A VISIT to Comet country from the Prime Minister has caused a councillor who organised the event to come under fire from those not invited.

Central Beds councillor Ian Dalgarno invited David Cameron to Arlesey on Friday to meet 22 people from the Arlesey Residents’ Association, the Arlesey Neighbourhood Watch Group and Arlesey Speed Watch Group.

But Arlesey town councillors were not invited or even told about the high-profile visitor.

At the Arlesey full council meeting on Tuesday, members were infuriated about the event. Cllr Linda Clapham, who is a neighbourhood watch co-ordinator, said: “Three neighbourhood watch co-ordinators were excluded because we are on the council. It is very disappointing.”

Another Councillor Judy Rencontre said: “Ian Dalgarno said he could not tell anyone about the meeting but the whole of the Arlesey Residents’ Association were there. It’s unfair and unbalanced.”

The meeting with the Prime Minister, who was accompanied by the Conservative Party police and crime commissioner candidate for Bedfordshire Jas Parmer, took place at the WI Hall in Arlesey.

Chairman of Arlesey Town Council, Nick Daniels, said: “I feel very disappointed with the whole process, there are divisions in this town and this meeting has further added to that.

Cllr Dalgarno said: “I instigated the whole thing to invite David Cameron to meet people who do some great work in the community and I wanted to tie that in with the police and crime commissioner elections.

“The numbers were limited but the original plan did have the chairman and vice chairman of the town council to attend but the list was cut short by Number 10 to make the event more manageable.”

Mr Dalgarno added, on reflection, the chairman and vice chairman of the town council should have been there to build better bridges between the town council and residents in the town.