THE MAYOR of Richmond has been accused of breaking the code of conduct for councillors in relation to his abhorrent' comments to a newspaper last week and is to be replaced as chairman of a council watchdog body - but the council insists the two events are not connected.

Richmond upon Thames Council has announced that Mayor Douglas Orchard, who is under fire over allegations of a racist outburst, is to be replaced as chairman of the Council's Standards Committee by another Tory councillor, Lance Quantrill.

A council spokesman said: "The recommendation to Annual Council that Cllr Douglas Orchard should be replaced as chairman of the Standards Committee is unconnected to the recent referral to the National Standards Board, but is a consequence of his recommended appointment to the post of chairman of the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee."

Cllr Orchard is facing the prospect of investigations from the Standards Board for England and the Commission for Racial Equality following allegedly racially inflammatory statements to the local press accusing "Yardies and Kosovans" of only coming to England for a "free ride".

Liberal Democrat councillor Stephen Knight, strategy and finance spokesman, said: "Cllr Orchard's position as chair of the Standards Committee has become completely untenable, so I am glad he has acknowledged this and quit. How could someone who has personally flouted the Councillors' Code of Conduct and has brought the council into disrepute sit in judgement over others?"

When heavily criticised for his remarks by opposition councillors and the director of

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Richmond's Ethnic Minority Advice Group, Prehlad Dhall, Cllr Orchard defended his right to freedom of speech and said he was speaking for "the silent majority for a change".

This week Cllr Knight reported Cllr Orchard to the Standards Board for England following what he has described as " Cllr Orchard's racially inflammatory statements to the local press".

Cllr Knight said he was shocked by Councillor Orchard's statement. "The Mayor is supposed to represent all the citizens of the borough in a non-controversial, non-partisan way.

"Cllr Orchard's inflammatory remarks about nationality and immigration are totally abhorrent. He does not speak for me and I firmly believe he doesn't speak for Richmond upon Thames either.

" I felt a moral as well as a legal duty to make a formal complaint about his conduct to the Standards Board for England. As the chair of Richmond's own Standards Committee he can hardly claim he doesn't understand the Code of Conduct!

"He should now publicly withdraw his remarks and make a full and unconditional apology to the many people his statement has offended."

Cllr Orchard said: "I will vigorously contest any accusation that my remarks were motivated by anything other than a desire to allow local people to enjoy our St George's day celebrations. I will continue to work for good community relations in the borough. I believe that all who live in the United Kingdom should obey the laws of the land, that seems to me to be common sense.

"As Mayor I have been proud to represent all of the people of our borough over the last year. If my comments have caused offence where no offence was implied then that is regrettable.

"I am proud to be English and delighted to live in this beautiful part of our country. It is my wish that all who live here would take the same pride and strive to contribute something positive to the benefit of all, regardless of their origin. That surely would make a better place for everyone."

The Standards Board for England has the power to refer a complaint about a breach of the Code of Conduct to an Adjudication Panel, which can disqualify a councillor from office for up to five years.

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On the front page of their issue of April 18th the Richmond and Twickenham Informer published a story with the heading Racism' Storm below a photograph of the mayor holding up the flag of St George. Cllr Orchard had appealed to people to join the St George's Day Parade. Describing what it means to be English in 2003, he said: "We tend to be an easy-going nation but eventually we go so far and say that is it. We have enough problems of our own without trying to give bed and board to the rest of the world.

"There is no doubt that in the past there were some people who came here and helped benefit the country but I question what Yardies or Kosovans do for the country.

"They don't come here for any other reason than for a free ride."

Cllr Knight said that councillors are bound by a national Code of Conduct, which them under a general obligation to "promote equality", to carry out their duties "with proper consideration for the need to promote equality of treatment and opportunity for all people" and to "treat others with respect."