THE Mayor of Wirral is set to sue the leader of the Liberal Democrats over an accusation he brought his office into disrepute.

Mayor Cllr Andrew Hodson said he is consulting lawyers and reporting Cllr Simon Holbrook to the standards board over a claim his scheduling of a meeting benefited the Tory party.

The spat comes in the wake of Wirral Council’s libraries U-turn, which saw a reprieve for 11 sites earmarked for closure.

Lib-Dem leader Cllr Simon Holbrook was informed that the date for the Extraordinary Meeting of the council to discuss the matter was October 12 – a date which clashed with a long-standing business commitment.

Mayor Cllr Andrew Hodson, however, a Conservative, declined his request to re-schedule. Cllr Holbrook then put out a statement accusing the mayor of using his civic role for party political benefit.

He wrote: “The Mayor responded to a request from 18 of his own Conservative Party colleagues for an extraordinary meeting of the Council without consulting either of the other political groups.

“By not consulting with other political parties, the Mayor has used his civic role for party political benefit.

“There is a long- standing tradition in Wirral of the mayor acting in a non- political manner.

“This is a good tradition and one we lose at our peril.”