THE leader of Swindon’s Labour group is facing a formal complaint against him from his political opponents.

Councillor Derique Montaut (Lab, Central) has been referred to the council’s Standards Committee, after the Adver published leaked comments about the authority’s controversial handling of the Mechanics’ Institute affair.

The Adver had been passed a damning document from English Heritage, which attacked the council for ignoring its advice and actually worsening the damage to the iconic building in Railway Village.

English Heritage also slammed the council for invalidating the £211,040 grant which it had offered to help repair the building, and said the whole affair “raises very serious questions about the skills and experience of your team and the working relationship between us.”

The Adver did not reveal the source of the leaked letter.

But Coun Montaut, who is up for re-election on May 5, admitted it was him when asked.

The Adver often publishes confidential information passed to it by politicians, when the information is believed to be in the public interest.

But in a statement, the council’s deputy leader Coun Garry Perkins (Con, Shaw and Nine Elms), said: “It is a disgrace. Councillors are trusted to hold confidential and sensitive information all the time.

“For a senior councillor with around 30 years' experience to breach this confidentiality requires the most severe punishment.

“Either Councillor Montaut does not know what he is doing, in which case he is not fit to be a councillor, or he acted in full knowledge of his actions, in which case he has flagrantly abused his office.”

Coun Perkins – who is also seeking re-election – filed the complaint to the Standards Committee, under two clauses of the council’s Members’ Code of Conduct – Clause 4, disclosing confidential information and Clause 5, bringing the office of councillor into disrepute.

Coun Montaut said: “This is a straight situation. This is a political attack on the leader of the Labour group and consequently I’ll respond accordingly.

“If something is in the public interest, that’s what it is. I might have to pay the price with a slap on the hands. Then so be it.

“It’s the type of dirty politics that sometimes happens before an election.

“They’re out to try and get me. So be it. Let them try to do that. They discredit politics to a great extent.”

The council refused to say what the next step in the process is, or what any possible punishments are.

In a bizarre move, it then said it intends to file a complaint against the Adver, if we print that a complaint has been made against Coun Montaut.

This is despite being notified of the complaint against Coun Montaut by the Conservative group itself, which runs the council.