Conservative Councillors gag opposition Lib Dems - part 2

4.13.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 5th Aug 2009

Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes (right) out campaigning

The Conservative group that runs Essex County Council has once again attempted to stop the Lib Dem opposition from doing its job, of holding the administration to account. They voted today to remove the Lib Dem group's only full-time support staff member. This is in stark contrast to support for the Conservative councillors, who will continue to have 13 full-time, taxpayer-funded staff to support their cabinet members.

Leading Conservative Councillors will also continue to accept Special Responsibility Allowances, totaling around £600,000 on top of their normal councillor allowances, all at the taxpayers' expense. The move came when the Conservative administration decided to make redundant the political assistants to the Liberal Democrat and Conservative groups.

Lib Dem group leader Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes commented: "Only recently, Lord Hanningfield was complaining to the national press that a "vindictive campaign" had been launched against him by a Liberal Democrat MP. This was in response to the news that Scotland Yard had decided to investigate Lord Hanningfield's House of Lords expenses. It can hardly be a coincidence that a short time later the Lib Dem group has been thrown off the council's Waste Advisory Board and is now having its only full time staff member made redundant.

"There is already an outrageous number of full time employees dedicated to working for the leading Conservative councillors. It is clear that their main preoccupation is with occupying power and then cutting down the opportunities for anyone to question them. It appears there are shades of North Korea in Essex Conservatives' style of governance, rather than the bright new Conservative image peddled by David Cameron."

The Liberal Democrats in Essex gained four seats in the election on 4th June and Labour lost 12 of their 13 seats.