A FORMER mayor is on the verge of quitting the Labour Party after a row over election selection procedures.

Ron Watts has resigned from his post as secretary of the Hartlepool Labour Party amid claims executive members ignored guidelines when choosing candidates.

He was considering leaving the party, and said he may stand as an independent candidate at this year's council polls.

Mr Watts, who has been a member of the Labour Party for 24 years, said: "The secretary of the party is responsible for ensuring everything is done according to the rules, and basically the rules are being ignored and I do not want to be a part of that."

The retired college lecturer was hoping to win back his seat on Hartlepool Borough Council, where he has previously served as mayor and chairman of the environment committee.

He was selected to stand in a ward classed by party bosses as impossible to win for Labour, but said that was not the reason for his resignation.

He said: "I am not miffed about not being given a good seat.

"I am miffed about the party ignoring the rules.

"When candidates are chosen for seats, they should be selected through a ballot, but on this occasion this has been done with a show of hands.

"I am considering resigning from the Labour Party. I am still a member, but I am thinking 'what good am I doing?' "

Asked if he would be standing in the elections, Mr Watts said: "I do not intend to be a Labour Party candidate."

Keith Fisher, who resigned as president of Hartlepool Labour Party more than a year ago following a row over nuclear power policy, said: "I hope Ron does not leave the party."

Mr Fisher blamed lack of member support for forcing a show-of-hands vote rather than a ballot.

Ward members have the powers to select candidates, but if too few attend the meetings, the party's executive is given the job.

Mr Fisher said: "The real problem is in the apathy of people not coming to ward meetings. If people did turn up, it would deny that sort of leeway."