A claim made against Whitehaven Town Council by a former mayor over the ownership of two ceremonial medals has been dismissed.

District judge Rasheeda Jabbar ruled ex-mayor Michael Guest was not entitled to the medals, valued at over £1,800, at West Cumbria County Court House, in Workington, on Tuesday.

Dismissing the claim, she said: "I do wonder what the good taxpayers of Whitehaven are going to make of all of this."

She decided Mr Guest shouldn't have spent his mayoral allowance on the medals but added he "has been bolstered in his beliefs by the council and its officers", who obtained a quote, ordered and paid for the medals.

However, the judge said the claim, for possession of the medals or the value, couldn't succeed as it "is not an expense of the office". Mr Guest was ordered to pay legal costs of £4,800.96.

Opening the case, district judge Jabbar outlined three issues; whether Whitehaven Town Council had followed correct procedure in choosing to contest the claim, whether Mr Guest had been mayor of Whitehaven and whether he was able to buy the medals with his allowance.

She decided it was clear, from the evidence of councillor Brian O'Kane, there had been council meetings to discuss litigation and, although one council meeting had been inquorate (not enough councillors were present), there were more meetings.

The judge said some private meetings were "privileged" and could not be discussed in court. "I am entirely satisfied the council can defend the matter today."

She ruled Mr Guest "was in fact the first mayor of Whitehaven" as a town council chairman is entitled to be known as mayor, even though the council didn't vote for him to be mayor.

However, the judge concluded Mr Guest was "not entitled in my judgement to spend this allowance in this way". She said he was entitled to an allowance to meet his expenses of office but described the two medals as "a gift from Mr Guest to himself".

"It is clear from the evidence that Mr Guest asked [former town council clerk] Les Abrahams to get a quote. The clerk did that. The order was put in by the town council the day before or on the day Mr Guest ceased to be mayor."

She said the council said it wouldn't have approved the medals, yet it ordered and paid for them, adding: "The council are entitled to keep them."

In ordering Mr Guest to pay legal costs, the judge said: "The council - or officers - position in my view has effectively made matters worse." She cited confusion over the title of mayor and ordering the medals.

"But you've lost," she concluded. "It is my decision that you should pay the costs of the council."

Mr Guest had said the council hadn't agreed to contest the claim, asking for the defence to be "prohibited from continuing further with this case".

The former mayor described the medals as a "memento of my term of office" and said he had "acted in good faith" in a bid to raise "civic pride" in Whitehaven. "I didn't see it as a gift at all. I doubt I would ever be given a gift from the council."

Barrister Lisa Feng, representing the town council, told the court it said 'past mayor' on the medals.

"You're still a mayor, even if you're a past mayor," said Mr Guest. But Miss Feng said the allowance was "to reimburse the chairman for incidental expenses" for duties of office. A past mayor has no duties, she added.

She said an inference by Mr Guest's witness, former councillor Jayne Laine, that the allowance wasn't defined so you could use it as you pleased, was "implausible".

The barrister told the court Ms Laine, in a Facebook post, said the money could be spent on household bills, holidays or in the pub. Ms Laine said she had been "quite flippant" because the council hadn't put restrictions on the allowance.

The former councillor also said Mr Guest had asked Mr Abrahams, who was later "sacked for gross misconduct", if he could spend the money on medals.