Opposition silenced at Annual Council Meeting

6.25.48pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 18th Jun 2009

Opposition councillors were silenced today at the first meeting of the County Council since the election. At Thursday's Council meeting, Conservative leader Jim Harker addressed the council on his programme for the year, with no right of reply given to Brendan Glynane as Leader of the Opposition or to any other opposition councillors.

'With its massive overall majority, what on earth is the Conservative administration frightened of?' said newly elected Opposition Leader Brendan Glynane.

'As before, Cllr. Harker couldn't resist using the opportunity to make a blatantly political speech, and then wouldn't allow any alternative view to be put. Why on earth not? In parliament, even the Queen's speech has a right of reply from the opposition leaders, is Cllr Harker really so grand as to deny it to the opposition on the County Council? If this is the way they start, it doesn't auger well for alternative views to be heard in County Hall.'

The change in the Council's rules to deny the right of the opposition to respond to the leaders annual statement was opposed by the Lib Dems when it was pushed through by the Tory majority six months ago. An attempt to suspend this undemocratic rule was proposed by the Lib Dem group and supported by the Labour and Independent members of the council.

ENDS