Authority to scrap public questions at meetings

A regional authority has been accused of “removing citizen’s rights” with a change to prevent the public from submitting questions ahead of meetings.

The current system of sending questions to the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) and having them answered by officers is set to be scrapped at a meeting later.

A cabinet report said the TVCA’s plan to introduce a Question Time with the Mayor, Lord Ben Houchen, in May will allow the “public participation protocol” to be removed from its constitution.

The report states where there is “legitimate question to answer, it is important that TVCA does so”, but claims the current protocol is an ineffective use of resources.

The Conservative mayor plans to host in-person Question Time events twice a year and participate in a monthly local radio phone-in.

But Ray Casey, a member of the Teesside Resistance group which opposes Houchen, said it “appears to be an attempt to reduce public scrutiny of the TVCA”.

He claimed that, under the new proposed system, people would not be guaranteed to have access to Houchen in order to ask questions, some could be vetted to “avoid difficult ones” and it was also “highly unlikely” the mayor would be able to answer detailed questions.

At a meeting last year, TVCA’s chief legal officer Emma Simson said officers had worked through the night in advance of a meeting in an attempt to answer submitted questions.

A cabinet report, to be considered by TVCA cabinet members, said: “Where there is a legitimate question to answer, it is important that TVCA does so, but currently hours of officer time are being used pointing to readily available resources, reducing capacity.

“TVCA believes this is not an effective use of public money and resources.”

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the report goes on to say removing the public participation protocol is “both proportionate and reflects the approach taken by other combined authorities that already have in place a mayor’s Question Time”.

Mr Casey said that, rather than “removing our rights as citizens”, the TVCA could have sought to increase the capacity available to deal “quickly and effectively” with any questions coming in.