Row Over 'Embarrassing' Cancellation of Council Meeting

Labour group accuse Chiswick councillors of double standards

Chiswick councillors have criticised Hounslow Council for cancelling the borough council meeting on the 29 January "because of lack of substantive business".

The Civic Centre Hounslow

Leader of the group of nine conservative councillors, Sam Hearn said,"It is extremely disappointing that a scheduled Borough Council meeting should be abandoned at the last possible moment and that there has therefore been quite literally no time for the Conservative Group to develop any substantive alternative proposals.

"It is simply not acceptable that as the minority Group we have received no explanation as to why the Labour Administration finds itself in this embarrassing situation. Surely the absence of urgent and important matters must have been obvious weeks ago?

"The Conservative Group would welcome an early opportunity to meet with the Mayor and Officers to discuss the programmed agendas for the 2019/2020 Borough Council meetings. In the light of this meeting we would like to discuss the introduction of quarterly update meetings with the Mayor. We would like a much better idea of the scale and shape of the forward work load that the Administration expects the Borough Council meetings to handle."

Councillor Steve Curran, Leader of the Labour Group, said, “It is not unusual for meetings to be cancelled or moved, but it is never done without good reason; for example, our March 2019 meeting has been brought forward so Borough Council can agree our response to the Boundary Commission consultation. As residents will be aware, there are also costs associated in both time and money in holding formal Council meetings, so we only hold meetings when there is sufficient Council business to discuss, not just for the sake of it.

“The cancellation of next week’s Borough Council meeting followed the normal process; both myself and Cllr Sam Hearn, Leader of the Opposition, were consulted on whether it should be cancelled.

“I’m therefore surprised and extremely disappointed that some Tory councillors have criticised this decision and more disappointingly contacted the press before a formal decision had been made and notification had been sent to Councillors. I will be writing to the Tory Leader, Cllr Sam Hearn regarding this clear breach of confidentiality.

"It beggars belief that they would complain, using dirty tricks to make a cheap political point. I’m sure they will recall when they were last in Administration in 2006, they cancelled five Council meetings. Clearly, it’s a case of double standards!”

January 27, 2019