Lewisham Tories Join Ranks with Labour (Lewisham Liberal Democrats)

Lewisham Liberal Democrats <info@lewishamlibdems.org.uk>

Lewisham Tories Join Ranks with Labour

November 8, 2006 12:00 AM

The Conservatives on Lewisham Council have joined forces with Labour councillors to protect Labour's Mayor from effective scrutiny. At last weeks Council meeting the two Conservatives moved their seats to be among the Labour group and voted with them on every issue.

The Council's Cabinet member responsible for Housing, facing criticism over a damning Audit Commission Inspection, was saved from any censure with the votes of the Conservatives. They then jointly proposed with Labour councillors an amendment removing a request for additional funding to help Supplementary Schools. The Council meeting was then ended prematurely by the Conservatives voting with Labour to ensure the Mayor did not have to deal with questions from other opposition Councillors.

The results of the Lewisham Council elections in May left Labour without a majority and the Mayor tried a controversial deal to form a Labour Conservative coalition, which was caused uproar when revealed by The News Shopper.

Lib Dem Group Leader Mark Morris said:

"Residents who voted Conservative in May, would not have expected their support to be used to endorse Labour policies. The Conservatives have not given any public explanation for their actions."

Commenting on the Conservatives' decision to vote with Labour Councillors to stop question time from taking place, Cllr Morris added: "It is a disgrace that Labour and Tory councillors seem to have no regard for the proper scrutiny of decision-making in this borough. All Councillors are paid over £9,000 each per year, to compensate for the time we spend at meetings. We are here to ask questions and scrutinise decisions. If they do not understand that, they should not have stood for election in the first place.

"I expect such procedural shenanigans from the Labour Group, but for the Conservatives to join with them just shows how naive they are. Lewisham residents voted for a non-Labour majority on the Council to hold the Mayor to account."

The procedural motion proposed by Labour councillors and supported by the Conservatives cancelled questions to the Mayor and his Cabinet. Councillors from all political parties had tabled over fifty questions at Full Council, and had the right to ask supplementary questions to gain further information from the relevant cabinet member.