ABERGAVENNY town councillors argued over a proposal to use a drawing of the mayor as the council's official Christmas card at their recent meeting.

It was suggested that the council pay £100 for Kathryn Casa's pencil-drawn sketch of Councillor Sam Dodd, the town's mayor standing with a small group of people outside the town hall, but some councillors disagreed with the suggestion even though many of the artist's portraits have been offered as prizes at the mayor's charity lunches.

Councillor Chris Woodhouse said,"This is not a card for Auntie Ellie, this is a card for the people who support the town. I would challenge anybody to make a sketch by an artist for that amount.

"If they are going to judge what the mayor does, it's a sad state of affairs if she does not have the flexibility to carry out her role, especially as she saved £500 on the installation ceremony.

"It is ludicrous for people not to support a decision for £100. It is nit-picking."

But Councillor Doug Edwards explained that the mayor has an allowance of over £2,000 and said that spending so much additional money on a picture in the current economic climate was nonsense.

He added, "When I was mayor in 1993 I made a gift to the town council of a picture. I don't see why anyone should buy this picture."

Councillor Robin Harries said he thought the picture was very nice and added that it was 'something different' for the festive season.

Councillor Melissa Toombs asked town clerk Peter Johns how much the council usually spent on a Christmas card and was told that it was generally around £30.

Councillor Paul Wadsworth added his support to the proposal and added, "It is a beautiful drawing which will stay in the mayor's parlour as a memory of Councillor Dodd's time in office."

Councillor Edwards said that he was disappointed with the general attitude of members and added, "The mayor has substantial allowances for her year of office and if she wanted to pay for something it should be paid out of a relevant allowance."

Six Conservative councillors voted to fund the cost of the picture, with four members voting against the proposal.

The picture has now been included as part of a Christmas card design and sent to the printers.