A MOTION is to be brought to a future council meeting in a bid to catch up on the outstanding agenda.
Last week, we reported that councillors only had time to debate one motion out of five before the meeting on Monday, July 6, had to come to a halt. And some of the agenda items had been appearing on the list for several previous meetings.
But time constraints meant that they could not be discussed, or voted on, by councillors.
Now one councillor has had enough and is calling on the ruling Executive to call for an additional series of meetings to clear the backlog.
Cllr Gary Cowan’s motion, which will be added to the agenda on Thursday, July 23, says: “The continued failure of recent Council meetings to conclude the agenda business suggests that the existing democratic process has failed.
“As a direct result of this Wokingham Borough’s Residents and their Borough Council elected Members have been let down very badly.
“To correct this serious democratic failure and get the Council back on track this council must immediately programme in as many additional council meetings as is required to get Council business up-to-date.”
Council leader Cllr John Halsall said that as the meetings were chaired by the mayor, his agenda came first, and only after questions from the public and members, and statements made by the administration could the motions be discussed.
“In order to get through all the agenda, we’d have to have meetings that go on to 2am or 3am in the morning,” he said. “I don’t think that’s a good ask. Have 10 motions and it would be 6am. That’s not reasonable.
“Three hours is reasonable.”
He added: “Overview and scrutiny committee are quite capable of debating without limitation. There are other forums (that councillors can use).”
