AN independently chaired public inquiry should be held over the ongoing row about the destruction of planning records at Warrington Borough Council.

That is the view of Warrington’s Liberal Democrats who will make the demand at Monday’s full council meeting.

Clr Bob Barr, (LD Lymm) said: “Faith in Warrington’s planning service has been seriously shaken by the recent Local Government Ombudsman’s report that highlights serious maladministration.

“While we believe that the service is essentially sound, and the council has nothing to hide, we do not believe that it is right for the Council only to investigate these charges itself.

“We are calling for an independently chaired public enquiry to report by the end of the year on what went wrong and what can be done to improve our service in the future.

“We believe that only a genuinely independent and transparent enquiry and report will clear the air.”