11th-hour bid slated

Nov 30 2007 by Dave Black, The Journal

A LATE bid to double the number of elected councillors on the new super-council which will run Northumberland was branded ‘totally unacceptable’ yesterday.

Opposition Liberal Democrat county councillors said the 11th-hour proposal by Labour Party bosses undermines the principles of the successful bid to create a single new unitary authority for Northumberland under local government reform.

They said the £1m additional cost of the move – also opposed by the Conservative and Independent group – cannot be justified at a time of budget cuts.

The Journal revealed last weekend how Labour chiefs at County Hall have asked the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to agree an increase in the number of councillors on the new authority from the originally- proposed 67 to 134. They say the move will help tackle a potential democratic deficit, amid fears that 67 councillors is insufficient to do the work of Northumberland’s existing 306 county and district councillors.

But opponents of the plan say it is a political fix, aimed at helping Labour win control of the new council and avoiding major internal squabbles over who gets nominated for safe seats.

Opposition councillors were asked for their views at an informal meeting of the council this week, and Lib Dems, Tories and Independents made their objections known to county council leader Peter Hillman.

Yesterday Lib Dem leader Lesley Rickerby said her group was united against a doubling of the numbers.

“To put forward this proposal., literally days before the order creating the new authority is made, is totally unacceptable.

“There has been no hint of such a proposal through the months of discussion on the new unitary.

“It undermines the very principles of the successful bid made by the county Labour executive and agreed by the Government. We have urged the DCLG to reject any proposals at this late stage.” Coun Hillman says he has proposed increasing the numbers from 67 to 134 after receiving a number of representations about a possible democratic deficit.

He says going down from 306 councillors to 134 is still a huge reduction, and the new single unitary will still achieve annual savings of £16.4m.

Last night he said: “The Lib Dems say they are united in their opposition to this move and the Tory and Independent group has also opposed it.

“Yet I have previous emails from members of both groups which are very supportive of the idea.

“They are playing politics with this, not me. The minister will make the final decision.”