Perth and Kinross Council’s Provost has hit back after a number of councillors slammed the scheduling and timescale of a recent full council meeting.
Committee convener and Strathmore councillor Dennis Melloy spoke out after a backlash to the four-and-a-half-hour meeting on March 31.
The PA reported on Tuesday that some council members had criticised the administration’s decision to hold the meeting on the same day as the Integration Joint Board, which was scheduled to meet at 3pm that day.
Councillor Grant Laing said they had “rushed” through the meeting, claiming members were refused the “ability to scrutinise properly”.
Fellow councillors Xander McDade, Sheila McCole and Mike Barnacle echoed his concerns that some of the papers had no introductions from officers due to the time constraint.
City Centre representative Andrew Parrott had also written to convener Cllr Melloy and interim chief executive Barbara Renton urging them to address the concerns.
In response Cllr Melloy said: “Full council has been meeting virtually throughout the pandemic to allow elected members to carry out full democratic scrutiny and oversight.
“These meetings take place where possible on a Wednesday as this was the preference of elected members when agreeing the timetable.
“As convener, I manage the business of council to ensure that it is undertaken in accordance with standing orders.
“The meeting on March 31 was no different in that regard.
“This full council meeting was scheduled to start at 9.30am and finish at approximately 1pm.
“As there was another important meeting scheduled at 3pm, this would have given the councillors and officers who were attending the afternoon meeting, time to have a much needed break.
“As it was, the council meeting ran over by nearly an hour.
“In my introduction and again later in the meeting, I asked elected members to be focused on their questions and comments.
“I agree with Cllr Parrott that members do themselves and their colleagues a disservice if they are overly lengthy in their posing of questions.
“I do not agree that I have been discourteous to, or disrespectful of, our council officers.
“Indeed, I am very grateful for all they are doing in these very difficult times.
“I am, however, very concerned for the health of our councillors and officers as meetings are now getting longer, it is not unusual for meetings of full council to last for several hours.
“I made a pragmatic decision, following a request to omit summarising the contents of three papers, papers which the councillors would already have read.
“If elected members considered that due to time constraints an item of business should be deferred, it would have been open to them to propose a motion to that effect.
“No such motion was forthcoming.”
