Chaos ensued at a recent council meeting after opposition members walked out in protest at what they said was a vote on a devolution plan which should not have gone ahead.

But the move brought stinging criticism, with one councillor accusing those who walked out of putting 'two fingers up' to voters and the democratic process.

An extraordinary meeting of Cheshire West and Chester full council took place on Tuesday evening (9 September), where members were due to discuss backing a devolution plan for Cheshire and Warrington.

Votes in Cheshire East and Warrington Borough councils are also set to take place soon and, if approved by all three councils, it will pave the way for the creation of a new devolved authority, similar to that in Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region.

But unlike the other two councils, Cheshire West and Chester is currently in a pre-election period due to an impending by-election in the Ellesmere Port ward of Strawberry, with voters due to go to the polls and choose a replacement for Labour's Cllr Gareth Gould, who has stepped down for health reasons.

The current pre-election period, also known as purdah, means there is effectively a ban on conducting any business which could be seen to promote the views of one party or political group over an other.

Concerns were raised earlier in the week by the main opposition Conservative group, which said the meeting should be postponed until after the by-election.

Advice issued by the non-political Local Government Association states that it should be 'business as usual' at councils unless there are 'very good reasons' for that not to be the case.

Before last night's meeting at Winsford's Wyvern House got underway, the council's top officer, chief executive Delyth Curtis, told the chamber the devolution issue was 'time sensitive'.

She said: "The restrictions do not prevent business of the council containing on issues which are time critical and essential business can still be determined through the normal council procedures, the item on today's agenda has been assessed by myself and the monitoring officer as requiring a decision that cannot be delayed until after the by-election."

Addressing the chamber, Cllr Adrian Waddelove, leader of the Conservative group, criticised the fact full council was only being asked to endorse a report on devolution, but that the decision to approve it would be taken only by the ruling Labour cabinet today (Wednesday, September 10).

He said: "Many of us in this chamber, myself included, support devolution. I support more funding for our area.

"But tonight, council is asked to note the content of the joint committee report and endorse and recommend to cabinet the principle of the establishment of the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority, not council 'votes to establish'.

"I suspect my Farndon ward residents and many in this chamber tonight will be surprised to know the only action being asked for us, elected councillors, is to endorse a report.

"It's a bureaucratic waste of time. Tonight is not a meaningful vote."

Then in remarkable scenes, he led a mass walkout.

After those that chose to leave had left, the chair of the meeting Cllr Robert Bisset quickly restored order and declared there were enough councillors left to continue with a vote. 

Labour councillor Sam Naylor hit out, saying: "I did not intend to speak tonight.

"Some of them (members who walked out) I know very well, and I have respect for, but I feel they showed a complete dereliction of their democratic duty to their residents, particularly to those who voted for them.

"Because they didn't even bother to speak. It is akin to putting two fingers up to the democratic process and residents and to those who reside in Cheshire."

Summing up before the vote, council leader Louise Gittins (Labour) said: "Our constitution means that the cabinet can make a decision on this.

"We wanted it to come to full council so that everybody had their opportunity to debate it. We didn't have to do it. The cross party group has worked for 12 months on this.

"We've had cross party member working groups, and my plea was to put politics to one side.

"Unfortunately, they couldn't help themselves but we will still go on. We will get our devolution for Cheshire and Warrington. If we don't, we'll go back to the bottom of the pile. We won't get mandated to do it for another five years."

The vote was then taken by the remaining councillors and approved. 

Warrington will hold a full council meeting on September 15, with a decision then going to that council's ruling cabinet for approval on September 22.

Cheshire East has a different constitution known as a 'committee system' where decisions are more de-centralised.

It will hold a meeting of full council on September 17 where members will be asked to approve.

If all three councils approve, the devolution process will then begin in earnest.