Attempts by Lib Dem councillors to open up decisions taken by Walsall Council’s Tory cabinet to greater public scrutiny were rejected by the Council’s Tory leader at the Annual Meeting of the council held on 21st May.
He turned down suggestions that Tory cabinet members should report back to meetings of the Full Council to allow decisions taken by the Cabinet to be discussed.
Walsall Council’s Tory Leader also made it clear that his group would not consider another suggestion put foreward by the Lib Dem group that meetings of the Scrutiny and Performance Panels be chaired by opposition councillors. Currently all but one of the five panels is chaired by a member of the counci’s controlling Tory group.
” These panels are supposed to monitor and challenge decisions made by the Cabinet. If both are controlled by members of the same group there is clearly a conflict of interest.” said Lib Dem Group Leader Cllr. Ian Shires.
“It’s quite clear” added Ian,”That there is no correlation between what Cameron’s Tories are saying nationally and the reality of what they do when in control. Have the Tories really changed? I don’t think so!” he concluded.
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