There was uproar in Barnet House yesterday as members of the board of Your Choice walked out of a meeting. 

About 40 people gathered outside Barnet House yesterday to protest against the outsourcing of social services to Your Choice by Barnet Borough Council, after fears Your Choice is facing financial difficulties. 

People protesting also included representatives of union Unison, whose members include carers who feel their jobs may be downgraded. 

The members of the public then sat in on the meeting. 

The meeting became heated after the chairman of the board asked members of the public to leave the meeting, saying the board had to discuss confidential matters. 

He said: "This is a board meeting of a company. It is not a local authority meeting and therefore that right does not extend."

John Sullivan, whose daughter is severely disabled, then accused members of the board of leaving so they could "tell more lies between themselves rather than tell lies in front of us".

The board members then walked out amid heated calls from members of the public to hold a proper consultation with service users and their families, and accusations that board members were acting like "sheep".