Mar 31, 2009
Lib Dems say Conservative Councillors “risked being disqualified” following legal ruling
Liberal Democrat Councillors are tonight (30 March) to reveal that legal advice obtained by Reading Borough Council made it clear that all Conservative Councillors made themselves liable to disciplinary action by their failure to propose or support any budget options during the protracted budget negotiations in early March.
The Conservatives’ refusal to co-operate in the new Budget Review Group – set up to make the budget savings they say they want to see – has also been slammed by the Lib Dems.
The Council is due to agree this evening to a package of budget savings of £356,000 identified in the Liberal Democrat budget, but which Labour Councillors refused to agree to at the time – putting at risk the Council’s ability to legally set a budget.
Liberal Democrats have warned that Council red tape made the budget-setting process more difficult in 2009 and threatens to make setting a Budget in Reading a ‘war of attrition’ in 2010.
The formal legal advice was given to the Council on the day the budget was set, but not passed to Councillors for several weeks afterwards. It makes clear that all Councillors are responsible for setting a budget, and that any Councillor voting against every Budget proposal would be ‘at very serious personal risk, disciplinary, financial and reputational’. It goes on to detail the potential sanctions facing Councillors who prevent the Council setting a budget.
Commenting, Cllr Gareth Epps, Leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Reading Borough Council, said:
“This document shows that the Conservatives, by deliberately seeking to stop a budget being set, have broken every rule in the book. It proves what we said at the time about how irresponsible their actions were.
Failing to set a budget is a serious matter. We engaged in the budget process fully, negotiating a budget against Labour resistance which delivered a lower Council Tax increase and service improvements by cutting Council waste.
I would recommend the Conservatives take this advice very seriously indeed if they wish to remain councillors; it is clear that they are making themselves liable to disqualification by their shabby actions.”
