Liberal Democrat Cornwall Councillor, Jeremy Rowe, wrote in his online blog that "the importance of the no confidence motion on the 16th grows greater by the day."

He added: "The personality clashes in this saga point to a leadership which has lost control and is completely out of touch. When your own hand-picked Deputy smells a rat you know something's up."

The tone of Currie's resignation email implies that, despite the plans for a full-council debate, Robertson is unwilling to relinquish the privatisation plans.

He said: "I welcome your somewhat ambiguous offer to respect full council decisions on the 23 October, but I know you will never let go.

"I could not leave local government with billions of pounds of Cornish taxpayers' money at risk and on my conscience."