New Conservative Administration Criticised for "Retreat to the Guildhall"

9.30.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 17th May 2007

Liberal Democrat Councillors have criticised the new administration of Bath and North East Somerset Council for issuing misleading statements in the run-up to the Council AGM, cutting back on democratic mechanisms (such as Council and Executive meetings and Overview and Scrutiny panels) and refusing to accept fair scrutiny proposals.

Lib Dem Leader Paul Crossley said:

"Members of the Liberal Democrat Group were concerned to see in a press report last week that the Conservative Leader had said 'the Liberal Democrats and Labour had been unwilling to form a coalition'.

"In fact, the Conservative group did not make any contact with the Liberal Democrats and made their decisions behind closed doors. In 2003, when the situations were reversed, the Liberal Democrats recognised that residents had decided not to give any single party overall control of the Council, and so, rather than rushing to take power, we went into negotiations with the other Groups."

Councillor Crossley also criticised the Conservative Group for voting down a Liberal Democrat motion to give the Chairs of the Council's Overview and Scrutiny panels to nominees from the opposition Groups. This is common practice in other Councils. He said:

"It's illogical to suggest that Conservative O&S chairs will be able to scrutinise 'Cabinet' members from their own Group. When the Liberal Democrats were in minority control in 2002-03 we ensured that these positions were all taken by nominees of opposition parties.

"I believe that good governance requires integrity and honesty from the ruling administration. Even before they officially took control of the Council, the Conservative administration showed itself to be lacking in these qualities. The Liberal Democrats intend to be an extremely hard-working opposition to ensure that the Conservative administration is held to account in decision-making."

Councillor Roger Symonds, who also spoke in the debate, characterised this, and other retrograde decisions taken by the Conservative administration, as a "Retreat to the Guildhall".