Veteran councillor Vera Tomlinson announced she would be stepping down from the planning committee of St Andrew's Parish Council with immediate effect.

Coun Tomlinson is a member of Swindon Borough Council for St Andrew's and the chairman of the parish council and sits on the planning committees of both.

She was speaking forcefully at a borough meeting against a plan to build a house in Dunley Close in the parish when she mentioned voting against it at the parish committee.

That counts as ‘pre-determination’ of her decision, which is against planning rules. She was told by legal advisor Philip Debidin she should not speak or vote on the matter any further.

Coun Tomlinson accepted the advice and resigned from the parish council’s committee immediately.

The application to build the three-bed house next to number 22 was deferred to allow the applicant Simon Melville to revise his proposal.