Socialists in Coventry have been
frozen out of major debates in the new political system being adopted
by the city council.
A bid to win a right for equal
status with the Conservatives for the opportunity to speak in council
meetings was thrown out by councillors yesterday.
Socialist leader Dave Nellist said
his group deserved to be allowed to answer statements by the council
leader because they had three members.
Last year the group was denied the
status of a party in the council’s structure because there were only
two councillors.
But following the elections earlier
this month the party captured its third seat in St Michael’s ward.
The new constitution, which will be
formally adopted tomorrow, allows the leader of the opposition group
to reply to the council leader’s statements.
Cllr Nellist told councillors that
the new political system had been drawn up with only a two party
structure in mind.
He urged that the wording be
changed to include other political groups. He said the election of
three Socialist plus a Liberal Democrat meant those days were at an
end.
He said:
“Labour has been running this
city for 63 years, with only a short break. The majority party has
to get used to the plurality of politics in Coventry.”
His bid to get the rules changed
were rejected by both Conservative and Labour members.
Both Socialists and Conservatives
called for pledges that the cabinet meetings would be held in public.
Conservative leader Tim Sawdon said
his party opposed the changes to the system, which scraps the
committee system and replaces it with a cabinet. The switch is being
forced by government legislation affecting the whole country.
He said:
“Coventry is not Westminster in
miniature. The model that is appropriate to Westminster is not
appropriate to Coventry. We have little option but to try and make
this system work.”
New council leader Nick Nolan
replied that the first meeting of the cabinet will be in St Mary’s
Hall at 1.30pm on 31 May, and all members of the public and
councillors would be welcome to attend.
But he said he would not pledge to
hold all meetings in public in case there were sensitive issues
affecting commercial tenders or people’s private lives to be
considered.
