LABOUR councillors accused of helping people queue-jump a town's house waiting list are due to appear before a special disciplinary panel tomorrow.

Burnley's new Standards Panel of council peers and a £400-a-day independent chairman has been specially set up to hear claims that Lowerhouse ward councillor Joe Tierney, Eddie Fisk and Jack Alston placed pressure on housing officers to allocate homes to residents who were not top of the waiting list.

They are also accused of breaching the local government code of conduct by speaking on behalf of a sacked woman housing officer at a disciplinary appeal and prejudicing the council's position.

The charges, which are strongly denied by the councillors, arise from the findings of a six-month inquiry by chief executive Roger Ellis.

Nine members of the ruling Labour group prompted disciplinary action by defying the party whip and failing to attend a council meeting called to set up the panel, claiming their colleagues had been victimised. The inquiry was triggered when the councillors gave a character reference for the housing officer, sacked for handing a council flat to her sister although she was not even on the waiting list.

The councillors allegedly said they had placed pressure on officers over waiting list policy - a factor, which Mr Ellis says, would have made it impossible to uphold dismissal at any subsequent industrial tribunal.

The investigation found no evidence that Coun Alston ever approached any officer or affected any house allocation.

He quit the Labour Party in protest, now sits as an Independent and says he will refuse to attend tomorrow's hearing.

The inquiry report revealed that one unnamed council officer accused Coun Tierney of applying pressure on house allocations - an assertion he refutes - but produced no evidence that he had ever influenced any decision.

Several officers and a former councillor accused Coun Fisk of applying pressure but no evidence was found that he acted improperly in all six cases fully investigated by the council.

Mr Ellis said the investigation produced no evidence of illegality or corruption by the three members or that they sought or obtained personal advantage.

The panel can recommend the councillors be reprimanded or removed from committees, chairmanships or vice-chairmanships or as council representatives on outside bodies.

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