Carol Purnell (Con, Sidlesham & Selsey North) was due to chair a meeting of the planning committee but lost her voice due to illness.
Still perfectly capable of working, she wanted to hand control of the meeting to her vice-chair but was told she could only do so if she took no part in the day’s business.
At a meeting of the full council on Tuesday (March 2), members agreed the Constitution should be changed by the Monitoring Officers to allow vice-chairs to take on the role of chairman, even if that chairman was present during a meeting.
