You Won't Know Whether To Laugh Or Cry (Tunbridge Wells Liberal Democrats)

Tunbridge Wells Liberal Democrats <info@twlibdems.org.uk>

You Won't Know Whether To Laugh Or Cry

March 16, 2009 10:55 PM

Tunbridge Wells Conservative Borough Council Have Become A Laughing Stock

Conservative Councillor leaves meeting for 25 seconds - costing Tunbridge Wells Borough Council £7,371

A Councillor who left a planning meeting for 25 seconds to grab a glass of water was investigated at a cost of £7,371. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council launched an inquiry into the conduct of Conservative Benenden and Cranbrook councillor Sean Holden after he left the room during a 90-minute debate in June last year.

He was cleared of all allegations at a misconduct hearing on Tuesday. The £294-a-second cost has been slammed by the Taxpayers' Alliance as a "total abuse of taxpayers' money". And Cllr Holden, who branded the eight-month investigation as petty, said: "You might think it was a story from the fantasy realms of political satire. But this trivial and vexatious case happened here and we taxpayers will be footing the very real bill."

The complaint stemmed from a joint meeting of the Western and Eastern Area planning committees on June 24, 2008. Cllr Holden left the chamber during an officer's presentation on a planning application. He was followed by a monitoring officer who told him he should return.

He returned to be told by committee chairman and fellow Conservative Elizabeth Thomas he would not be allowed to vote on the matter as he had not been present for the entire debate. He disputed this, getting into a heated discussion, before proceeding to vote.

Cllr Thomas reported him to the council's Standards Assessment Sub-Committee, alleging he had broken the council's code of conduct. An independent investigation and an extensive 20-page report into the incident exonerated Cllr Holden before he was cleared of three alleged breaches at a further hearing on Tuesday.

Mark Wallace, of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "This is a total abuse of taxpayers money and the official complaints system. "People want their council tax to be used on essential services, not for politicians to squabble with."

Note

Each second Cllr Holden was out of the meeting cost taxpayers £294.84.

The total sum would pay the council tax of five Band-D homes in the borough.

Comic Relief - the amount spent would have bought 1,474 malaria nets at £5 each.