BOURNEMOUTH’S opposition leader has accused the council of “skulduggery” after it refused to publish documents ahead of its former leader’s public hearing on Thursday.

Cllr Stephen MacLoughlin will face the Standards Committee after pornographic images were found on his council computer, but the council will not publish the report into his conduct in advance.

It is classified as a background document and would normally be released to the press and public around a week before a meeting, along with the agenda.

Lib Dem leader Cllr Claire Smith said: “As far as I’m aware this has never happened before and whenever you take issue with these things you’re told that no one is being treated differently and it’s all out in the open.

“Unfortunately the council seems to create this atmosphere of skulduggery and they seem to be the orchestrators of their own doom with these things.

“They know there’s a public interest. The public have paid for this out of their council tax and they’ve every right to see this in advance.”

She said that her husband,Cllr Richard Smith, who is a member of the standards board, had also not been allowed to see the document. Only those sitting on Thursday have it, said the council.

The last committee to be held, involving Cllr David Shaw a year ago, saw all documents released in advance.

Council chief executive Pam Donnellan said it could not “not compromise or undermine proceedings” and that all material not exempt for legal reasons would be disclosed on Thursday.

She added: “The decision to provide the investigator’s report, and documents referred to in it and appended to it, at the meeting was taken following advice from the deputy monitoring officer.

“It has been made to enable the principles of natural justice to be upheld. The members of the committee should, thus, be able to reach a fair decision based on this written information, considered together with any verbal evidence provided at the meeting, without external influence, and so ensure that a fair hearing can take place.

“It also minimises the risk of witnesses feeling in any way pressured, influenced or intimidated by external coverage and opinions.”

Last week, Roy Wardle, the independent chairman of the committee, said the change in procedure came as a surprise to him.

Conservative Cllr Nick King said that if reports had been released in the past they should be this time as well.

The hearing will centre on the fact that top shelf adult images were found on Cllr MacLoughlin’s computer during a routine service in December 2008.

It will begin at 9.30am in the Town Hall.