A TOP Cornwall Councillor has accused the local authority of covering up the severity of an incident in which a Cormac worker suffered a fractured skull and a bleed on the brain.

But Cornwall Council’s leader, as well as Cormac, have rebuffed the allegations.

Bob Egerton, who was Independent portfolio holder for Planning, Culture and Economy up until Friday, has resigned his position, having been a councillor for 11 years.

In a statement published online, Cllr Egerton refers to an event which happened in 2016 when a highways safety inspector was working alone.

"Joe (not his real name) sustained life-changing injuries and he will probably never work again," he said.

Cllr Egerton alleges that no health and safety report was carried out at the time of the incident, and claims that the report filed five weeks later by Cormac contained inaccuracies. He says that his attempts to see a full investigation carried out and an apology made to the worker in question ‘have been met by a wall of silence’.

"It is clear that there has been a significant cover up... and this has been condoned by our chief executive."

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said that it had investigated claims of a ‘cover up’.

A spokesperson said: "HSE investigated the concerns raised by Councillor Egerton fully in line with our procedures and wrote to Corserv Cormac Limited reminding the company of its legal obligations for reporting incidents.

"The HSE investigation into this matter has now concluded."

Corserv is the group of ‘arms length’ businesses owned by Cornwall Council and Cormac is one of these businesses.

In response to Cllr Egerton’s resignation, Cornwall Council leader Julian German made a statement to all council members on Monday.

He said: "I want to reassure you that I have investigated the issues that Cllr Egerton has raised and have discussed them with the Chairman of Corserv, who provided assurances about the action they have taken."

Corserv has issued this statement: "Cormac’s commitment to safety in the workplace is paramount.

"We made a full report to the Health and Safety Executive, who decided no further action was needed."

The council leader said he had also reviewed the actions of chief executive Kate Kennally in relation to the matter and was ’satisfied there is no evidence of any negligence on her part’.