A councillor wants taxpayers' money to be spent telling a sceptical public mobile phone masts are safe.

Labour councillor Roy Pennington, who has outed himself as one of a small band of mast sympathisers on Brighton and Hove City Council, accused his colleagues of "low-level hypocrisy" for peddling hysteria about the unproven dangers of mobile phone masts to win votes. In June a move to offer council-owned sites for new mobile phone masts was thrown out by councillors fearful of a public backlash.

Coun Pennington will next month ask for a scrutiny panel to be formed to look at how public concerns can be addressed.

One of his suggestions is to launch an educational campaign and ask local health experts like Dr Tom Scanlon, the director of public health at Brighton and Hove Primary Care Trust, to lend their support.

Coun Pennington said: "We should look at why people have these concerns.

"Scientists have said there is no significant risk but people still feel there is and we should do something to allay fears.

"There is too much hysteria about mobile phone masts.

"I'm annoyed at the way councillors who believe there's no risk at all won't say so in public because it would lose them votes. It's low-level hypocrisy."

Coun Pennington, who said he would be happy to live within close proximity of a mast which met Government guidelines, called for more common sense.

He said: "Mobile phone masts are as safe as safe can be.

"Nothing can be absolutely 100 per cent safe because life is slightly risky.

"But there's a difference between taking a precautionary approach and an ultra-precautionary approach."

David Lepper, MP for Brighton Pavilion and a keen campaigner against the proliferation of masts, denied worried residents were acting in an hysterical manner. The Labour MP pointed out the Government's last major study into mobile phone safety was published five years ago and he said the technology had moved on since then.

He said: "We do need some more up-to-date information but I don't think people are being hysterical.

"It is a quite justifiable view people have and I can understand why many are concerned about the potential health risks of clusters of masts."