A UKIP councillor is demanding an investigation after she was accused of making “racist comments” during a council debate.

Linda Allport-Hodge, Ukip councillor for Langdon Hills, has asked Basildon Council’s monitoring officer to investigate an outburst by independent Labour councillor, Pat Rackley, at the last full council meeting, during a housing debate.

Mrs Allport-Hodge said: “For decades, there have not been enough homes to meet the needs of our growing and aging population.

Since July 2010 only 360,000 new-builds were completed in England.

“This against a backdrop of some four million foreigners that came to Britain between 1997 and 2010, while Labour was in power and an average annual net migration figure of 225,000, since 2010.”

During her speech Mrs Rackley stormed out of the chamber saying: “This is absolute racism, I am not going to sit here listening to this.”

Echo: Calling for investigation – campaigner Linda Allport-Hodge

Statistics: Linda Allport-Hodge

Mrs Allport-Hodge said in an email to Mrs Rackley and Gerry Levelle, the monitoring officer: “I am not a racist, never have been and my family, friends and business associates are reading your nonsense. My entire address to council was based on facts.”

Mrs Rackley said: “I did not call her a racist, but said that I am not listening to racist comments.

I can’t even remember exactly what she said, I was just so angry.”

Echo: Angry - councillor Pat Rackley

"Not listening" - Pat Rackley

A spokesman for Basildon Council said: “The council confirms a complaint has been received. The monitoring officer will consider this in accordance with the relevant approved complaints procedure under the Council’s Member Code of Conduct.” The exchange came during consideration of plans by the council for 50 new council homes to be built were agreed.

Basildon councillors voted unanimously to use Basildon Council’s right to buy income to fund the first major social housing development in the borough since the Eighties. Council leader Phil Turner said: “This is something we have not been able to offer residents before. Fifty is not a lot, but if a tenant goes into a new-build they will be very pleased. It is a small start and will get bigger.”

MORE than 10 per cent of people waiting for social housing from Basildon Council are non-British, a councillor claimed.

Gavin Callaghan, Labour councillor for Pitsea North West, said of the 5,700 people on the waiting list, 89 per cent were British born.

He said the statistic showed Ukip was scaremongering about immigration being responsible for the housing crisis, as only 11 per cent – 627 people – were non British.

Echo: Gavin Callaghan, Labour’s candidate for Tory MP John Baron’s Basildon and Billericay seat

"Lies" - Gavin Callaghan

He said: “Ukip call it straight talking. We call it lies.”

Mr Callaghan claimed the so-called “boomerang generation” – people in their twenties who return to live with parents after leaving finishing university – placed more of a strain on housing as there are 2,200 households in the borough with 25 to 35 year olds living with parents.

Basildon Labour group leader Byron Taylor said housing was the biggest single issue facing the borough, but added there was a net amount of 700 people actually leaving Basildon each year.

Tory councillor Andrew Baggott added: “The idea people are going to come in and murder people in their beds and steal people’s children is Ukip fantasy.”

Echo: Fugitive – Daniel Munyambu

Raw deal: Daniel Munyambu

Immigrant councillor Daniel Munyambu claims people born and bred in Basildon get a raw deal from the council when it comes to housing.

Mr Munyambu, who quit Labour to join the Independent Labour group this weekend, said: “Local residents we represent should be a priority. I have witnessed, and honestly myself being an immigrant, have seen a young mother with two children in a one-bedroom house, who is expecting another child, and when she applied for a bigger house she was told to have more children.”

Mr Munyambu, who came to the UK from Kenya in 2007 and owns his own home, said he had also seen an immigrant with two children who the council had provided a two-bedroom property for.

He added: “The policy is not working for the better of the local residents.”