A meeting of the Marlborough Town Council staffing committee had to be abandoned as members attemped to discuss the controversy over their town clerk Pam Dobson.

Mrs Dobson, who has been absent through stress for five months, had offered to resign from her £36,000 a year job in February after it was revealed that she had at one point been ten months behind with the £600 a month rent on the council-owned cottage that comes with the post.

Former mayor Graham Francis chaired the meeting of the staffing committee at the town hall from which the press and public were excluded.

However, when town council committees normally retreat into Part II confidential session councillors who are not members are allowed to remain and observe.

Coun Francis said he asked five observing councillors to leave when his committee went into camera to discuss a letter from the town clerk.

Coun Marianne Hannaford Dobson, although he did not name her, refused to leave. “I asked them to leave because we wanted to discuss this item in camera,” said Coun Francis.

“One of them refused to do so so I had to abandon the meeting. The committee gave me authority to take a decision on the way forward on the issue.”

Coun Hannaford Dobson said she believed councillors were able to attend all meetings – even when they went into secret session.

She said: “I told them when I was on the staffing committee at Kennet for four years I had training.

“I told them I had a democratic right and a mandate from the people who elected me to stay at the meeting.

“When the mayor (Nick Fogg) said he was going to walk out they all followed him.”

The town clerk’s sick note has been extended to the end of June by which time she will have been absent on full pay for five months.