Labour rebel to report borough council to Ombudsman for alleged disgrace to democracy

LABOUR rebel Kevin Bennett says he is to report Warrington Borough Council to the Local Government Ombudsman and make an official complaint to the Solicitors Regulation Authority about council solicitor Tim Date.
He has announced his intentions in a letter to the council’s interim chief executive, Professor Steven Broomhead.
Cllr Bennett (pictured) walked out of a meeting of the council on Monday after discovering that a question he had submitted to council officers had been removed from the agenda.
In his letter, he says he believes “secret arrangements” were made between an unnamed member of the council leadership and the council solicitor to remove from the council agenda a legitimate question he had submitted about the council’s policy on the “Living Wage.”
He claims he submitted the question on October 15, well before the deadline, and received an email informing him that his question had been accepted.
But when his agenda papers arrived, his question was not listed.
When he arrived at the Town Hall for Monday’s meeting, he was told that a member of the Labour Group leadership had “instructed” that his question be struck off.]
Cllr Bennett said: “Without a shadow of doubt, I consider this totally unacceptable and a disgrace to democracy.
“Members of this council have conspired with council officers to prevent another member from asking a question. That is disgraceful.
“What is the next stage? If members of the ruling party do not like a question tabled by opposition councillors, will they work conspiratorially with council staff to strike them out too?”
Cllr Bennett said he had been told that he had failed to get permission from the Labour group leadership before submitting his question.
But earlier in the year he had been told that any councillor could ask a question on behalf of their constituents without consulting the Labour Group.
However, whether or not this was the case, it was certainly not a matter for any council officer to adjudicate on, he said.
Cllr Bennett said his question was legally acceptable and there was no reason why it should not have appeared on the council agenda. Nothing in the constitution of the council said that questions received from members must be authorised by their political group.
He regarded the incident as a serious interference with the democratic process.
“I am owed a formal apology for both my question being struck off the agenda after it had been accepted, and the fact that no one could apparently be bothered to tell me that there was a problem.”
Cllr Bennett said he intended writing to every resident of the Fairfield and Howley ward setting out full details of the “disgraceful incident” and letting them know there now a concerted attempt to prevent their voices from being heard.
A Labour spokesman said: “Ultimately it is the decision of the Mayor to decide what is discussed or not discussed at council meetings.
“As far as the Labour Party is concerned, we recognise that individual members, to fulfil their representative duties, may without consultation speak and ask questions in meetings of the council on behalf of their constituents or other community interests.
“Where the tendency of such interventions is likely to be in conflict with the policy of the group, it shall be the responsibility of the individual member to ensure that the relevant lead member is consulted. In this case, no such consultation took place.”
Earlier this year, Cllr Bennett was suspended from the Labour Party for six months for voting against the party whip.
At the time, he claimed he had been a victim of harassment, bullying and “distasteful accusations.”