COUNCIL leader Clyde Loakes was accused of 'betrayal' by a community council leader in an angry outburst.

Kevin Wyatt-Lown said Cllr Loakes had broken an agreement to keep enterprise cabinet member Cllr Terry Wheeler away from North Chingford Community Council, after comments he made at a previous meeting upset residents.

In exchange, Mr Wyatt-Lown agreed to drop a vote of no confidence in the councillor, requested by residents, and not to carry out his own threat to resign.

The tense exchange on Monday came after somebody noticed the community council's cabinet champion, Cllr Wheeler, had arrived late and sat quietly at the back of the hall.

Instantly a hostile silence fell on the assembled people and everybody turned to stare at the councillor, who slowly turned red.

Mr Wyatt-Lown said: "This is absolutely in breach of and not in the spirit of the agreement with Clyde Loakes.

"I have to register my absolute abject dismay that Cllr Wheeler should actually attend the meeting. I feel betrayed."

He demanded Cllr Wheeler leave the meeting, held in Chingford Assembly Hall, Station Road, to calls of "just get out" from the audience.

One elderly woman went over to Cllr Wheeler to shout at him and others muttered there should be a mass walk-out in protest.

The mood got so tense that two police officers attending the meeting stood up ready to spring into action.

But Cllr Wheeler refused either to leave the meeting, or to comment.

Earlier cheers greeted the news that Cllr Wheeler would no longer attend the community council and another champion chosen after he invoked the ire of Chingford residents at a previous meeting.

Among other things he suggested to his hecklers that people from North Chingford may not be as polite as residents from the south of the borough.

Speaking afterwards, Cllr Wheeler said people hadn't "got round to telling" him about the deal to stay away, although Cllr Loakes later said he had.

Cllr Wheeler added: "I certainly did not intentionally say anything negative about Chingford, nor was I intentionally rude or insulting in response to anyone.

"Quite clearly the people there did not agree with what I had to say.

"It is one thing to disagree with people. That's democracy and freedom of speech. It is another thing to not listen, to make people unwelcome or to attempt to ban them or drive them away because you do not like what they say."

Cllr Wheeler said he would refer the incident to the standards board to investigate.

Cllr Loakes said he thought the incident was "stuff about nothing".

He added: "People believe Terry said certain things. I think it's down to a misunderstanding."