Opposition councillors have attacked Elmbridge Council’s Tory administration for making a “nonsense” of meetings designed to hold the cabinet’s policy decisions to account.

The claims were made during a full council meeting on Wednesday, April 22, when councillors discussed the publication of this year’s overview and scrutiny annual report.

Overview and scrutiny meetings were introduced by the council in 2000 and are supposed to offer 'back bench' councillors the opportunity to scrutinise the ruling cabinet's decisions.

Residents' Association Party councillor Ruth Lyon, who represents Thames Ditton, said the Tories had undermined the purpose of the overview and scrutiny meetings, by holding private meetings to instruct their members how to vote.

She said: “Looking at the relationship between the cabinet and overview and scrutiny, I have grave concerns about the way it is working in Elmbridge.

“When we introduced the system to Elmbridge, the model was the House of Commons’ select committees, where back bench MPs of all parties hold the government to account.

"But what we find in Elmbridge is a feeble reflection.

“In Elmbridge, the Conservatives, far from scrutinising and challenging, propel themselves as cheerleaders for the cabinet.”

Coun Lyon said the first step in ensuring overview and scrutiny meetings fulfilled their purpose would be to stop backbench Tories meeting with cabinet members before the meetings.

Weston Green Councillor Tania Shipley, also from the Residents' Association, said she was “disillusioned” with overview and scrutiny meetings.

She said: “It is now procedure that before overview and scrutiny meetings, Conservatives get together, which makes a nonsense of the process.

“[During one meeting] the Conservatives all arrived late and the chairman had already started the meeting. Many people raised eyebrows."

Coun Shipley said one resident had been suspicious that the Tory councillors arriving late had already made a decision together on how they would vote prior to the meeting.

However, Tory cabinet member councillor John O’Reilly strongly rebuffed the accusations, which he said made his “blood rise”.

He said: “We ought to get this into perspective.

"We approach subjects critical to this borough with no partisan method.

"Overview and scrutiny meetings are supposed to be critical friends to the cabinet, not partisan.”

Coun O’Reilly said when the RA had been in power, they too had held private meetings prior to council meetings, although the RA denied they had ever held these before overview and scrutiny meetings.

“Coun Lyon has to look at herself and her own group,” Coun O’Reilly said. “She is playing politics [and] is regarded as the most partisan councillor.”

• What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.