THE Dale Farm blame game has begun with politicians attempting to shift responsibility for the failure to recover £4million spent on clearing the traveller site.

A report by Basildon Council recommended abandoning attempts to recover the £4.18million because it was unrealistic to get the money back from the traveller families involved.

Before a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the proposal Labour leader Gavin Callaghan described the suggestion as "unforgivable" and submitted an emergency motion for the matter to be discussed at the full council.

Councillor Malcolm Buckley, Tory chairman at Wednesday's performance scrutiny committee, responded with a series of recommendations designed to highlight Labour's failure to get the money back when they ran the council.

He was then accused of politicising the debt incurred when camps at Dale Farm and Hovefields were cleared in 2010 and 2011.

Labour Councillor Allan Davies, speaking at Wednesday's meeting, said: "This has been made political and it clearly criticises the Labour group and for us to support a recommendation that criticises Labour would be detrimental.

"There is an emergency motion submitted to full council tomorrow and that is where this discussion should take place.

Mr Buckley, who was involved in the clearance decisions eight years ago, said he would be happy to talk "all night long" about the money.

Other recommendations put forward by Mr Buckley include that reminder invoices should be issued to all known landowners and should no arrangements be made for payment, council officers should be instructed to enforce payment using all legal means.

Four councillors voted in favour of the recommendations, while two voted against.

Labour’s motion calls for an investigation to be launched that will determine how a decision was reached to no longer pursue the debts and also requests that the council resumes recovery with the goal of recouping the £4million by December 2019.

Mr Callaghan said the council cannot afford to give up on £4million at a time when the budget is continuing to fall due to cuts in the government grant.

Discussions were due to continue last night.