FORMER district council leader Cllr Christine Lawrence and former finance portfolio holder Cllr Roger Webber have been called on to resign over their involvement in the West Somerset Council crisis . While Cllr Webber said nothing during Wednesday's district council meeting, Cllr Lawrence said "dragging up the past doesn't help anybody", explaining: "Things aren't quite where we want to be." Deputy leader Cllr Simon Stokes said both Cllr Lawrence and Cllr Webber had allowed the authority to be asset stripped while they were in control of the council. "They were either grossly negligent or hugely incompetent," he said. He said he believed a political decision had been taken to adopt a "scorched earth policy", as those in control at the time the budgets were set were convinced Somerset would become a unitary authority. Cllr Stokes said: "There is political accountability - we can blame [former finance chief] Rod Latham, we can blame anyone we like, but there is political accountability. "The two people . . . who did allow us to be so terribly overspent are the leader and finance portfolio holder. They have asset-stripped this council. "When we took over in May we were keenly aware there was something rotten in the state of West Somerset in terms of finance. "We asked questions, we didn't blindly go ahead with what we had put in front of us. "We've tried very hard to deliver this project by burying the hatchet, but we are where we are. "We cannot move on until those two individuals are prepared to say they were responsible. "Some would say if they had a shred of honour they would resign." His comments brought cheers from members of the public attending the meeting, while other councillors joined Cllr Stokes in his condemnation of the previous administration. Portfolio holder for economic development Cllr Michael Downes said it was unbelievable Cllr Lawrence and Cllr Webber knew nothing about the dire state of the council's finances. And Cllr Peter Humber accused them of "political opportunism" and an "inability to control officers". He said the current Independent-led ruling group had inherited six to eight years of problems due to the failure to increase Council Tax to the expected level, the failure to correctly budget Aquasplash and the failure to set an overall balanced budget for the last two years. He said he had consistently asked Cllr Lawrence for an explanation as to why the council's share of funding for New Horizons had increased to £7 million - now revealed as £11.2 million- without success. In the end he was forced to call in the Audit Commission to try and solve the mystery. "I know a commitment was made last November by Cllr Lawrence to provide the monies," Cllr Humber said. Cllr Lawrence said she was "very sorry" but had only been trying to secure a £54 million investment for West Somerset. "Whoever is to blame, I have to take my share of the responsibility," she said. "Officers provided the information and we worked on that information. "If trying to get £54 million is wrong, then I'm sorry, but West Somerset deserves a hospital, a learning and skills building. "Dragging up the past doesn't help anybody. To sell Vulcan Road now and not to put that to New Horizons would be terrible." After the meeting, she told the Free Press she did not think she would resign - Cllr Webber again did not comment - and said she could not understand why Cllr Stokes had called for her resignation. She said she was confident the other partners in the scheme - the Somerset Primary Care Trust and Somerset County Council - would be able to plug the funding gap. The Free Press has learned she also called on Cllr Stokes to apologise for his comments after members of the public had left the council chamber.