Having apparently dropped plans to increase the number of councillors required to call-in Key and Cabinet decision for further scrutiny from 5 to 10 LINK, Brent Labour has come up with another proposal to be tabled at the Council AGM on May 22nd.
This time the proposal is that the number remains at five but must consist of members of more than one political group. As there are five members of the Conservative Group this means that a call-in will only be successful if also supported by the Liberal Democrats, or (very unlikely given whipping), some Labour councillors. The Liberal Democrats currently have three councillors so will not be able to call-in anything on their own.
As the Tories and Lib Dem differ on many aspects of policy it is likely that there will be fewer call-ins in the coming municipal year. It appears to be a deliberate political act as there are already safeguards in place to ensure the validity of call-ins.
The words in red below are the proposed changes.
3 comments:
London Borough of Bent
I'm aware that a couple of call-ins during the current Council (since the May 2022 local elections) have been led by the Lib Dems, with support from two Conservative councillors.
I don't know how many call-ins during the same period have been by the five Conservatives, or whether they would have been supported by one or more Lib Dems, if the proposed new rules had applied.
I can remember one call-in (of an Officer Key Decision, not a Cabinet one) by Labour backbenchers during the previous Council (2018-2022). However, the Labour councillors who led that call-in did not stand for reelection in 2022 (one of them told me, privately, that they were fed up with the anger and abuse directed at them if they expressed views that differed from those of the 'Leadershit').
They are fooling no one, anything to ensure they are not scrutinised or held to account/called out/called in whatever!!!
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