Conservatives bent the rules (From Stroud News and Journal)

Conservatives bent the rules

OPPOSITION parties have criticised the ruling Conservative party for abandoning a convention not to vote in the appointment of Stroud District Council watchdog committees.

In the past the ruling party has not voted in the appointment of candidates to the two scrutiny committees responsible for checking the actions of the executive.

Accusing the Conservatives of voting overwhelmingly for their former coalition partners - the Liberal Democrat and Independent group candidates - Green councillor Toby Green said: "At the final scrutiny meeting of the last civic year much was said as to how scrutiny should not be political.

"Yet as soon as the Conservatives lose two council seats we are forced to witness the odious sight of them conniving with their former coalition partners, grubbing around for power as if this was the scramble for Africa."

Last year the Conservatives abided by the convention and abstained from a vote, resulting in the chairmen and vice-chairmen of both committees being councillors from the Labour group - the council's largest opposition group.

This year the vote including the Conservatives saw both Labour vice-chairmen replaced by Liberal Democrat councillor June Cordwell and Independent councillor Janet Wood, although the chairmen remain Labour in the form of Cllrs Chris Brine and group leader Hilary Fowles.

Cllr Fowles said: "I think it's appalling what they did. It goes against the council's convention. When Labour was running the council we didn't vote on the scrutiny committee because it was inappropriate to elect someone who was scrutinising us as an administration."

But Conservative group leader John Stephenson-Oliver, who also leads the council, dismissed the criticisms.

He said: "There's no written convention. There was an unwritten understanding two years ago that we would not involve ourselves in the selection of the scrutiny committee and that chairs would always go to members of the opposition.

"Conventions change of course. The circumstances that existed two years were appropriate then but things have changed quite a lot."

He added that even with the Conservative vote both committee chairs had remained in Labour hands indicating some Tories must have voted for them.

"The Conservatives exercising their vote did not actually change much. I don't know where the Greens are coming from because they didn't put up anyone," he said.