An Epsom and Ewell politician breached the councillor’s code of conduct when he made a complaint about the mayor, a standards board ruled.

Standards for England, the body responsible for ensuring the integrity of people holding public office, said Conservative Councillor Sean Sullivan used an inaccurate phrase in a complaint about the former mayor of Epsom and Ewell, Councillor Alan Winkworth.

But the investigation ruled he was entitled to make the complaint and it recommended no further action should be taken.

While it said he breached the code by not treating the mayor with respect, he did not bring his office into disrepute.

The report said Coun Sullivan “complained by email to the council’s interim chief executive about the mayor’s apparent drunkenness” while he chaired a meeting of the full council on December 9, 2008.

The investigator’s report said witnesses confirmed Coun Winkworth’s behaviour had been “uncharacteristic” and he had addressed the meeting with “rambling, inappropriate and incoherent remarks”.

The ethical standards officer said in his report all members of the council were given written assurances that Coun Winkworth was suffering from flu during the council meeting and not “drunkenness”.

The report said the mayor gave a speech at the Epsom Playhouse on January 23, 2009, which witnesses described as “slurred and rambling” and they “formed the view he was drunk”.

Coun Sullivan made a second complaint to council chief executive Frances Rutter in which he said the “mayor was once again drunk”. The report said he described the mayor’s conduct as “embarrassing and disreputable to the council”.

He stated in his complaint the mayor had to be “carried out” of the earlier council meeting.

The report said the mayor had been treated with antibiotics for a chest infection shortly after the Playhouse event and took a month off from his duties to recuperate.

A complaint about Coun Sullivan’s complaints was lodged with Standards for England by Residents Association Councillor Robert Leach.

After a lengthy investigation it was decided Coun Sullivan was entitled to make his complaints to Mrs Rutter in the terms that he used apart from one phrase, when he had said the mayor had been “carried out” of the council meeting.

The investigation found this was “wrong” and that the mayor had been able to leave the meeting “without any significant physical assistance”.

The officer considered the code of conduct should not limit Coun Sullivan’s freedom to express his opinion in public about the mayor’s behaviour as long as he did not make untrue allegations.

This week Coun Sullivan said: “I was entitled to complain about the state I thought Residents’ Association mayor Alan Winkworth was in at a council meeting and then at a civic event.

“I stand by my original complaint and note that the investigation by Standards for England did not criticise my behaviour but part of the wording.

“The RA has wasted taxpayers’ money with this investigation and has not succeeded in deterring me one bit from holding their councillors to account.”

Coun Leach said: “I believe that Coun Sullivan’s comments were unjustified and not supported by the facts. This is not the conduct we expect from a member of the borough council.”