Call for clarity on watchdog committee rules in Dudley

During January scrutiny committees made up of councillors from all political parties on the authority have been examining plans for how taxpayers’ cash will be spent.

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Cabinet members from the ruling Conservative group and senior officers have been quizzed on what will be spent in the coming financial year and how they will know their plans are working.

Confusion broke out after a meeting of the Communities and Growth Scrutiny Committee on January 21 when leading councillors from Reform UK and Labour, who are not committee members, were told they could not ask questions.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Shaukat Ali from Labour said: “On Monday night I was allowed to ask questions, yesterday I wanted to and wasn’t allowed and again this evening I wasn’t allowed.

“There needs to be more clarity and guidance around what we can do and can’t, scrutiny could be better; if people are here and they have got a question to ask – let them ask the question.”

Cllr Shaun Keasey from Reform UK was also at the January 21 meeting, he said: “Tonight’s scrutiny was not a patch on what we did last year and that’s a real shame because it is the key meeting of the council.

“Setting the budget has got to be done and scrutinised in as much depth as it possibly can be.

“You listen and then ask a question but tonight I was told I can’t ask a question, it takes that opportunity away.”

Aftab Razzaq, Dudley Council’s monitoring officer who is in charge of ensuring proper procedure is followed, said: “There is no automatic right for members to speak at scrutiny, unless they are formally appointed by the council as members of the committee.

“Other members can attend meetings as observers. The chair has the discretion to invite contributions from such observers in line with governance advice provided by officers.”

Dudley Council’s leader, Cllr Patrick Harley, was also at the January 21 meeting.

He said: “You have to ask the committee members, particularly in opposition, about the scrutiny, they are the ones who should be holding the administration to task.

“I expect my cabinet members to be held to account and, to be honest, I could have had a snooze on those back benches.”

Cllr Keasey added: “It is a question of consistency, it’s something for Cllr Harley, the chief executive and the monitoring officer to look at.”