Liberal Democrats Demand Emergency Sefton Council Meeting

John Pugh, Opposition Leader on Sefton and fellow Liberal Democrats are using a little known provision in Sefton Council's constitution to oblige the Mayor Sefton to call promptly an extraordinary meeting of Sefton MBC to complete the business abandoned following interruptions from the public gallery in Southport Town Hall on July 10th 

The provision (sec21 Ch IV SMBC Constitution) allows 5 or more members to request an Extraordinary Meeting 

“There are two very good reasons to do this.” he says,  “Firstly the business was really important and secondly it’s crucial not to simply cave in when confronted with unruly behaviour. Deciding to just jack in the meeting and wait for the next meeting months later is a pathetic response, reduces significantly the time available for serious scrutinising debate and sharply limits the time elected councillors have to raise public concerns. The Council, as it is, only aims to have a paltry 4 ordinary full Council meetings a year.

On the agenda for the July meeting were the Town Hall Gardens Project, the Council’s Regeneration Budget, Safeguarding in Children's Services and Sefton’s attempts to address the Climate Emergency as well as new restriction brought in for Public Spaces and a Review of Youth Justice. 

"These are not trivial matters," says  Cllr.Pugh, "but currently the Council believes it can bung them into the crowded agenda of a September meeting in Bootle - always assuming that doesn’t get abandoned too !  No hurry to address the Climate Emergency or anything else it seems. "

The Mayor has seven days to respond and if she is unwilling to call a meeting, councillors calling for it can demand under the Council’s standing orders that the Director of Corporate Services does. 

“There has to be a way of ensuring policy gets proper scrutiny,  “ states Cllr. Pugh, “ and I make no apology for putting the mayor and council chiefs on the spot. No-one thinks that Sefton Council should be pushed over by small protests even if the lack of debate might have some real attractions for the ruling party.”

ENDS

FULL TEXT OF REQUEST TO MAYOR

REQUEST FOR EXTRAORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING

We the undersigned under Standing Order 21 Chapter 4  call upon the Worshipful the Mayor of Sefton to call within two weeks an Extraordinary Meeting of Sefton Council to conclude the important business tabled by the Council and abandoned on July 10th following disruption- specifically Agenda items 6-17 - dealing inter alia with the Council’s Capital Budget, Climate Emergency, Public Spaces Protection Orders, Youth Justice and Safeguarding in Children’s Services, and allow proper and a appropriate time for serious consideration by the whole Council of these matters.