AN investigation has been launched into a black city councillor's use of the word "coconut" to describe an Asian colleague during a debate.

The term, commonly considered to be a racial slur, was used by Liberal Democrat councillor Shirley Brown (Ashley) against Conservative councillor Jay Jethwa (Stockwood).

Councillor Brown's remark led the Tory chief whip, councillor John Goulandris (Stoke Bishop), to make an official complaint.

The term is sometimes used as a derogatory name for a person from an ethnic minority who is "brown on the outside and white on the inside".

A panel of the Standards Committee decided in private yesterday that councillor Goulandris' complaint warrants an investigation and a full hearing before the committee will be held on a date to be fixed.

Councillor Brown's outburst came during a council budget meeting when councillor Jethwa supported a move to stop funding for the Legacy Commission, a body set up last year to support ethnic minorities in the city.

She claimed the commission was a waste of council tax payers' money and, having been an immigrant herself, she argued that such support was not necessary.

But Councillor Brown wasn't happy about her Tory opponent's comments.

She said: "In our culture, we have a word for you, a word which many in our city would understand, and that's coconut.

"At the end of the day, I look at you as that."

If the Standards Committee decides there has been a breach of the council's Code of Conduct, it has the power to invoke a number of penalties.

They range from up to six months restriction of access to premises and resources; suspension for up to six months or demanding a written apology.

The committee could also refer the matter to the Standards Board for England.

Councillor Brown did not attend the hearing and she was not available for comment last night.

Councillor Goulandris was also not present for the hearing, but afterwards the Tory group leader on the city council, Richard Eddy, welcomed the investigation.

Councillor Eddy said: "People throughout the city and beyond have expressed incredulity that Shirley Brown continues to hold her office and the Liberal Democrats haven't sanctioned her.

"I think there's a very strong case for her to answer."

He said he understood the Standards Committee was likely to deal with the issue before the local elections in June.