Fury as Conservatives block debate on Openness and Transparency
April 2, 2010 12:13 PM
Tim Prater, Finance Spokesman of Kent Liberal Democrats Group
Kent Conservative Councillors have prevented the public in Kent from finding out what their taxes were being spent on, by blocking even having a debate and vote on openness and transparency at Kent County Council.
At the Kent Full Council meeting on 1st April, time began running out in a Liberal Democrat tabled debate on opening up the County Council's accounts so that all Council payments over £1,000 would be published.
The Chairman, John Davies asked the Councillors to agree to continue their meeting for up to another half hour to 5pm to allow the debate to go ahead. But the majority of Conservatives voted to go home instead, and the meeting closed. Earlier in the day councillors took an hour and a half for lunch.
After the meeting Trudy Dean Leader of the Liberal Democrats said:
"We hear so much from the Conservatives about being open and transparent, and here when they have a real opportunity to allow the public to see how we spend their money, most of the Conservatives voted against even discussing it. This was an absolute mockery of democracy. "
Liberal Democrat Finance Spokesman Tim Prater who had tabled the motion said:
"The publication of Council expenditure has already been put in place by Windsor and Maidenhead and the GLA under Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson. It has been agreed for next year by Councils including the Wirral, Bedford unitary and Northamptonshire County Council - whose Chief Executive Katherine Kerswell is now joining Kent as Managing Director.
"In Northamptonshire, Katherine Kerswell has invited the area to 'Taste the Strawberry' to deliver their strategy for their County. In Kent, when it comes to openness and transparency, it seems the Conservatives prefer instead to 'Suck the Lemon' and even refuse to allow time to discuss opening up the Council finances as others have done. It's a farce, tragedy and disgrace of which they should be ashamed."
The Conservative Councillors who voted to close the meeting and denied the public the ability to see what their taxes are spent on were:
Carey, Collor, Cope, Dagger, Ridings, K Pugh, J Kirby, C Wells, Harrison, Northey, Angell ,Carter, King, Lynes, Chard, Whittle, Cooke, Gough, Marsh, Gibbens, Hill, Hohler, Capon, Craske, Tolputt, Snelling, Bullock, Coles, Scholes, Sandhu, Kite, Pascoe, Brazier, Smith, Horne, Homewood, Long & Wedgbury.