Despite their victory in the general election last week, it was less than peace and harmony at the Labour run town council on Monday when a meeting was adjourned for five minutes to allow members to calm down.

The dispute came as the finance and general purposes committee discussed Falmouth Town Council’s budget forecast for the rest of the year.

Cllr Dean Evans raised concerns that they were spending £41,000 more than budgeted on catering at the Princess Pavilion but only getting back £26,000 in income.

He pointed out that £35,000 more than budgeted had also already been spent on theatre costs with £41,000 less income than forecast for the year.

Chair of the committee Cllr Jude Robinson said the forecast was the “best guess” based on the first quarter and they would have a better idea when the next quarter was in.

However Cllr Evans said that “best guess” wasn’t good enough.

“We’re not looking at the figures we’re looking at the first forecast,” he said. “It’s meaningless, it is worthless. It’s not worth the paper it is written on,” he added.

Cllr Zoe Young, who was live streaming the meeting, said that, in the light of what she had heard, and the “failure of the predicted budget for the tall ships” she had serious concerns about the financial efficacy of the council.

At this point, chair of the committee Cllr Jude Robinson said people could sit here and make “spurious and irresponsible allegations” all night.

“It doesn’t make them true and it doesn’t make them substantiated,” she said “And it is really not helpful in a town council that is incredibly successful and the tall ships which has just won a national award.

“If people come here on their own hobby horses and film it so they can say to the public ‘look at me I am accusing the council and making all these allegations’ that’s up to them but it’s nothing I can agree with or condone.”

She then asked to move onto the next item.

However, Cllr Dean Evans said what he’d said was true.

But Cllr Robinson insisted it was just his opinion, despite his protestations that it was fact.

“You have every right to express an opinion but not to tell people it is the truth,” she said.

Cllr Robinson then moved to adjourn the meeting for five minutes so councillors could calm down and carry on in more level-headed and comradely fashion. “It is not about trying to score points,” she said.

However when she returned, Cllr Evans asked her if she was accusing him of lying “I’m not accusing you of lying but of expressing your opinion,” she replied.

Cllr Steve Eva said he didn’t think a public meeting was the place to discuss staff issues and accused the councillors who had raised the issue of “grandstanding”. He said it “p***ed him off” which prompted a warning from Cllr Robinson about his language.

However she said she fully supported Ruth the council’s finance officer who had been vetted by the auditor every year and every year given a clean bill of health.

The committee then moved onto the next item.