The interim leader of Allerdale Council accused fellow councillors of playing the "Hokey Cokey" as eight members of the Allerdale Independents left the group then rejoined.

The group split in half when Herbert Briggs, Peter Gaston, George Kemp, Adrian Kirkbride, Peter Little, Blain Sansom, Will Wilkinson and Lynda Williams left earlier this month to become independent councillors.

But after a U-turn on a decision to restrict the number of councillors at a full council meeting to 50 per cent of each political group’s membership, all eight of those councillors rejoined.

A council spokesman said chief executive Andrew Seekings had agreed with each of the group leaders to run on a proportional basis as it was considered "appropriate" while councillors adapted to virtual meetings.

Conservative Mike Johnson, who has acted as leader of the council since Marion Fitzgerald stepped down in February, slammed the councillors for their actions and labelled them "childish."

He said: "Of course, it has been well-documented that Councillor Alan Smith, Councillor Paul Scott and myself did agree in principle to a proportionately representative council as the practicalities of having video feeds for 45 councillors on screen at the same time created challenges for those members, and also members of the public viewing and more importantly listening to such a hullabaloo.

"However, it has transpired that the independents were more concerned with playing politics with the most ridiculous game of Hokey Cokey."

Speaking at a full council meeting this week, Councillor Johnson said the move had been a distraction the authority's officers had not needed.

"We've had to work to deliver for our community but playing silly, childish political games is getting us stuck in a rut of things that we don't need to be doing," he said.

"We need to be working with our officers and working with members to ensure that Allerdale residents and businesses are supported, helped and are in a position to prosper."

Councillor Paul Scott, who is the leader of the Allerdale Independents, defended the councillors and denied it was "politics."

He said: "When you have 16 councillors wanting to get involved in a meeting, it's very hard to say that there are only eight councillors allowed.

"So, on those grounds, those councillors chose to make a decision to attend the meeting."

A council spokesman said other authorities nationally and in Cumbria had run meetings on a proportional basis.