Anger at Warwickshire County Council move to hand decisions to ‘vested interests’

This was the claim by Labour after Warwickshire County Council voted on Tuesday to abolish ‘area committees’ made up of councillors and replace them with community forums in which the public could vote.

The distric-based committees had the power to make decisions and recommendations over schools, changes to speed limits and parking, while the 32 forums, made up of a mixture of councillors and residents, have been used to set priorities for neighbourhood policing and give grants for community schemes.

Labour group leader Cllr June Tandy claimed the move effectively centralised power, adding: “We have taken away local decision making.”

Cllr Tandy (Nuneaton Wem Brook) warned each forum might reach different conclusions, and did not have the power to make decisions, only to talk about them. She clashed with Cllr David Wright (Con, Caldecott) after he pointed out the cabinet committee could overrule committee decisions.

The Labour group criticised the police’s role at forums, suggesting they did little to engage with the public. Cllr Tim Naylor (Lab, Leamington Willes) said forums were “desirable” but those who attended were a “self-selecting” audience.

Cllr Richard Chattaway (Lab, Bede) claimed some Conservatives were unhappy. One was Cllr Mike Perry (Con, Henley-in-Arden), who said area committees were made up of elected people, while those attending forums were lobby groups and those with vested interests.

But former Warwick area committee chairman Cllr Sarah Boad (Lib Dem, Leamington Crown) said committees had been a “distraction” and not met often enough, even if forums were “patchy” and not all well attended.

She said: “If people don’t have a problem, you can’t force them into a cold, dark church hall, even if the agenda is absolutely riveting.”

And while council leader Cllr Alan Farnell accepted community forums would need “remodelling” - saying he was unhappy with police, Cllr John Whitehouse (Lib Dem, Kenilworth Abbey) said many councillors were “nostalgic” for how area committees had worked in the past.