The leader of Dudley Council has condemned a chaotic council meeting where a vital debate on reducing unpopular parking charges was sidelined by lengthy discussions on pub business rates and which flags should fly from the council house.
Filibustering Accusations Fly in Heated Session
At a full council meeting on December 1, a motion to prepare a report on the impact of cutting parking fees was scheduled for discussion. However, the session ran out of time after councillors spent the allocated period debating two other notices of motion.
These prior debates focused on recognising pubs as community assets to cut their business rates, and a proposal concerning which flags are flown over the council house. The parking motion was never reached.
Council leader, Conservative Councillor Patrick Harley, did not mince his words, accusing members of deliberate time-wasting. "We had far too many councillors filibustering on the night," he stated, "seven of them talking about absolutely bloody nonsense when we could have had agreement on all three notices of motion."
Flags Amendment Creates Political Awkwardness
The debate on flags took a particularly contentious turn. The original motion, calling for the Black Country flag to be flown on appropriate dates, was amended by Conservative councillor Alex Dale.
His amendment proposed allowing other flags, including the Pride flag, to be flown at the discretion of the council leader. This placed Reform UK councillor Shaun Keasey, who is gay, in a difficult position.
Reform UK's policy supports flying only the Union Flag, St George's Cross, and county flag. Cllr Keasey accused the Conservatives of crafting the amendment to deliberately create a conflict for him. "It is an amendment which has been brought to try and put me in an awkward position," he said during the meeting, stating he would neither vote for nor against it.
Political Fallout and Future Changes
The failure to debate parking charges prompted a strong reaction from the opposition. Labour group leader, Councillor Adam Aston, took to social media to blame the ruling Conservatives, calling the re-introduction of charges an "unmitigated disaster" and stating the administration could change the policy at any time without needing a backbench motion.
In the aftermath, Cllr Harley suggested a potential change to council procedure. He indicated he might explore using the council's constitution to allow group leaders to agree a priority list for notices of motion at future meetings, aiming to prevent crucial local issues like parking from being sidelined.
The incident highlights the often fractious nature of local politics, where procedural tactics and symbolic issues can delay debates on matters with direct financial impact on residents and businesses.
