BLAENAU Gwent Labour leader Hedley McCarthy has hit back at the new political group set up by former council leader Des Hillman, branding him "a Walter Mitty figure" after the scathing attack on the party in yesterday's Argus.

According to a statement from Cllr Hillman's new group, the Blaenau Gwent Real Independents was set up to tackle the "poor leadership and vision of the current administration".

But Cllr McCarthy said: "Quite clearly Des doesn¹t understand what has gone on at Blaenau Gwent over the past months.

"Under his woeful leadership, the council had lurched from crisis to crisis resulting in two serious inspections which almost sent the council over the abyss.

"He cannot even get the number of his supporters' right, he added, alluding to the confusion on Thursday as to who was actually a member of the group.

Cllr Nigel Daniels was named repeatedly as a founder member, but he is adamant that he has nothing to do with the group.

Cllr McCarthy added: "I think the day of reckoning is fast approaching for Des Hillman and the best thing he can do is shut up - something he should have done a long, long time ago."

The statement from the new group slammed the Labour party, who are working in partnership with the ruling independents, saying: "For decades Blaenau Gwent residents have been let down by consecutive Labour administrations and finally they get a council who are capable of delivering great change and a new age of opportunities, only to see the old Labour faces implanted into the council by the threats of the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government."

"Make no mistake, there is only one agenda from the Labour-led Welsh assembly Government, and that is to return Blaenau Gwent to a Labour-led council."

Yet new group leader Cllr Hillman had himself been in talks with Labour councillors about forming an alliance before he fell out with fellow independents who he said were against it and quit in October.