Lichfield District Council's offices. Pic: Lichfield District Council

A Burntwood councillor has warned there could be “chaos” at future meetings if the chairman of Lichfield District Council does not admit he was wrong over a debate on the bedroom tax.

The local authority had been asked to lend its support to a Private Members’ Bill in Parliament which sought to make changes to spare room subsidy regulations.

Cllr Steve Norman
Cllr Steve Norman

But Cllr Steve Norman, leader of the local Labour opposition group, says councillors were not allowed to discuss the Motion after an intervention by Lichfield District Council chairman, Cllr David Smith.

“Despite the Bill being tabled six days beforehand, the chairman – without any prior warning to me or to his Conservative colleagues – tried to rule that it was out of order and could not be discussed.”

The Private Members’ Bill is presented by Liberal Democrat Andrew George and supported by the likes of Walsall South Labour MP Valerie Vaz, Stafford’s Conservative MP Jeremy Lefroy and The Green Party’s MP Caroline Lucas.

The Lichfield District Council Motion said: “The Council has now reconsidered its position and supports the provisions of the Private Members’ Bill so that tenants in Lichfield district will no longer have to suffer the worst impacts of this iniquitous legislation.”

Cllr Norman added: “The Chairman, a former Conservative Leader of the District Council, argued that the District Council did not have a position – which is wrong. For the first time in my 19 years on this council a break was proposed so he could get advice from the Council’s legal officers.

“I supported a change that avoided this reference in the Motion, but when there was still confusion by members who did not know which way they were supposed to be voting. The former Chairman moved that the Cabinet consider it alone. Labour members abstained on this and so it went through.

“However following my representations to officers this was withdrawn from the Cabinet agenda on November 3 with the support of the Leader of the Council.

David Smith
David Smith

“We, both Leaders, are now trying to find a way forward out of the mess Cllr Smith created, but unless he acknowledges that he was wrong in his interpretation, that he has some training on his role and that his role is not party political, I predict chaos at the next council meeting as well.”

Cllr Smith rebuffed claims he did not allow the issue to be discussed.

“It is true to say that we had a complex wrangle over the council rules of debate,” he said. “But what Cllr Norman has said is not quite correct.

“As the result of an answer to a question which had an impact on the Motion he was proposing, I invited him to amend it to allow for a more meaningful debate, this he did.

“The amendment did not alter the thrust of his motion and this was debated at length and ended with a named vote, so it is incorrect to state that the motion was prevented from being discussed which it was and this is a matter of record in the Council minutes.

Founder of Lichfield Live and editor of the site.

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Cllr Steve Norman
9 years ago

The Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer have now received agreed with my interpretation of his rules and perh we will. be allowed. A debate on this next month..

Darryl
9 years ago

Good grief, no wonder nothing gets done.