A CITY councillor resigned from two committees with immediate effect during Tuesday night's extraordinary city council meeting.

Councillor John Lindley, who represents St Paul's, stepped down from both the Planning Committee and the Salisbury Neighbourhood Development Plan Working Group in protest at what he "strongly considers" to be Cllr John Farquhar's "dishonest and dishonourable actions".

Cllr Lindley had said he was "extremely angry" that the meeting was the first time that any committee of Salisbury City Council had met to discuss and formulate any response to what he described as the "badly flawed Experimental Traffic Regulation Order/Low Traffic Zone" - also known as the 'People Friendly Streets' scheme.

He said: "During the previous six months we had multiple opportunities to meet and discuss the proposals prior to their rushed and botched introduction.

"During that time neither Cllr Farquhar nor Cllr Jeremy Nettle sought fit to officially seek the views of the members so the City Council had no official view on these dystopian proposals. Which is one of the many reasons that prompted myself and the majority of the group to pass a vote of no confidence in Cllr Nettle".

Cllr Nettle stepped down from the leadership of the city council in October after losing the vote of no confidence.

Cllr Lindley also said he regarded Cllr Farquhar’s motion, that the city council supported a reintroduction of the People Friendly Streets scheme, to be "factually incorrect, in erroneously connecting the ETRO/LTZ to the Central Area Framework", a view echoed by other councillors during the meeting on Tuesday.

He added: "In my view, they are two entirely separate proposals. To say that the CAF is dependent upon the ETRO to succeed is dishonest to say the least.

"The CAF cannot succeed without a properly designed integrated Transport Strategy covering the entire city and the surrounding parishes.

"As was demonstrated during its flawed introduction. I strongly believe that any future ETRO/LTZ must be developed in the city to reflect our needs as we recover from the economic damage caused by COVID, which is what the motion that was passed failed to address."

Cllr Lindley concluded by saying he considers Cllr Farquhar’s actions in calling for the extraordinary full council meeting to be "dishonourable and disloyal" to the Conservative Group and "its democratically elected leader", Cllr Sirman, "as he went behind the back of the council leader both to call for the meeting to be held and by contacting the leader of Wiltshire Council behind her back in what I can only consider to be a deliberate and unhanded attempt to undermine her leadership and the Conservative Party".

Cllr Farquhar said: "Cllr John Lindley is a fine man and a lifetime resident of Salisbury, who has served selflessly in local government for many years. He departs in May with my blessings and respect.

"The CAF describes the PFS as one of its aspirations; the ETRO was Wiltshire Council’s instrument for implementing the PFS. Simples."