Sandwell councillors demand more sanctions to target disruption
Sandwell Council chiefs are to ask the Government for new powers to suspend errant councillors for up to a year and cut their basic allowance by more than £5,000.
The move has been prompted by anger and frustration at the authority’s own lack of clout in dealing with two councillors said to have brought ‘shame and humiliation’ to its door.
The authority is also asking for powers to recover costs from members’ annual £10,620 allowance.
Former deputy leader Mahboob Hussain was found to have breached the council code of conduct over the sale of council-owned toilet blocks and allegedly quashing parking tickets for family members.
The council’s ethical standards committee also found Councillor Ian Jones had failed to comply with its rules by removing a plot of land from public auction.
A packed meeting of the full council voted unanimously to ask Parliament for ‘significantly increased powers to investigate and sanction’ errant members.
Councillor Liam Preece, chairman of the standards committee, said that under the current law, the council’s hands were tied regarding sanctions, making it ‘frighteningly easy’ to get away with wrongdoing.
He said: “The law fails the council and the people we represent and threatens our democracy.”
But he maintained that Sandwell had ‘shone a light’ on unacceptable council conduct and was leading the way in dealing with it.
“We have a commitment that truth and transparency will always come before party politics,” he said.
Councillor David Hosell, cabinet member for highways, condemned councillors Hussain and Jones, both implicated in the Wragge Report, for bringing ‘shame and humiliation’ on the council.
He said: “They have abused their positions for self-gain and when found out, have continued to think they could get away with it. I find that absolutely criminal.”
Councillor Peter Hughes, chair of two scrutiny boards, said Sandwell’s good name had been tarnished and residents’ confidence in the authority knocked and would have to be regained.
Chair of the ethical standards sub-committee Councillor Steve Trow insisted ‘legislative change’ was now necessary.
“We need power to suspend members from office and to directly prosecute them,”he said.
