Conservatives abandon Scrutiny after new system leaves them with ‘no voice’

Conservative councillors lead a protest march on the Narrow Way earlier this year

Conservative councillors will not be taking up their places on Hackney Council’s scrutiny committees after the axeing of the only opposition-led commission has left them with “no voice at all”.

The dissolution of the Overview and Scrutiny Board (OSB) was implemented earlier this year following an eight month study by governance consultants Shared Intelligence.

It was replaced by a twice yearly conference of commission chairs and vice-chairs. However, the disbanding of the board was branded “undemocratic” by opposition councillors, who said the council would no longer be held to account.

Conservative Chief Whip and former chair of the OSB Cllr Simche Steinberger said that under the new scrutiny structure the opposition was not given “even one of the little scrutiny commissions to chair”.

“Scrutiny was one of the only bodies which was not dominated by Labour. It was one of the only places where the opposition had any impact,” he said.

After not being offered a role, the Conservatives took the decision to resign from the scrutiny commissions altogether.

Conservative group leader Michael Levy said: “We can no longer, in good faith, participate in the other scrutiny commissions. The Labour-controlled council is now, in my view quite egregiously, effectively scrutinising itself.”

When asked what effect the Conservatives leaving Scrutiny would have, Cllr Steinberger said: “It will have some effect. Some Labour councillors may grudgingly agree that scrutiny is not being used properly.

“We will no longer be wasting our time, and will be spending our days working with the local residents who have elected us.”

Cllr Steinberger said he would not accept a vice-chair position even if it was offered to him. “Vice-chair is nothing,” he said. “It is like Cristiano Ronaldo going to Tottenham to play for the team, on the condition he can only be vice-captain.”

Rob Chapman, Labour chief whip, said: “Hackney Labour Group regards scrutiny as very important. It’s a real shame that the Tories have decided to play politics with what should be a valuable cross-party function.”

“We regret that the Tory group has decided not to take up their place in the new scrutiny structure and we fail to see how not participating serves their stated objective of ‘holding the council to account’.

“Decisions on the organisation of the council’s scrutiny committees are a matter for the whole of the Council and not the Mayor.”