Council officials have blocked a motion calling for the authority to consider boycotting Israeli goods and services.

Independent councillor Ben Duncan said he was told by Brighton and Hove City Council officials that his motion would not be conducive to good community relations, would have considerable “resource implications”, and was a matter of national, not local, policy.

Coun Duncan slammed the decision as “undemocratic,” while senior Conservatives on the council have welcomed the move to deem the motion out of order.

Conservative group leader, Geoffrey Theobald was “very pleased” the motion had been thrown out and said he “certainly would not have voted for it”.

He said: “Coun Duncan’s total lack of sensitivity never ceases to amaze me.

“He would do well to remember that he was elected to serve all the residents in his ward and not to create divisions among them.”

Conservative Graham Cox, Westbourne councillor and prospective parliamentary candidate for Hove, said: “The council quite rightly has a duty to foster good community relations.

“It should not be involving itself in such controversial and inflammatory matters.”

Coun Duncan launched the motion at the height of the latest fighting between Israel and Gaza, in which 2,104 Palestinians and 69 Israelis died.

He said he would continue to try and reword the motion to have some sort of debate on the situation and added: “All we are asking for here is a debate.

“There are thousands of people in this city who do want this policy and the very least it deserves is a debate.”