A COUNCILLOR is the subject of a standards investigation after she took a major role in granting cash which paid for her daughter to go on a trip to a theme park.

Coun Donna Caley, who represents the Bradley ward in Nelson, asked the Nelson Committee for £500 to fund a trip to Blackpool Pleasure Beach for a group of teenagers, including her daughter, according to a council report following an investigation.

The councillor is a leading organiser of the Bradley Young Adults Group, and asked for the money last year as a reward for the young people, who had spent time cleaning up their area, the report says.

In July this year, when the members voted on the budget which contained her proposal, she should have left the room during the debate and vote.

Instead she stayed, complained that the money had not arrived yet, and seconded the motion to approve the budget, it is claimed.

The £500 cheque was payable to the group, but was addressed to Coun Caley's Edward Street home, the report says.

There is no suggestion that the money was used for anything other than the trip.

This is the second time that Coun Caley has been called to face the standards committee in just four months. In July, she was accused of failing to tell a meeting that she had an interest in two planning applications near her home, then pressing for enforcement action to be taken. She was later cleared.

The report into the latest complaint was written by deputy monitoring officer Richard Townson following an investigation. He found that she had "improperly secured an advantage" for her daughter and other members of the 30-strong young adults group.

She now faces penalties which could range from having to apologise formally to the committee, to being suspended from the council.

Her fellow councillors will decide what action to take when they meet to form a standards committee on Wednesday.

Coun Caley was not available to comment.