Deadlock over council seat to end?

A political deadlock over a seat on a scrutiny committee overseeing Sunderland’s children’s services could come to an end this week.

A damning Ofsted inspection in 2015 saw responsibility for the service transferred from Sunderland City Council to agency Together for Children (TfC) which was rated ‘inadequate” itself in July.

Since the inspection, Labour and Conservative councillors have condemned the Liberal Democrat and Others group for leaving a vacant seat on the Children, Education and Skills Scrutiny Committee.

This came after its sole councillor on the committee,Stephen O’Brien, resigned in protest of the chairmanship of Labour’s Coun Pat Smith earlier this year – despite failing to attend any meetings.

At the authority’s next full council meeting, Liberal Democrats will launch a motion calling for a review of scrutiny process to bring other relevant bodies into the committee including health bosses and partners.

Coun Stephen O’Brien said: “We would like the whole Labour group to back our motion so we can provide adequate scrutiny and get back to working together as the opposition.”

Leader of the Sunderland Conservatives, Robert Oliver, who previously accused the Liberal Democrats of playing “childish games” over the seat, is now urging political opponents to set aside their differences “If it is not dealt with this month it could leave this committee without adequate opposition representation for a whole council year and I urge the Liberal Democrat and Others Group to either put forward a nomination or to allow the Conservative Group to fill it.”

The next meeting is Wednesday, November 21.