A SENIOR councillor will have to apologise to every member of Bradford Council for using the authority’s resources in his election campaign.

Letters were printed in the council’s Conservative office this year seeking support for its group leader, Councillor Glen Miller, who was standing for re-election in the Worth Valley.

It is against civil law for the council to use its resources to affect public support for a political party, under the Local Government Act 1986.

Now the council’s standards committee has decided Cllr Miller should apologise to all elected councillors within 28 days.

It is understood he will make the apology at a meeting of the full council next month.

Cllr Miller has already paid a bill of £100 plus VAT, for the materials used, and also said he would make a voluntary donation to the Lord Mayor’s Charity Appeal by way of an apology.

But the amount the materials were worth has been disputed, and at a meeting of the governance and audit committee last week, its chairman asked for the council’s internal auditors to look into the matter and resolve it once and for all.

Cllr Lynne Smith said: “The purpose of the auditor looking at things is to just give us a report as to why there are all these different figures flying about and demonstrate there is no underlying conspiracy.”

She said for the committee to devote any more time to the matter would be “just adding to the cost of the whole endeavour”.

The council was unable to provide the Keighley News with an exact figure for the bill to date.

Cllr Miller this week said it was a “shame” some people had tried to use the issue for political gain.

He added: “I’ve been categorically cleared of wrongdoing, and I was open and transparent from the moment this mistake was highlighted.”