Dudley Council leader dismisses debate as ‘bloody nonsense’
Dudley Council’s leader dismissed a debate which held up discussions on cutting parking charges as filibustering and ‘bloody nonsense’.
A debate on Notices of Motion brought by councillors at a full meeting of the authority on December 1 was set to consider a plan to prepare a report on the impact of cutting the unpopular charges.
The parking motion was never discussed because time allowed for Notices of Motion ran out after councillors considered two other topics; recognising pubs as community assets and cutting their business rates and which flags fly over the council house.
The council’s Conservative leader, Cllr Patrick Harley, said: “We had far too many councillors filibustering on the night, seven of them talking about absolutely bloody nonsense when we could have had agreement on all three notices of motion.
“The Labour group was happy to accept our amendment on parking which means it passes.
“We were happy to accept the Labour amendment on parking and we put a minor amendment on the flags.”
Filibustering is a political tactic where politicians deliberately make prolonged speeches to use up time allocated for debates.
Cllr Harley added he thought there may be a way under the council’s constitution allowing group leaders to agree a priority list for notices of motion at future council meetings.
The amendment to the notice of motion on flags annoyed Reform UK councillor Shaun Keasey who accused the Conservative group of deliberately putting him in an awkward position.
The original proposal called for the council to fly the Black Country flag on appropriate dates but openly gay Conservative Alex Dale proposed an amendment to fly other flags, including the Pride flag, at the discretion of the leader.
Reform UK has a policy to only fly the Union flag, the St George’s Cross and county flag, which meant Cllr Keasey, who is also gay, could not support the amendment.
Cllr Keasey said: “It is an amendment which has been brought to try and put me in an awkward position, because of the party I represent I will not be voting against the amendment but I also will not be voting for it.”
He went on to attack the Conservatives deliberately trying to catch out a member of the LGBT community.
The failure of the parking issue to be debated in full council caused Dudley’s Labour group leader, Cllr Adam Aston, to hit out at the ruling Conservatives.
Cllr Adam Aston said on Facebook: “The Conservatives who are in control of Dudley Council are trying to blame everyone else because a motion on parking charges wasn’t heard at full council.
“The reality is, they are in control of the council, they dictate the policy and they can change parking charges whenever they want to.
“Council policy isn’t set by motions presented by backbench councillors of opposition parties.
“The re-introduction of parking charges has been an unmitigated disaster. It’s time the Conservatives owned their decisions … and their mistakes.”
