A BEXLEY Council meeting was adjourned in disarray after nearly 200 people in the public gallery were told their item would not be debated.

After waiting 90 minutes members of African churches in the borough, were told to return in November if they wanted to hear the council’s view on a motion put forward by Labour group leader Councillor Chris Ball.

Tory councillors had already tabled a motion on the state of the country’s finances, which took up most of the time allowed for motions.

But when Labour councillors asked for the time limit to be extended to debate the matter the entire public gallery had come to hear, Tory councillors unanimously voted against.

There were angry scenes when people, some with children, realised they had wasted their time, and mayor Councillor Val Clark was forced to take a 30-minute break to allow tempers to cool.

Council leader, Councillor Teresa O’Neill blamed Labour councillors.

She said she had warned Labour it was unlikely there would be time for two motions but they had not passed that onto church members.

She also criticised Cllr Ball for being absent after tabling the motion, which was designed to make it easier for new churches to make temporary use of industrial buildings.

Cllr Ball, a teacher, was supervising a school trip and told News Shopper church members were aware he would not be there and he had warned of the time limit risk.

He added: “I would have thought on a courtesy level, since there were so many members of the public there, councillors would have allowed the debate.”

Councillors returned after the break and the meeting finished 10 minutes later, without further discussion.

Cllr O’Neill, and other councillors met a number of church leaders last Friday to discuss the problem of finding suitable premises.

One church, in an industrial building in Birch Walk, Erith, is currently under threat of closure after six years, because it does not meet Bexley’s planning requirements.

Cllr O’Neill is also arranging a meeting with planning officers in an effort to make some progress.

Birch Walk pastor Sina Akinseye, who was at the council meeting and met Cllr O’Neill on Friday, said Bexley’s planning rules were outdated and inflexible.

He said his church, which does a lot of work with young people and the unemployed, had not received any guarantee it could remain.

He added: “We are not political but we are very concerned about the indecision.”