Knee-jerk calls to ‘resign’ miss the mark
I HOPE my “sparring” partner, Tony Morris, took the trouble to read the article by Jack Thurlow (“Why I am proud to be leader of the city council”, Post, May 5) featuring the response by Councillor David Mellen to the Post’s “front page call for action”.
Councillor Mellen was kind enough not to burden us with “chapter and verse” on the details on the background to the Robin Hood Energy investment decision or how the discrepancy in council house rent accounting procedures came about but he was transparent on the actions being taken by the city council.
Mr Morris, and others who think “resign” is the solution to any unpopular decision made by a local authority, should have noticed that nowhere in the article was there any reference to illegality.
Local authorities are created by statute. Their decision making is recorded and subject to scrutiny. They must follow what are known as financial regulations and finance standing orders. They are subject to both internal and external audit. Nowhere has it been suggested that the city council now or under Councillor Mellen’s predecessors has made illegal decisions leading to unlawful expenditure. Certainly no suggestion of the monumental corruption and fraud indulged in by the current Government during the Covid pandemic!
Mr Morris is free to criticise decisions he doesn’t like but shouldn’t be forever crying “resign” just because he disagrees with them. He needs to understand local authorities have some discretion on how and where to prioritise expenditure, which is probably where the roots of the Robin Hood Energy crisis originate. The Post itself refers to “failings” which better describes what Councillor Mellen refers to as “historical practices” in relation to the housing revenue account. Again, no mention of illegality.
If the city council leadership decisions were legal but unpopular the electors have their recourse through the ballot box. Knee-jerk calls of “resign!” are just that and largely pointless. Calling for resignations after a decision regarded as controversial contributes to the toxic atmosphere which the Local Government Association recently highlighted as undermining the quality of local government representatives and a deterrent to anyone willing to stand for pubic office.
Instead of constantly wheeling out the “resign” mantra, Mr Morris and others of similar tendency should instead give thought to whether they can do a better job and offer to do it!
Richard Chamberlain
Carlton