Thursday 10th January 2008

Oxfordshire County Council Conservatives

More interested in job titles than in decision making

Speaking at today’s County Council meeting (8 January), Conservative councillors hit back at renewed attempts by Liberal-Democrats to make party political capital out of the fact that they held no chairman or vice-chairman roles on the Council’s scrutiny committees.

Councillors pointed out that Liberal-Democrats had been given ample opportunity to participate in real policy making but had declined to become involved.

The first opportunity was a ground-breaking joint review by scrutiny and cabinet of the council’s ICT facilities which now underpin much of the Council’s day-to-day working and the ability of members of the public to do business with it.

Liberal-Democrats had declined to participate in this review on the basis of arcane advice provided by their own party machinery.

The second opportunity consisted of the meetings of the Council’s Social Inclusion Reference Group which had been involved in setting the Council’s policy on race issues and on which the Liberal-Democrats were recorded as a ‘no show’.

Councillor Keith Mitchell, leader of the Council said:

”There are real opportunities for councillors of all parties to understand services and contribute to important policy issues. It’s a pity the Liberals are more interested in minor political point scoring than joining other councillors in important cross council policy issues.”