A SENIOR Winchester councillor has come under fire for a controversial tweet where she accused fellow councillors of having their heads stuck up their “ar*e's”.

Group manager of Winchester City Council conservatives Linda Gemmell aired her frustration on social media about the implications of councillors in Winchester voting against moving forward a multi-million pound scheme for the Station Approach area.

Linda Gemmell tweeted: “Full Council at Winchester was the biggest display of people with their heads stuck so far up their ar*e's they couldn't see #whoneeds£7m.”

Hampshire Chronicle:

The council meeting last Wednesday night was a long and heated affair which went on for more than six hours, and finished after 1am.

Liberal Democrat councillor Martin Tod who was one of the 19 councillors who voted against the winners of a design competition being chosen as the preferred architect to move the scheme forward.

Cllr Tod said: "Swearing at the people who won the argument at council doesn't give me much hope that the Conservatives have any clue as to why they got the project so badly wrong."

Cllr Tod also wrote a follow up comment on his Facebook about her comment, he wrote:"Since she loves asterisks so much, perhaps Cllr Gemmell should ask herself why the Tories have been so **** at listening to local people and delivered such a **** design for Station Approach?

However leader of Winchester City Council Stephen Godfrey defended Cllr Gemmell.

He said he is frustrated that councillors voted against moving forward a scheme that has clear benefits for the economy of Winchester.

Speaking about Cllr Gemmell's tweet, Cllr Godfrey said: “I am not going to criticise anyone for expressing their views passionately.

“It is a bit like modern art it is meant to elicit a reaction.”

The Chronicle approached Linda Gemmell for a comment about the tweet on Friday, she told us she was too busy to talk and was about to go into a meeting.