Haringey’s Liberal Democrats have again formally complained to the Labour-run Council after a Labour Lead Member failed to give an answer to a question put by the Lib Dems in the council chamber.The Lib Dems are accusing Labour of contempt for the rules and of deliberately keeping local people in the dark about important questions of local policy.

The question (oral question 15 from the last council meeting) came from Lib Dem leader Lynne Featherstone, who had requested in part an explanation as to why Haringey Council had not bid for any money from Transport for London for a particular project. The answer provided did not provide any answer or even reference to this part of the question.

Councillor Featherstone has in the past had to raise with the Council’s monitoring officer the failure of Labour Lead Members to answer questions. The Council has admitted that it is not within the power of councillors to pick and chose which questions or parts of questions they wish to answer – yet Haringey Labour members persist in flouting these clear rules.The Lib Dems want firmer action to ensure that councillors meet their legal obligations.

Lib Dem Deputy Leader Ross Laird, comments:

“Time and again, Labour members are showing a total disregard for their obligations to answer questions put to them. It is not good enough. If it goes on, we will be pressing for action, as this is in our view a breach of the standards that councillors are expected to uphold. And local people are entitled to have Labour councillors held properly to account. Labour can’t just pick and choose as it wants.”

Note:

The Lib Dems are specifically asking the Council’s Chief Executive and Borough Solicitor:

a)What action will be taken to rectify the failure to answer Oral Question 15.

b)What measures are proposed to ensure that questions are answered in line with the council’s legal and regulatory obligations in future, particularly bearing in mind the Council’s acknowledgement of its failure to meet these obligations in the past.

c)At what point would the repeated failure of a councillor to discharge their duties to answer questions qualify as a breach of the standards which councillors are expected to uphold, with particular reference to principle 4 of the Members’ Code of Conduct.