Politicians stage walkout during crucial Hertfordshire local government reorganisation vote

By the end of the month, local authority leaders are set to submit proposals to the Government to replace Hertfordshire’s existing two-tier structure with two, three or four unitary councils.

But before that document can be submitted, each of the existing councils – the county council and the 10 district and boroughs – is being asked to back one of the options.

The cabinet will meet today to determine which of the options the county council will back.

But earlier yesterday, the full council met to debate the options and to deliver an ‘indicative’ vote, to be considered in the cabinet’s decision-making.

After a debate lasting almost two hours, individual councillors were asked to express a preference for one of the three options or to abstain.

But with no formal option to vote “against”, Conservative councillors opted to walk out of the chamber.

Seeking advice from chairman Cllr Laurence Brass during the meeting, leader of the Conservatives Cllr Richard Roberts suggested that “voting had been perverted to ensure a certain outcome”.

He suggested that the process was “bringing the chamber into disrepute” – at one point calling for a vote of no confidence in the leader of the council, which was not allowed without notice.

Ultimately, he led a walkout of Conservative councillors from the chamber, before the vote was taken.

Those remaining backed the two-unitary option – with 24 councillors voting for two unitaries, two voting for three and five for four,

Of the councillors in the chamber, two voted to abstain and seven declared themselves “not in favour”.

A significant number of county councillors are also elected members of Hertfordshire’s 10 district and borough councils.

Some of those county councillors who walked out had already backed one of the proposed unitary options at their district or borough council meetings.

Following the meeting, Liberal Democrat leader of the county council, Cllr Steve Jarvis, suggested that the actions of the Conservatives were designed to avoid responsibility for the submission.

With some Conservatives in opposition in different districts having already voted for two, three or four unitary proposals, he suggested that their voting decisions may have been designed to make it more difficult for each council leadership.

“What I think is that Conservatives were trying to contrive a position where they could avoid taking any responsibility for the submission – and blame me for it,” he said.

“Their view was that we should express no opinion to the Government, but most have wanted to express an opinion as district councillors.

“In the districts, I think they voted in the way they thought would be most difficult in each council.

“I think it’s an irresponsible way to behave.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that the Conservative group was aware of the option to vote ‘not in favour’, as it would be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

But following the meeting, Cllr Roberts said that this was not the same as voting against.

He acknowledged individual Conservative county councillors may have voted differently in district or boroughs, but that was not a matter for him as leader of the Conservatives on the county council.

He said the walkout had not been pre-planned, but that they felt they had no choice, following attempts to seek further advice from the chairman during the meeting.

In a statement issued after the meeting, he said: “Local Government Re-organisation represents the biggest threat to the vital services that Hertfordshire’s residents rely on in many years. It is shameful that the council have not allowed councillors to register a vote against the options that the Liberal Democrats have put forward – or the process as a whole.

“My group won’t sit around while the council’s constitution is put through the shredder to force through a policy that is in none of our residents’ interests.”

Commenting on the voting options available to the full council at the meeting, a spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council said: “Today’s vote in the Extraordinary Full Council Meeting was unlike other votes in that it was an indicative, non-binding vote intended to enable members to give their views on the three options for Local Government Reorganisation previously agreed for inclusion in the county’s submission to Government by all 11 council leaders in Hertfordshire.

“The voting options and process were shared with members before the meeting. Members were able to express their views verbally during the debate and by voting for one of the options or abstaining.

“During the vote, some members chose to make comments outside the options available, which will be recorded in the minutes. While the indicative vote supported the two-unitary option, the decision on which option Hertfordshire County Council will formally support is a matter for cabinet on November 20.”