Concerns raised about councillors’ conduct online have been branded a breach of freedom of expression.

An extraordinary meeting was held on Friday after concerns were raised about Whitehaven town councillors arguing on social media.

The authority was asked to consider a social media policy to regulate their behaviour online.

It came after a number of councillors “raised issues regarding the use of social media for council business or for airing disputes”.

But councillor Carla Arrighi said the vote “was unlawful”.

She said: “This is an unlawful vote, you want to look at Article 10 of the Human Rights Act.

“I never put anything on social media that says ‘councillor’ but that says ‘Carla Arrighi’, and I’ll continue to do that forever.”

The act says: “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.”

Councillor Arrighi also alleged that the introduction of the policy was an attempt to stop certain councillors from airing their views.

However councillors Chris Hayes, Charles Maudling, Brian O’Kane, Julie Rayson and Raymond Gill said they were concerned that social media was being used to continue disputes outside of the council chamber and that there was a risk the town council would be brought into disrepute.

Eight councillors voted in favour of the new social media policy and four against.

Another issue also emerged around councillor Gemma Dinsdale acting as administrator for the authority’s Facebook Page, which she was tasked by the full council to do last year.

Coun Rayson said debates and derogatory comments should be removed from the page and she raised concerns about Coun Dinsdale also being administrator of the page Name and Shame in Copeland.

She said: “She doesn’t do it as a councillor but I think there’s a bit of contradiction.”

Coun Dinsdale told Coun Rayson that she published any content put forward by other councillors and in conjunction with the clerks.

She added: “To delete a comment by residents who have a right to speak and the right to an opinion is more derogatory than anything negative that might be said.”

Following the meeting, Coun Dinsdale wrote to Whitehaven Town Council announcing she was resigning as administrator of the page.