Opposition councillors claim they were banned at the last minute from attending a top level briefing following an independent assessment of Durham County Council.
Just ten minutes before the feedback briefing was due to start and having already been invited to attend, opposition councillors say they were barred from the room.
The independent review was led by the Local Government Association (LGA) and on the final day (10 October) the LGA gives a top level feedback on its findings to senior managers and councillors.
The review, officially called a Corporate Peer Challenge, was instigated by the previous joint administration led by Councillor Amanda Hopgood (Liberal Democrat). The council has been run by the Reform Party since May’s elections.
Councillor Hopgood, the previous leader of Durham County Council explained: “We all turned up to hear the feedback of the review body only to be told ten minutes before the session that the Reform leader of the council had barred any of us from attending.”
“This is unprecedented. What have they got to hide? I’ve seen these reviews across the country and there has never, to my knowledge, been an occasion when leaders would be blocked from the feedback having already been invited.
“The council is there to serve all the community who elect councillors from all Parties and none, to do their best for our area. This type of petty party politics, like banning councillors at the last minute, is not helpful and it’s not what people want to see.”
Councillor John Shuttleworth, leader of the independent group on Durham County Council added: “I can only assume that the feedback from the review body was going to highlight failures by the Reform administration or maybe show that the council when taken over by Reform was indeed in a good place.
“The whole point of a peer review is to show where improvements can be made. I’m guessing Cllr Husband (Reform leader) doesn’t want the public to know about the chaotic mess his party is making at DCC.”
Opposition leaders say that no explanation was given to councillors about why they were barred from the meeting by Cllr Husband.
Responding to the criticism, Cllr Husband said: “They are not part of the executive and not part of cabinet, which were the attendees required.
“When we have given our feedback and received the formal recommendations this will be published, expected January.
“This is no longer a coalition. They no longer sit at the top table and are not involved in Council strategy.
“They are clearly not coping well with the election results and being irrelevant.
“This is also the first peer review in 12 years. The previous administration never had one.
“I could have declined but I am proud of what we have achieved so far and the positive feedback we received will be published in January, once we have added our commentary.”
South West Durham News covering news across County Durham.
