AN 'off the cuff remark' to a fellow member during a meeting resulted in a district councillor being slung off a task group which has been set up to look at the future of Bromsgrove Museum.

District councillor Athol Deakin, (Lab-Sidemoor) a member of the group set up by the council's health and leisure scrutiny committee, was heard to remark he 'had never visited the museum and had no intention of doing so.'

The remark was heard by the chairman, Councillor Margaret Sherrey (Con-Furlongs) who asked for a show of hands to vote Cllr Deakin off the group at last Wednesday's meeting.

Later she said: "I put the matter to the members as I felt he could not make an unbiased judgement on the museum's future without visiting it."

Cllr Deakin was upset at the decision and pointed out he had been part of the group when it had visited other museums on fact finding missions and had had the most input of any of them.

He said: "I admit I made the off the cuff remark and I will visit the museum if I get time, but what has happened to free speech? It was a personal remark to a fellow councillor and not made through the chair to the meeting. I believe we have sunk to the level of playground politics."

The group is three quarters of the way through compiling a report on the viability of the Birmingham Road museum.

Cllr Deakin claims the council's figures show that during 2003/4 the museum had 438 visitors, but it cost over £100,000 to maintain the service. Cllr Sherry said she believed the figure nearer £95,000.