Council slammed for behind-closed-doors meetings

A councillor has expressed serious concerns about an authority’s handling of budget decisions in behind-closed-door meetings.

Speaking after attending a series of internal budget meetings, Old Colwyn Cllr David Carr said he finds the sessions “problematic” and accused Conwy authority’s chief executive of hiring outside consultants to make service cuts.

Cllr Carr argued that councillors “were presented with a list of service cuts prepared by outside paid consultants outside of the established constitutional process and scrutiny committees”.

The letter is particularly critical of the authority’s chief executive Rhun ap Gareth.

Conwy is currently facing a £21m budget shortfall, following several years of around 10% council tax increases and repeated service cuts.

“The council’s constitution sets out specific procedures for how decisions, especially those concerning the budget and the policy framework, are made,” said Cllr Carr in his letter.

“These budget meetings are outside of this; the press and the public are excluded, which does not inspire confidence. Bypassing established procedures for major service cuts is a direct contravention of the established governance model designed to ensure transparency and accountability.

“The chief executive is the principal advisor to elected members and is responsible for the efficient management of the council and implementation of agreed policies. My understanding is that the chief executive should provide impartial, professional advice to all councillors. My concerns are that it is not correct for the chief executive to employ paid consultants to advise on major service cuts.

“The continuation of these budget meetings that my residents are not aware of, along with the press being excluded, is, to me, blatantly undemocratic and a potential breach of the council’s constitution and statutory governance principles. Councillors are within their rights to challenge this process.”

Cllr Carr has now called for internal budget meetings to be held in public where decisions can be challenged under the scrutiny of the press.

He added: “The chief executive is a politically neutral officer, not an ‘accounting councillor’. Councillors are democratically accountable to residents while the chief executive is accountable to the council as a corporate body.

“These budget meetings appear to blur the lines. I am requesting that these budget meetings be referred to full council, open to the press and public, where members can express their opinions on these meetings and the monitoring officer can advise on the legality of the process.”

A spokeswoman for Conwy County Council said: “The chief executive has replied to the councillor, confirming the budget setting process, as set out in the report to scrutiny committee and cabinet in September.”