“Scrap expensive Away Days” call – Liberal Democrats

Brent residents are outraged that Brent Council’s ruling Labour Executive took themselves to an all expenses paid “Away Day” in a plush hotel – Latimer Place De Vere Hotel in Chesham, Buckinghamshire – to plan multi-million pound cuts to Brent’s Budget. This included dinner, wine and accommodation at a cost of around £5000.

Angry Liberal Democrats have started a petition which local residents can sign up to calling on the Labour Administration to scrap the further Away Days they have planned in October.  It is expected that this further Away Day will cost a similar amount – another £5000.

The petition reads:

“As a local resident I oppose the Labour Council’s wasteful and unnecessary “Away Days” to a plush country hotel in Buckinghamshire at Council Taxpayers expense and call on Brent’s Labour Administration to scrap the planned October trip to the hotel and hold the Away Days in Brent at a fraction of the cost.”

With two of these events held every year that will be £40,000 Labour will spend over the course of the next 4 years of the Administration.

The cost of the Away Day was increased by Labour’s decision to bring along their political officers – the Group Chair, the Group Whip and the Group Secretary – to the event, despite not being members of the Council’s Executive.

As one of their first moves to save Council Tax payers’ money on taking control of the Council in 2006, the Liberal Democrat leadership scrapped the expense of having the Executive stay away in expensive Hotel venues.

Between 2006 – 2010 the Liberal Democrat Leader of Brent Council, Cllr Paul Lorber, insisted that all Executive budget planning meetings would take place in Brent, in Brent Council owned facilities.  Under the Liberal Democrats, these meetings were held at Bridge Park Community Centre or the Council’s training centre in Wembley, without overnight stays, as a result over the 4 years period around £40,000 was saved.

Liberal Democrats are challenging Labour to explain why Bridge Park was good enough before the elections (see attached picture from Labour election leaflet), but now they expect taxpayers to foot the bill for plush hotels.

Speaking about the petition, which he hopes to take directly to the Labour Executive Members, Cllr Paul Lorber, Leader of Brent’s Liberal Democrat Group said,

“The Liberal Democrats believe that when Council Taxpayers money is at stake having these kinds of meetings in plush hotels outside of Brent is not justifiable.  We’re calling on the Labour Executive to scrap their proposed trip to the hotel in October and in future years and to hold their meetings in Brent at a fraction of the cost.”

Local residents can sign the petition at www.campaigns.libdems.org.uk/ScrapAwayDays

The Labour Councillors who attended:

Cllr Ann M John, OBE – Leader
Cllr Muhammed Butt – Deputy Leader
Cllr Ruth Moher – Executive Member for Adults, Health and Social Care
Cllr Mary Arnold – Executive Member for Children and Families
Cllr Lincoln Beswick – Executive Member for Crime and Community Safety
Cllr James Powney – Executive Member for Environment, Planning and Culture
Cllr James Moher – Executive Member for Highways and Transportation
Cllr Bobby Thomas – Executive Member for Housing and Customer Services
Cllr Lesley Jones – Executive Member for Human Resources and Diversity, Local Democracy and Consultation
Cllr George Crane – Executive Member for Regeneration and Economic Development

Cllr Helga Gladbaum – Chair of the Labour Group
Cllr Janice Long – Labour Group Secretary
Cllr Ramesh Patel – Chair of the Planning Committee
Cllr Colum Moloney – Chief Whip