East of England Liberal Democrats

Norfolk: Councillors stage walkout after 'shameless manipulation of democratic system'

A controversial decision to resist an enquiry into the future use of 18,000 acres of council-owned farmland has this week prompted six local councillors to stage a dramatic walkout, claiming that there has been a 'cynical and shameless manipulation of the system.'

Members of the Liberal Democrat and Labour groups at Norfolk County Council were so outraged by a resolution made by members of the ruling Conservative party this week to overturn a previous decision to investigate policies relating to the Council's farms that they decided to withdraw from the council meeting in protest.

Lib Dem spokesman, Paul Morse, explained:

'Two months ago members of all three political parties voted in support of an enquiry into how the County Council's farms should be used in the future. As the Council's own website states, non-executive councillors are there to act as 'a watchdog for the people of Norfolk', and we carry out scrutiny projects like this to make sure that the County Council's policies are challenged and reviewed. The Tories this week dropped a bombshell when they informed us that they had changed their minds and didn't want an investigation on the questionable grounds that things were already ticking along quite nicely and the policy had been reviewed as 'recently' as 2001. Unfortunately, they decided to ask for another vote on the issue and to use their majority to block us from carrying out our enquiries. This is a scandalous manipulation of the democratic system.'

Labour spokesman, John Collop, was similarly appalled by the recent turn of affairs:

'Ultimately we are being obstructed from doing the job that we are there to do. We were forced to walk out of the meeting because we could not support the undemocratic way in which this issue was being forced off the agenda. What really baffles me is the fact that this enquiry was called for by a member of the Conservative group itself so what lies at the root of this sudden u-turn is a mystery. This action by the Conservatives calls into question their real commitment to serving the public's interest. If this shameful lack of respect for the spirit of democracy continues, they risk bringing the reputation of Norfolk County Council into disrepute.'

The leaders of the Liberal Democrat and Labour Groups will be pursuing this matter further and are calling for the chairman of the meeting to respect the initial vote made and to reinstate the planned working group.

Mr. Morse concluded: 'We are determined that this action should not set a precedent. For the Council to function effectively a system of checks and balances must be maintained and we will be campaigning for assurance that no ruling party will be permitted to block the work of scrutiny on a whim.'

Notes for the editor:

1. The six councillors who walked out of the meeting are, from the Liberal Democrat group, Paul Morse & Barbara Hacker, and, from the Labour group, Barbara Lashley, George Nobbs, John Collop and Robin Goreham.

2. The councillors in question walked out of the meeting of the Corporate Affairs and Cultural Services Review Panel that took place on Wednesday, 27/09/06 at County Hall.

3. The first vote to carry out the review was passed at the last meeting of the Corporate Affairs and Cultural Services Review Panel on 26/07/06. Please click on the link below to see the minutes from that meeting:

http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/consumption/groups/public/documents/minutes/cocuserv260706minspdf.pdf

4. The proposal to hold the review was originally put forward by Conservative Cllr Cliff Jordan.

On the Norfolk County Council website (at address below) it states: 'Scrutiny is the main way that the decisions that the County Council makes can be challenged and policies reviewed. In other words, scrutiny acts like a watchdog for the people of Norfolk.'

http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/consumption/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=3239

5. Further information about scrutiny at the Council:

Scrutiny by councillors involves considering all the decisions and policies made by the Council, and helping to influence the development of new policies. It is not merely an opposition led challenge. In Norfolk Council Council scrutiny happens in Cabinet Scrutiny Committee, the five Review Panels and at the Norfolk Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The five Review Panels cover all main services of the Council.

• Corporate Affairs and Cultural Services

• Children's Services

• Fire and Community Protection

• Planning, Transportation and the Environment, Waste and Economic Development

• Adult Social Services

Within their areas of responsibility these Review Panels can scrutinise and look again at decisions made and can help the Cabinet to develop policies and review how it is meeting its targets. This new system of decision making tries to make sure everyone can understand local democracy and local people are able to become more involved with decisions the County Council takes.