan had been a leading priority for councillors and Buckinghamshire MPs during the previous months.

Addressing the chairman, he said: “Ed, you disappeared a bit.

“The first email that you wrote on this subject was on August 29 after we had the debrief on July 6.

“So you disappeared for six or seven weeks, and I was disappointed with that.”

Cllr Gemmell replied that he had been away for only part of the period and encouraged members to telephone him whenever they had concerns.

Cllr Julia Wassell said members had been let down and criticised the chairman’s absence during the summer.

She said: “I feel the rest of us have let them down. The system has let them down, and I feel you, chair, have let us down.

“I feel you go around doing what you like. You come up to the meeting, you try and flannel us a little bit about this meeting, that meeting, and frankly, nowadays it just goes in one ear and out the other.

“You weren’t here when you needed us. You didn’t give us any notice you were going to be away all summer.”

Cllr Wassell added: “It’s highly unsatisfactory, and I think you’re very fortunate today that a vote of no confidence has not been placed—extremely fortunate.

“I, for one, would have been voting for it.”

Cllr Gemmell apologised following the criticism.

He said: “I’m extremely sorry that people feel like that and, over the summer period, if I was absent, that won’t be happening again. I’m sorry for that.”

The chairman explained that attempts had been made to place the Local Plan on the agenda, but the committee had received advice from democratic services about how it could discuss and respond to the consultation.

He had also requested a meeting with planning officers to discuss how the emerging Local Plan could affect High Wycombe.