LANCASHIRE trade unionists have called for county council leader Geoff Driver to stand down.

The move follows the 72-year-old Burnley-born Tory politician on Tuesday barring his chief executive Jo Turton and four senior staff from all briefings he attends.

He also ordered the four to communicate with him only in writing, an arrangement branded ‘extraordinary’ by a former Blackburn MP and Cabinet minister Jack Straw.

County Cllr Driver was one of four people arrested and interviewed by police in May as part of the long-running One Connect police inquiry into county council contracts.

He is on police bail ‘on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and witness intimidation’ pending further investigations.

County Cllr Driver was leader of the county authority when it negotiated the controversial One Connect Partnership with BT, now the centre of police inquiries, in May 2011.

He claimed it would save millions of pounds of council taxpayers’ money.

The following Labour administration, led by County Cllr Jenny Mein, scrapped the deal in January 2014.

Now the Lancashire Association of Trades Union Councils (LATUC), which represents 30,000 trade union members across the county, has written to Ms Turton calling on County Cllr Driver the stand down.

A letter signed by its Secretary Peter Billington said: “LATUC would like to express its concern at the fact the county council is currently being led by County Cllr Geoff Driver who was recently arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and witness intimidation.

“We completely accept that the arrest of Cllr Driver does not mean that he is guilty of these allegations but we feel that it would be appropriate for him to stand down as leader until the police have completed their investigation."

Chairman of the county Tory group and Oswaldtwistle county councillor Peter Britcliffe said: “This is shameful political mischief-making inspired by left-wing activists.

“When he was leader previously Geoff Driver was seeking to ensure the best value for council taxpayers’ money, something no following Labour administration would have any idea how to achieve.

"The internal changes were to ensure the smooth running of the authority.”

County Cllr Mein, who lost power in May’s elections, said of Tuesday’s actions: “It does absolutely nothing for the reputation of County Hall and hampers our ability to continue to deliver services to the residents who rely on us.”

County Cllr Driver declined to discuss anything to do with the police investigation.

A county council spokesman declined to comment.

Mr Straw said on Tuesday: “This is extraordinary. I have never seen anything like this in 46 years in politics.

“It suggests a total breakdown of relations between Cllr Driver and his senior staff team.”