Fareham councillors clash over speaking rights at council meetings

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 4 Nov, 17:57 · Archive

Opposition councillors at Fareham Borough Council have clashed with Conservative members over speaking rules after a motion about fencing around the West Street play area was blocked from being debated at full council on October 22.

At the Executive meeting on November 2, Conservative Cllr Fred Birkett said he had read reports of councillors claiming they were 'gagged' and unable to give their views. He accused opposition members of 'gagging themselves' by not attending Executive meetings to discuss council business, saying opposition councillors could make 'very good points' at those meetings and that was how democracy should work. Council leader Cllr Simon Martin backed his comments.

Labour Cllr Gemma Furnivall disputed this, telling the Local Democracy Reporting Service that there is an important democratic difference between the two forums. At Executive meetings, opposition councillors must ask the chairman for permission to speak, while full council gives them the chance to address all 32 councillors directly. She said: 'There is a democratic value in all of the councillors hearing things and being informed at full council.'

How it is being reported

• ‘Silenced’ councillors accused of ‘gagging themselves’ in democracy row over town centre playgroundThe row surrounding the revamped Fareham playground continuesThe News, Portsmouth · 4 Nov, 17:44
• 'Silenced' councillors accused of 'gagging themselves' in democracy rowA row over councillors being “silenced” has deepened after opposition members were accused of “gagging themselves”.Southern Daily Echo · 3 Nov, 17:18

In this story: Fareham Borough Council · Fred Birkett · Gemma Furnivall · Simon Martin · Fareham

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