A Denbighshire cabinet member may have inadvertently revealed his council is planning to scrap its contract with a controversial enforcement company.

Tony Thomas, cabinet member for the environment, indicated Kingdom – which hands out fines on behalf of the council for littering and dog fouling – would not be continuing working for the authority after November.

The comment came just before councillors were due to move into a part of the meeting that the press and public are excluded from.

Before the public and media had left the room, Cllr Thomas got underway responding to a question from Cllr Richard Mainon, who was asking whether Kingdom officials would be called to a future meeting ahead of the contract being renewed.

Cllr Thomas responded:  “We did mention the Kingdom contract , it does come to a finish some time in November  and there was some talk about it taking another three months before we could get proper research for another contract from somebody else and that they might continue.

“But I can tell you that’s not going to happen so Kingdom will be finishing.”

Several other committee members spoke over him to try to tell him that the public and journalists were still in the room. A council spokesman stressed after the meeting that no decision had yet been made.

The spokesman said: “No decision has been taken on Kingdom.

“They have an annual contract with us which comes to an end in November each year and a decision is taken at that time of year whether or not to renew.

“No decision has been taken re whether to renew the contract at the end of the current term. A decision will be taken by Cabinet in the autumn.”

Earlier in cabinet Cllr Thomas was scolded for bringing up the case of Flintshire Council leader Aaron Shotton, who is being investigated by the Ombudsman over allegations he had an affair with a member of staff.

Cllr Shotton is chairman of the North Wales Growth Board, and during a discussion on the region’s investment scheme Cllr Thomas asked if there were procedures in place if Cllr Shotton has to resign from his role because of the scandal.

Denbighshire’s leader, Hugh Evans, told Cllr Thomas that it was not an appropriate issue to raise in a cabinet meeting.

Cllr Thomas said: “Because he’s in a little bit of trouble.”

But Cllr Evans responded: “That’s nothing to do with us we’re not discussing it here. I’m not interested in it being recorded here.”