A town council's decision to spend thousands of pounds on "civic regalia" for the deputy mayoress and her partner have been blasted by opposition councillors.
At a meeting on Thursday, members of Blyth Town Council agreed to spend £15,000 on chains of office for the unelected position. Four Conservative councillors, one Liberal Democrat and two Labour councillors voted against the plans, but the rest of the Labour-led council voted to approve the spending.
The move has attracted significant criticism from Northumberland Conservatives, as well as Blyth Valley MP Ian Levy. It was pointed out that Blyth Town Council has managed without chains for the deputy mayor for the last 13 years.
