Dear editor,
After reading the Bedford Independent article, Deputy Mayor says over-running meetings and political point-scoring show ‘troubling disregard’ for the electorate, yesterday (1 December), about the recent Full Council meeting, I want to make a few things very clear.
I completely agree that the well-being of our officers and councillors is important. We all have a duty of care to the people who work incredibly hard to keep this council running. Long meetings are not ideal for anyone. That is something we should look at seriously.
But while we must look after the well-being of staff and councillors, we cannot allow that to become a barrier to open and accountable democracy.
Full Council is one of the only places where everything is out in the open. It is where residents can hear their elected representatives ask questions, challenge decisions, and hold the Executive to account in public.
Openness and transparency are not optional. They are at the heart of democracy.
This is why I find Cllr Jim Weir’s comments so disappointing. He criticised councillors for asking detailed questions during the meeting and said they should have been sent in advance.
Here is the irony, I did exactly that.
Accountability in front of the public
I submitted all my questions by email well before the meeting. Every relevant Executive member received them. Cllr Weir (Conservative) himself was copied into the emails. Yet when the time came, I still did not get the answers.
So to suggest that councillors were turning the meeting into a stage for point scoring is unfair and misleading. What I was asking for, and what others were asking for, was simple. Honest answers. Clear explanations. Accountability in front of the public.
By all means, let us work together to improve the way we run our meetings so they are manageable for staff and councillors. That is sensible and necessary. But we cannot do that by weakening scrutiny or reducing the right of members and the public to ask questions.
That would do far more harm to trust in local government than a late finish ever could.
Democracy takes time. Transparency takes courage. And accountability should never be treated as an inconvenience.
I will always stand up for an open and honest council chamber. Our residents deserve nothing less.
Cllr Abu Sultan, Cauldwell Ward
Leader of Bedford Borough Labour Group
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