South Tyneside Labour Party launches investigation into councillor who 'fell asleep' during a planning meeting

The South Tyneside Labour Party have launched an investigation following reports that one of its members 'fell asleep' at a Planning Committee meeting on Monday, December 18.

Photos and videos have circulated on social media which claim to show Councillor Eileen Leask, of the Horsley Hill Ward, asleep during objections to the housing application for the current South Tyneside College site.

Following complaints from members of the public, the South Tyneside Labour Party has confirmed that it is investigating the matter.

The Party has highlighted that it expects its members to conduct themselves in a professional manner to ensure residents in the borough are getting the best service possible from the local authority.

A South Tyneside Labour Party spokesperson said: “We are aware of reports regarding an incident that took place involving one of our members at Planning Committee on Monday (December 18).

"We expect all Labour members to conduct themselves with the highest degree of professionalism and in respect of the importance of the work we do in ensuring our residents get the best possible service from their Council.

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"We have raised the incident with the member concerned and have started the process of formally looking into the matter, this includes meeting with the member and engaging with all the relevant parties.”

The South Tyneside Labour Group says the planning application from Avant Homes was approved by a vote of eight to five, meaning that if Cllr Leask had voted differently or abstained, the outcome would have remained the same.

However, in Monday's Planning Committee meeting, the result was formally declared and approved as seven to five.