A bitter political storm is brewing in the borough's civic offices over special payments made to Hertsmere Council employees.

The row, sparked by the amount of payments made to council officers, escalated this week with a Labour councillor demanding the borough's Tories pick up the tab for calling in the district auditor.

The Tories called for an investigation after becoming concerned about `unusually large' payments made to council staff for out-of-hours work.

This week Labour councillor Frank Ward argued the district auditor should not look into council business before an in-house probe already called by Hertsmere is completed.

And now Mr Ward is asking for assurances from Hertsmere's chief officer Philip Copland that the cost of a recent meeting between the Tory group and the district auditor will not be met by the council.

"The auditor is not cheap. I think it's about £200 an hour. Who is going to pay him? If the Tories have any sense of responsibility for the public purse, they should pay," he fumed.

However, Tory councillor David Wernick claimed the honoraria system, which rewards council employees for taking on extra duties, has also been improperly used to pay non-council employees.

The Tory group is unhappy about the total of payments, believed to be a six-figure sum, made to council officers in the past 18 months.

Conservatives say they are also worried about the contract for the refurbishment of the Furzefield centre in Potters Bar and about the council's medium term financial position.

They claim Labour is keeping details of unusually large honoraria payments made to staff under wraps.

But borough leaders have dismissed the claims as purely a political stunt created by the borough's opposition group.

Conservative councillor David Wernick is hoping costs would be met as part of the auditor's normal bill to Hertsmere Council.

But he added: "If they are not, then so be it. The responsibility lies with the Labour group."

He defended his group's decision to speak to the auditor. If borough leaders had not kept information secret the move would not have been necessary, he said.

"The more threats they make, the more concerned they are, and the more determined we are to investigate this matter," he added.

Meanwhile the leaders of the borough's Labour and Tory groups spoke more cautiously this week.

Labour's Bryan Stanley confirmed that auditor's costs -- for extra work done after matters were brought to his attention -- would have to be met by the council.

"We would not be happy about the council and the council tax payer being asked to pay a bill," he said.

He believed the Tories had created an additional expense by calling in the auditor at a premature stage, before the honoraria system had even been fully discussed by the council.

"On all subjects that the Conservatives have mentioned there are consultants' reports awaited.

"Until they are available there is no need to call the district auditor in. He would in any case see all these things during the annual audit," he said.

He said it would become clear that everything was totally in order and that the Conservative move was unjustified.and aimed at making political capital.

But Tory leader Peter Riches said his party had acted "perfectly reasonably" as a last resort after repeated requests to bring up matters at various council meetings had all been refused.

"We are not suggesting there has been a misdemeanor, but it ought to be discussed," he said.

Mr Riches denied there had been a special meeting between Conservatives and the district auditor, but a fax had been sent on February 13 detailing certain concerns.

And following a scheduled meeting at Hertsmere Civic Offices on February 18, he and Councillor Stuart Nagler had spoken with the auditor for about 15 minutes.

Afterwards the auditor sent a letter to Hertsmere chief executive Philip Copland.

He wrote: "We will treat the discussion as information brought to our attention. We are duty bound to follow up the concerns raised.

"As a first step I will be seeking a meeting with you to start the process."

Mr Riches added when the Labour party called in the district auditor to investigate the Tory-controlled council a few years ago, the authority had picked up the bill.

Mayor Ted Gadsden announced at a recent full council meeting that an independent examiner had been called in to carry out an inquiry into the council's practice of honoraria payments.

The independent examiner has been named as Alan Pearson, the chief executive of the Regional Employers' Organisation for Local Authorities. The results of such an inquiry are to be made available in a report to members at a policy and resources committee meeting on April 1.

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