Top Bedford councillors face criticism for not attending scrutiny meetings

Councillor Jonathan Abbott (Lib Dem, Clapham and Oakley) asked last week’s Environment and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee (January 16) how many invitations had been extended to the mayor and portfolio holders – and how many times they “actually turned up”.

“We’re supposed to be scrutinizing what is going on, and part of that scrutiny is being able to talk to the people who are taking those decisions,” he said.

He added that councillor officers are constantly having to field the questions, and this shouldn’t be left to them.

The committee heard that Councillor Sarah Gallagher (Conservative, Shortstown), the portfolio holder for customer experience, and the mayor were both ill.

But according to council minutes, the last member of the Executive to attend this committee was the deputy mayor, councillor Jim Weir (Conservative, Great Denham) in May 2024.

This was for a “call in” meeting about the open space management charges for the Great Denham and Kempston West developments.

Councillor Abbott said: “I have a huge amount of time for councillor Weir and I think he does a brilliant job, and he comes when we ask him to come to committee.

“Some of the questions were difficult but he came here and he stood up and he was counted.

“It’s just disappointing that other portfolio holders choose not to come when they’re invited by this committee and it is really frustrating.

“I can remember previous portfolio holders in the previous administration would come, and yes, they would get a hard time.

“Probably less so for myself because generally they were from my party,” he admitted.

“But they were here and the people who were sat there would give them a hard time.

But if they don’t come here, how can we scrutinise what they’re doing? How can I ask these questions?

“This is ridiculous as far as I’m concerned.

“And if you can’t come here you can’t show this committee some respect,” he said.

Councillor Abbott said he did wish mayor Tom Wootton and councillor Gallagher a speedy recovery.