Tory walkout at Arun council committee branded ‘childish’

A switch from the cabinet to committee system was backed by the majority of councillors last month, with the new arrangements set to go live in May 2021.

This followed the work of a governance working party set up to look at the issue.

But the Conservatives were unhappy because recommendations made by the audit and governance committee in December had not been backed.

Their amendment asked for the matter to be referred back for independent assurance before a final decision was made, but this was defeated.

This has now led to a Tory walkout at the audit and governance committee meeting last Thursday (February 13).

In a statement read out at the meeting, Terry Chapman, Conservative group leader, recognised the ‘professional and impartial manner’ in which Lib Dem chairman of audit and governance Inna Erskine had conducted the debates at the December meeting.

But he added: “At Full Council on 15th January the recommendation from the working party was debated. During the debate I proposed an amendment to refer the matter back to the working party and that the Working Party sought further independent assurance from this committee before bringing their recommendation back to full council.

“Among others you and the vice chairman voted against this. Subsequently both you and the vice chairman, among others, voted for the recommendation from the working party.

“It is my personal view that in both of these votes the constitutional requirement for this committee to provide independent assurance of the adequacy of the governance and risk management framework so as to best protect the council’s reputation was undermined.

“On a related issue I think it sad to see the independence and status of this committee being undermined by party political whipping and this may prove to be a very slippery slope.

“Therefore, I decline to serve further on this committee.”

In response James Walsh, leader of the council, called the move ‘truly a childish and petty throwing of their toys out of the pram by the Tory councillors’.

He described how a move from an ‘undemocratic’ system of seven cabinet members taking all decisions to a committee system where all councillors have equal decision-making roles was announced in May 2019 as an election pledge and had been through countless working parties and meetings, with the final decision taken after a four-hour debate ‘which the same [Tory] councillors also tried to obstruct’.

Dr Walsh added: “The debate is over, and we just need to get it done. Walking out of a committee at which you can put your point of view, but cannot get your way, is pathetic and meaningless.

“The public expect more of their elected councillors than walkouts and boycotts. It is time they grew up, and behaved like adult elected councillors.”

Meanwhile deputy leader Francis Oppler, who chaired the working party, called the Tories’ actions ‘bizarre in the extreme’.

He dismissed the allegations of whipping as ‘ridiculous’ and described how the Lib Dems discuss issues within the group and ‘reach a consensus’.

He also pointed out how the move to a committee system was not only backed by the Lib Dems, but also the Greens, most of the independents and the Labour councillor.

Mr Oppler added: “The recommendations of the working party went to the audit and governance as a consultee, nothing more.”