Two “completely ineffectual” Tory councillors came under fire from their colleagues at the final council meeting of the term as the party’s rift widened.

%image(15386463, type="article-full", alt="Cllr Damian White was dubbed "Havering's favourite comedy villain" by the outgoing councillor")

Cllr Osman Dervish (Conservative, Mawneys) and Cllr Damian White (Con, Hylands) were accused of misleading residents by writing to them claiming the restoration of Raphael Park, Romford, was a part of their campaign.

Fellow Conservative Cllr Andrew Curtin (Romford Town), who has been de-selected by the party, took a swipe at them at the Havering Town Hall meeting last week.

He said: “We have no record of Cllr Dervish ever raising any issues related to the restoration of Raphael Park with us.

“True to form, it is no surprise to discover that Cllr White, who is surely Havering’s favourite comedy villain, has also written to residents to claim the restoration of Raphael Park as his own.

“We have no record of Cllr White raising any issues related to the restoration with us.

“He goes on to tell us that this was a ‘recent’ campaign, so recent, perhaps that it happened after work had started?

“There is a reason why no one has ever heard of Cllr Dervish and Cllr White’s campaign. It is either that they are completely ineffectual, or they are lying.”

Later Cllr Geoffrey Starns (Con, Havering Park) took swipe at the pair during a debate about potholes.

He said: “We shouldn’t put them in potholes - they’re more than capable of digging for themselves and they often do.”

Cllr Michael Armstrong (Con, Pettits) also piped in with a reference to Cllr White’s poor timekeeping.

Speaking after the meeting Cllr Dervish defended himself by saying the letter was about the Conservative party’s achievements as a whole.

He added: “I have raised concerns over the park, have spoken to the friends group and have been to a couple of their meetings.”

Cllr White did not respond to the Recorder’s request for comment after the meeting.