A Bradford councillor has been thrown off the Council for failing to attend a meeting for six months.

According to Council records Khadam Hussain (Con, City) has not attended a single meeting since September, despite continuing to claim thousands of pounds in allowances.

Under the authority's regulations he has now been disqualified as a councillor. But Coun Hussain said today he had been visiting his home town in earthquake-ravaged Pakistan for four months and claims he went to a Council meeting shortly before leaving Bradford in November.

The married 53-year-old, of Boxtree Close, Four Lane Ends, Bradford said he left the country to deal with damage caused to a family home in Dina, Pakistan. "I only intended staying for about four weeks but the house was so badly damaged it needed pulling down and rebuilding.

"I got back to Bradford on Sunday and had no idea that I'd been disqualified. I knew about the six-month rule but I went to a meeting just before going to Pakistan. I will be looking into this to see if I can get the ruling overturned," he said.

His city centre seat will be contested in May's local elections and he said he has already decided not to stand. Tory chief whip Coun Anne Hawkesworth (Con, Ilkley) said she was unaware of any extenuating circumstances in Coun Hussain's case.

"He has been disqualified under the six-month rule because he hasn't attended any meetings in that time. He has been in Pakistan for quite a while," she said. "Under certain circumstances, such as illness, we could ask the Council for forbearance.

"But I am not aware of any reason for his absence.

"If he had attended the budget meeting earlier this month that would have been just within six months.

"It's not acceptable that a councillor doesn't attend for such a length of time. "

She added: "If he hadn't been disqualified he would have only had three or four weeks left as a councillor because he has made the decision not to stand for re-election."

In fact according to council minutes the last meeting Mr Hussain attended was on September 13.

Labour group leader Coun Ian Greenwood called for Coun Hussain to pay back all the allowances claimed for the last six months - a figure which totals more than £5,000.

Councillors are paid a basic allowance of £11,606 a year and a council spokesperson confirmed Coun Hussain had been paid in full but they were not able to reclaim the cash.

"It seems to me that he hasn't taken his responsibilities seriously when he should have done. There are three councillors in a ward for a reason," he said.

"He should have resigned and allowed a by-election. We seem to be losing councillors for all sorts of reasons with resignations and suspensions all over the place.

"If he just couldn't be bothered to turn up then he hasn't been doing the job he was elected to do. He should pay back all the money he has claimed during that time."

Coun Hussain said he has continued to receive his monthly allowance payments but has always handed them over to charities, both in Bradford and Pakistan.

He won his seat on Bradford Council the third time he stood for election, gaining 1930 votes in 2004 in the City ward.

A spokeswoman for the Council said: "Under the Local Government Act 1972 if a councillor fails to attend consecutive council meetings for six months he or she automatically ceases to be a councillor.

"The position will be filled at the next election on May 4."