The leader of the County Durham Labour Party has been criticised for not turning up to council meetings. 

Council Leader Amanda Hopgood criticised Carl Marshall and questioned why the Stanley councillor had missed multiple full council meetings. 

Liberal Democrat councillor Hopgood launched the furious rant in response to claims about the quality of the local authority’s leadership and its status within the North East Combined Authority. The Joint Administration in charge of Durham County Council consists of Liberal Democrat, Conservative and Independent councillors. 

Cllr Marshall previously urged County Durham councillors to vote against joining the institution and instead pursue a county-only deal. 

On Wednesday, Council Leader Hopgood said: “Where is the illustrious leader? For the second time in a row, he has chosen party over county, again, with leadership. This morning, myself councillor Bell and Shield drove back from Harrogate and we will be going back once this meeting is finished, to continue at the Local Government Association conference, where we will be having meetings this afternoon. 

“Councillors Marshall and Shaw couldn’t bring themselves to come back, they didn’t come back from the Labour Party conference [in September] like I did to make sure I was here in a true leadership role to represent the people of County Durham. 

“The leader of the opposition actively campaigned to keep County Durham out of the North East combined authority. He actively spoke to every single leader to say, ‘keep Durham out, do everything you can to vote against Durham’. 

“Don’t come here and criticise us, and speak about leadership, when you don’t have the first clue.”

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Carl Marshall said his party is “laser-focused” on putting County Durham first. Responding to the comments, he said: “If cllr Hopgood dedicated the same amount of time to addressing the issues impacting upon our residents that she does to monitoring my diary, County Durham might be in a better state.

“She claims I’m the one choosing ‘party over county’, when she personally stepped in to prevent the chief executive of Durham County Council from attending meetings with senior ministers – something I, and Labour members, offered to facilitate.

“I’d put my council attendance record up against anyone in that coalition. However, cllr Hopgood’s outburst – following a debate on child poverty when a negative Lib Dem motion was rejected in favour of a positive Labour amendment - was not righteous fury at my perceived lack of attendance. It was the dying wail of a coalition never fit to run this council, and she knows her days, and those of her colleagues, are numbered come May.”