Probe After Filey County Council Meeting Rearranged to Suit MP

An investigation has been launched after a county council meeting to be held in Filey next week was rearranged to suit a the town's MP.

The probe by North Yorkshire County Council’s democratic services officers follows equalities and procedural complaints being lodged over the timing of the authority’s Thirsk and Malton constituency committee meeting on March 31 being moved back six hours from 10am to 4pm, a decision which has now been reversed.

The rescheduled meeting would have taken place in Filey three hours before a fundraising event at the town’s golf club for the constituency group, a £27.50 supper club where local MP Kevin Hollinrake is set to be guest speaker.

Opposition members said while council meeting times are usually set in stone months in advance, the committee’s chair, Conservative councillor Nigel Knapton, had agreed to the change without consulting them, leaving some elected community representatives unable to attend due to work commitments.

Leader of the authority’s Independent group, Councillor Stuart Parsons said Coun Knapton had forgotten to declare, when making the decision, the fact that he worked for Mr Hollinrake.

He said the move meant the “blatant use of council resources to support party political activity”.

Coun Parsons said:

“Any member of the public reading about this would assume everything has been organised to facilitate the Conservative Party.

“You would have thought the committee’s chair would have been more concerned about whether the committee’s members could participate than ensuring an MP could attend. It stinks to high heaven of the council using its resources to facilitate Conservative Party fundraising and members.”

Opposition members have claimed the change in meeting time will impact on council staff and effectively enable Tory councillors to claim mileage for attending a party fundraiser.

The authority’s Labour group leader, Councillor Steve Shaw Wright, said:

“The Tories on the committee should think before they submit their expenses claim.”

Hunmanby and Sherburn Representative, Councillor Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff commented,

“I was told by Council staff that our MP was struggling to get to Filey for the morning meeting so the Council decided to move the Area Committee to 4pm in the afternoon.

Following research, I discovered that conveniently, on the same evening there is also a Conservative Party fundraiser in Filey with Kevin Hollinrake MP as guest speaker. Quite frankly it stinks that he and his office treat taxpayers money is being used in this way.”

The row comes just days before the constituency committees are set to be handed extra decision-making duties as part of a drive to increase local accountability and decision-making with the launch of a unitary authority.

Coun Knapton said the meeting had initially been arranged for Filey to make it convenient for residents and councillors in that area and constituency committees were designed to further links between Westminster and local politicians.

He said it had been rearranged at Mr Hollinrake’s request and that while he worked for the MP one day a week he had no knowledge of the supper club event before opposition members raised concerns.

He said the committee’s first meeting in Filey on the day of the party fundraiser had been “a complete coincidence”.

The Easingwold member said:

“I haven’t been Kevin’s diary manager for over a year, but I know what it’s like trying to find times for him to attend everything. He was going to be over the wrong side of the constituency in the morning.

“If we want the MPs there at the constituency committees we have got to be a bit flexible. As far as I know only one member is going to the Filey Supper Club and as far as I’m aware he never claims mileage anyway. Someone has put two and two together and made seven.

“Hopefully we can all concentrate working together for the benefit of the residents and be less concerned about conspiracy theories.”

The County Council has confirmed the meeting will now take place at the original time of 10am.