All councillors were made fully aware of the rules of a crunch health meeting before it started, its chairman insists.

Controversy erupted after the Cumbria Health Scrutiny Committee backtracked on two key decisions which could have thrown a lifeline to campaigners fighting plans to close community hospital beds and downgrade Whitehaven’s children’s ward.

It emerged that four of the 11-strong committee had left before the end of the meeting, some later claiming the format and voting procedure was not made clear to them, while others who remained performed unexpected U turns.

Campaigners, angry that that the committee didn’t use its powers to refer all of the Success Regime NHS reforms to the Secretary of State, have labelled it a “shambles” and are now calling for a full investigation.

But Neil Hughes, committee chairman, does not believe it would be possible to re-run the vote as some have demanded.

The Liberal Democrat county councillor responded to claims by three of the four councillors who left the meeting before the final vote that the format of the decision-making process was not clear.

“I can’t speak on behalf of the members who left before the end. They shouldn’t have done that,” he said.

“There seems to have been some misunderstanding, but both myself and the lead scrutiny officer agree that not only were members told in a written briefing on the morning of the meeting, I also explained it fully at the start.”

Mr Hughes, who represents Eden and had himself been keen to call in the plans to close cottage hospital beds, added that he even discussed the voting procedure with some councillors during the lunch break.

He added that members were fully aware it would be a day-long meeting and had been given the chance to start earlier than usual, but declined.

On whether a re-run of the vote or meeting was possible, he said: “I do not think we could do that. I do not think the regulations would allow it.

“If members leave a meeting before the end for whatever reason they forfeit their right to vote. That’s the reality.”

The meeting saw members consider controversial decisions by NHS Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group to accept proposals put forward by the Success Regime to downgrade services and cut beds.

The scrutiny committee, made up of county and district councillors, has the power “call in” decisions it does not feel are in the best interests of local people.

Campaigners were confident councillors would use those powers to halt plans to downgrade maternity and paediatrics in Whitehaven and close community hospital beds in Wigton, Maryport and Alston.

But despite initially voting to do this the committee then adjourned for a break while lead members had talks with health bosses. It later reconvened, but with four members missing, for the final vote. In the end only maternity was referred to the health secretary after councillors backtracked on the other two.