AN investigation into potential wrongdoing at Stroud District Council is back on track after members voted to give their chairman the power to conduct an inquiry.

At the end of January SDC’s chairman John Hudson (Con, non-group member, Cam East) announced that he would be forming a cross-party group to probe allegations of misconduct.

He said information had been brought to his attention which ‘called into question the council’s governance’.

According to insiders with knowledge of the case, the information relates to concerns about the expenses claims of a sitting Conservative councillor.

However several weeks after Cllr Hudson announced his intention to examine the evidence, he was informed that he did not have the constitutional authority to launch an investigation.

So last Thursday, April 26, at a meeting of the full council, Cllr Nigel Studdert-Kennedy (Independent, The Stanleys) proposed a motion to hand Cllr Hudson the powers to conduct an inquiry in public.

Despite vocal opposition from the Conservative benches, with a number of councillors in the ruling party questioning the need for an inquiry, the motion was nevertheless passed following a majority vote.

It was backed by 35 members from all parties, with 11 Tories abstaining. Cllr Brian Tipper (Con, Cam East), one of those who abstained, said the motion was ‘as alien to democracy as the Sahara is to the Antarctic’.

He said any inquiry would be costly and was unnecessary because SDC already had scrutiny, audit and standards committees.

His views were echoed by council leader Francis Roden, who also decided not to cast a vote and questioned 'how much the public should be expected to keep paying for ever increasing amounts of democracy'.

However, Dennis Andrewartha (Lib Dem, Cam West), who had seconded the motion, dismissed the concerns.

"For us to talk about it as if it is going to cost a fortune is a nonsense," he said.

Cllr Andrewartha also disputed a point made by Cllr Joe Forbes (Con, Minchinhampton), who despite voting in favour of the motion, said: "I think this whole business is actually not in the interests of transparency and actually brings this council into disrepute."

The Lib Dem leader said: "Public perception of this council is important to all of us but for our chairman to have credibility in public eyes he should have the sort of powers that have been requested."

Cllr Studdert-Kennedy said his proposal was about ‘governance, transparency, honesty and above all the prevention of injustice’.

"The winner tonight must be democracy," he declared.

Cllr Roger Sanders (Lab, Uplands), who supported the motion, praised SDC’s Conservative chairman for rising above party politics and demanding an inquiry.