The Broads Authority's plan to change the way it interacts with the public at meetings has been thrown out.

The caretakers of the Broads wanted to remove the right to present a petition or make a statement at its meetings as well as to stop reading out questions when the proposer is absent.

Before the full authority meeting yesterday, the organisation was accused by a former senior figure of acting in an 'unnecessarily provocative' way.

David Broad, previous navigation committee chairman, said the move would do no good to the relationship between the Broads Authority and the general public.

Yesterday members of the authority acted against its officers and refused to ratify the move.

A Broads Authority spokesman said the plan was not intended to limit engagement, just to be more efficient.

But there was no appetite among members for the change. They said they wanted the proposal reviewed again to get better engagement with the public.