Public meetings should be improved, not scrapped, say Lib Dems

2.32.28pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 30th Oct 2006

Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr David McBride has attacked the scrapping of a series of public meetings held around the Borough, saying that the Council has lost a huge opportunity to consult with local communities.

Normally at this time of year Bromley's Tory Cabinet hold meetings in different parts of the Borough to find out local people's priorities for the year ahead. This year, however, the series of meetings is to be replaced with just one, to be held at the Civic Centre in Bromley, with the excuse being given that at some meetings there was low attendance.

Cllr McBride said that the Council should have looked at ways to improve the meetings and engage actively with residents, not just scrap them. "The Council's own surveys of local residents constantly say that they feel the Council is remote. By scrapping the meetings in areas such as Biggin Hill, Penge, Chislehurst, Orpington and the Crays the Council are just re-enforcing that image. We need better meetings, not less," he said