THE chief executive of a gay men's HIV and AIDS charity says he is to report leader of the council Tony Arbour to the Standards Board for England for comments he made at a meeting this week.

Cass Mann of Positively Healthy posed certain questions to Cllr Arbour at a council meeting on Tuesday regarding Cllr Hilary Dance's letter to the Richmond and Twickenham Times at the end of last year, in which she wrote: "God did not originally make two men to love or complement one another, neither did he create two women to love and complement one another."

On the order paper, Cass Mann stated that Cllr Dance breached certain sections of the council members' Code of Conduct and it asked: "What measures does the council intend to take to deal with her breaches of this code, which she has clearly done by publishing her letter as a councillor using the council's official address and email communication pathway?"

Cllr Arbour replied: "Any alleged breach of the act is a matter for the standards board, recognising that Cllr Dance's personal and religious beliefs have been interpreted by some as homophobic and she wrote to apologise and emphasise that she is not homophobic."

On the order paper Mr Mann said his friends and colleagues had experienced a recent increase in verbal abuse and threatening behaviour since November 2003, where the perpetrators now claim to be acting in accord with Cllr Dance's aforementioned homophobic statement'.

He asked: "What measures does the council intend to take to ensure that gay and lesbian residents are not afraid any more to walk the streets as a result of the statement?"

Cllr Arbour replied: "The council's policies are clear. To suggest that people are afraid to walk the streets is hard to believe. The council will however soon have some firm evidence as to the views on transgender people, gays, lesbians and people in same sex relationships, who live and work in the borough."

Mr Mann now says he is formally reporting Cllr Arbour to the standards board as he believes the leader has brought the local authority into disrepute by breaching the members' Code of Conduct in three categories.

He said: "Arbour's response clearly indicates that he is unfit for his cabinet role, as any person who was told, without their evidence being checked and then being communicated with, that their complaint was hard to believe', would feel abused and violated a second time."

A spokesman for the council said: "Following the letter, which caused offence in December 2003, both Cllr Hilary Dance and the chief executive made statements to the local press. Following these it was considered that, as far as the council was concerned, the matter was closed.

"Leader of the council Tony Arbour strenuously denies that anything he said in the council meeting on Tuesday, March 2, brought the council into disrepute.

"If this matter is now being considered by the standards board, it is inappropriate for the council to comment further."

The row blew up last year during an intense and heated debate which raged through the Richmond & Twickenham Times letters pages over six weeks.