BRITISH National Party district councillor Terry Farr, who is serving a three-month suspension following a complaint about letters he wrote to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and the Commission for Racial Equality, has been ousted from his role as chairman of a district council panel which hears complaints from members of the public.

Loughton Alderton councillor Mr Farr was elected chairman of the authority's complaints panel, which considers complaints from the public about actions taken by the council, at the annual council meeting.

But following the Standards Board for England investigation into his letters and the subsequent decision to suspend Mr Farr which was taken by the council's adjudication sub-committee, the full council last week voted him out of the position.

The call to terminate Mr Farr's appointment was made by Independent Socialist councillor Stephen Murray.

It was agreed by 43 votes to one, with BNP councillor Pat Richardson voting against the move and Waltham Abbey Labour councillor Reg Chidley abstaining.

BNP councillor Tom Richardson was not at last Tuesday's meeting.

Mr Murray said: "I was particularly pleased by the overwhelming nature of the vote.

"As chairman of the complaints panel it's important that every citizen and every possible complainant in the area could have faith and confidence in the chairmanship of the panel.

"I felt the comments he made in those letters would make them at least doubt if they could have confidence."

No decision has yet been made over who will take over as chairman of the complaints panel, the fourth of five possible stages in the council's complaints procedure.

Should a matter reach the panel and then the complainant is still not happy having already had the issue investigated by the head of the relevant council service and either of the joint chief executives, then the only remaining final stage is to take the matter to the ombudsman.