Council votes through controversial limits to member questions

Shropshire Council’s leadership has been accused of dodging scrutiny and accountability over new limits imposed on the number of questions backbench councillors can ask at meetings.

New rules are to be brought in to allow a maximum of six written questions to be answered at each meeting, in a move that has been branded undemocratic by opposition members.

The restriction, along with a 30-minute limit for the session, already applied to committee meetings but not full council.

The change to the council’s constitution was proposed by leader Peter Nutting, who said some members were “abusing” the process. No limit was proposed to the number of questions that can be received from members of the public.

Councillor Nutting said the move was nothing more than a “tidying up exercise”.

He said: “I want to reassure members of the public that actually members still have lots of access to information.

“They have only got to ring up officers and they will get a response, they have only got to talk to portfolio holders and they will get a response.”

Opposition members criticised the move, with Councillor Ruth Houghton calling it “a means of preventing councillors from effectively representing their communities”.

Liberal Democrat group leader Councillor Roger Evans said the matter should be discussed by the council’s political structures working group rather than Councillor Nutting “using a bulldozer” by bringing it straight to the full council.

Councillor Tony Parsons said: “For backbench members this is one of the ways that we can get answers at full council. I heard Peter say that we can use the officers to get quite a lot of the information we may need, and while that’s true, sometimes you need to have the view of the administration as to why certain things are happening or not happening.”

Councillor Chris Mellings added: “What it looks like to the outside world is an over-mighty executive trampling the rights of ordinary members of the council.”

It was also suggested by councillor Julian Dean that members of the ruling Conservative group could submit questions well in advance of meetings to reach the new limit and ensure opposition councillors’ questions would not be heard. Councillor Dean said: “It’s a really dangerous amendment.”

But deputy leader Steve Charmley said the measures were purely intended to “streamline what has become a long-winded process”.

Summing up, Councillor Nutting said: “There has been so much abuse of members’ questions in the last few months that I do believe we need some ground rules.

“It’s taking up a lot of time in meetings when we should be making decisions and discussing things the public expect us to do.

“It’s just become a political playground and I want this council to actually do the job it’s elected to do.”

Councillor Nutting’s proposal was supported by 37 votes to 25.