Sunday, 24 February 2019

Is Northumberland County Council 2019/20 Budget Lawful?

On Wednesday 20th February 2019 Northumberland County Council went through its annual budget process.

The full Council in Northumberland, a Tory led local authority sat in front of the very bad tempered on the day Chairperson, Councillor Richard Dodd, who bragged about his constitutional knowledge to everyone sat in front of him with the Councils chief executive sat beside him, Mrs Dalit Lally CBE. (Its on you tube link below)

At the meeting, Northumberland Labour Group pushed forward a number of amendments to safeguard the poor, protect the disabled and halt the attacks on their heartlands of Blyth and Ashington, whose fragile economies will be hacked downwards by the Tories scarification of deprived families incomes who dare to claim Council tax benefit, extending the Tories national attacks on the poor into Northumberland’s most deprived communities.

A number of Labour’s amendments were ruled out of order with the reason that Mrs Lally’s Officers hadn’t had time to crucify them and add them to the spiked haemorrhoid of unacceptable to her and her political allies, the Tories policies.

Labour amendments and motions were designed to improve people’s lives in Northumberland, they failed to make the political cut in the Tory mantra they were designed to do through the application of constitutional process by the chair and his political advisers blanketing him on the day.

Two of Labours motions had to be heard, even the twisty use of the rules of debate couldn’t halt them and in front of those who seem to know and brag that they do, the constitution and the law surrounding local government, inside out, the Leader of Council, the millionaire farmer, Councillor Peter Jackson said the council should put two amendments together and vote on them.

That process took place and the Tories and their Bedlington Independent allies voted the joint motion which was not composited by the motions movers from the Labour Group down. They then accepted a motion from one of their own team as an amendment and moved to vote on the substantive motion.

Ugh ugh. That process is completely outside of the Councils constitution and should not have occurred. The Councils chief executive, chairperson, legal advisor and section 151 officer allowed this flawed process to take place, all amendments have to heard individually.

So it’s now down to the Councils External Auditor EY to rule on this anomaly and tell the public and the Council taxpayers of Northumberland if their budget is lawful or if the Leader of Council and chief executive should resign over this debacle?



#callanotherbudgetcouncil

#stopthebullies














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