TORY CHANGE SHOCK!

2.05.31pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 18th Jun 2009

The new Conservative administration at County Hall is running scared of their actions being examined in public.

The Tory administration, elected under the "Time for Change" heading, are only allowing three Liberal Democrats out of a group of 21, to publicly monitor their effectiveness.

This means that the issues ranging from council tax to highways and health to education - all things the Tories claim to prioritise in their manifesto - will only be looked at in public about eight times a year, when the agenda will be bursting at the seams. In addition, there will be no opportunity for district council representatives to input into the work of highways or health. There will also be no opportunity for other representatives coming from school, community or health backgrounds, to monitor the work of the county council.

Jill Shortland, Leader of the Liberal Democrat group commented on the decision:

"It's shocking that the Tories are afraid to be properly monitored. They want to leave the entire process to just three Liberal Democrats, one Labour councillor and a handful of their own councillors, who will clearly be 'whipped' to the party line. Voters will be stunned by this revelation! This is not the 'change' they will have expected."

Contact: Cllr. Jill Shortland 07919 540244

Notes to Editors:

Under the Liberal Democrats there was a main Scrutiny Committee which had 5 Conservatives and 1 Labour member. Scrutiny sub-committees for Community (3 Cons + 1 Lab), Audit & Resources (3 Cons + 1 Lab), Children & Young People (3 Cons + 1 Lab + 5 non-elected voting representatives from schools and churches), Environment (3 Cons + 1 Lab + 6 co-opted members, representing each of the districts and Exmoor National Park) and a Health Scrutiny Committee which had a Conservative Chair + a further Conservative member, a Labour member, 5 district council reps and 8 lay members, representing various health bodies.

The Tories made this announcement in advance of the Full Council Meeting on 24th June '09.