WEYMOUTH and Portland's stay-away Tory group has been branded "a disgrace" to the council for dodging its responsibilities.

And the authority's new management committee has issued a High Noon-style deadline, giving the Tories until September to take up their two seats on the committee or risk losing them to rival political groups.

But the verbal broadside produced a defiant response from the Tories, who said they had no plans to heed the deadline.

Conservatives had been due to take up two seats at yesterday's meeting, which could have seen them become spokesmen for Member Development and Democracy and for Housing Strategy and Partnership, two of 10 such positions on the committee.

But the Tory group told last week's full council meeting that they didn't want to accept their management committee seats because they felt it would allow them to be a more effective presence on the council's policy and scrutiny committees.

Their decision was roundly condemned by the remaining eight members, who agreed to give the Tories one last chance to meet their responsibilities and take their two seats.

The meeting backed chairman Coun Kay Wilcox's deadline suggestion, together with her warning that if Tories continued to snub the committee then the situation would be reviewed in September when their seats could be reallocated "to groups which do want to take part in the council".

Coun Brian Ellis voiced most members' views when he said: "We have a number of councillors who have decided to avoid their responsibilities and I think it is a disgrace that they have opted out."

Coun Les Ames agreed and said: "The group which has opted out was present at all the meetings where we put this new council structure together and I am disappointed that they are not taking an active part in the committee. I think it is totally unnecessary."

But Tory group leader Coun Nigel Reed said there would be no climb-down and the group's stance had not changed. He added: "Basically there is no change to our opinion.

"We still feel we are better suited to be on the policy and scrutiny committees. I would also make the point that we are active on every other committee except the management committee."