A FORMER mayor of Weymouth and Portland said councillors who were accused of snubbing an invitation to see a youth theatre group should be ashamed of themselves.

Jess Nagel, who has first citizen in 1990, said she was appalled by the reasons given by councillors for failing to respond to the invitation to a show.

Weymouth’s WOW Youth Theatre group sent the invitations to every member of the authority at the beginning of the month.

However, only three councillors out of a total of 36 attended, with only two others replying to their invitations to say they could not attend.

The councillors had been invited to watch a matinee performance of the WOW That’s What I Call Music 2 show at Weymouth Pavilion.

Mrs Nagel said: “I was so angry at the reasons given by some of the councillors for not attending. “My anger was initially directed at Peter Chapman who had the audacity to say that the invitation was a ‘thinly veiled attempt to lobby on behalf of retaining the Pavilion Theatre complex’.”

Mrs Nagel said she accepted that councillors were busy and entitled to spend their free time as they wished.

However, she added: “When people put themselves up for public office it ill beholds them to complain when they are asked to devote some of that free time to worthwhile causes in the community.

“Some councillors are obviously not aware that Janet Stockley of WOW has, over two decades, given her time, talent, money and total commitment to the youngsters of this town.

“What she and her colleagues have done has been a tremendous benefit to the community.

“It shows her commitment to the youngsters and we should be grateful to her for what she has done and I think someone should be recommending her for an honour rather than insulting her in this way. Some of the councillors should be ashamed of themselves.”

Weymouth and Portland Mayor Tim Munro attended the show, while Coun Joy Stanley and Coun Grant Leighton, who paid for their tickets, also enjoyed it.

Coun Bill White and Coun Hazel Bruce both replied to their written invitations to say they would not be able to go.

WOW president Janet Stockley has described the actions of the councillors who did not attend or reply to their invitations as a ‘snub'.

WOW secretary Stella New said that the lack of replies from councillors had displayed a ‘disinterest’ in and its work.

She said: “We on the WOW committee find it very sad that even the offer of a free ticket does not motivate our local councillors to support their local youth theatre group and take an interest in the future voters of the borough.”

* Following Saturday’s report Coun Robbie Dunster said that he had in fact replied but was unable to attend due to work commitments.