A POLITICAL row has erupted over ‘red herring tactics’ at a tumultuous full council meeting last week.

Before an item was brought up at a full Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC) meeting on Thursday 26 October, Basingstoke Labour group leader Paul Harvey claimed the item was unlawful.

He said the item, to change the rules over whether political parties in the council could have political assistants, was open to legal challenge.

After the point was brought up at the meeting, deputy mayor Sean Keating, chairing the meeting, consulted with the council’s legal advisors for over an hour before returning to the meeting.

The BDBC legal advisor at the meeting, Bethan Evans, said the item was accurate.

However, after the meeting, Conservative Councillor Simon Bound said: “We have legal officers at the council to give us legal advice, including a local government law specialist at the meeting, who said it was appropriate.

“Now, the opposition gets a delay, using the delay as a red herring political device to delay the political activity.

“Every lawyer will have a different opinion and have strong views, but now taxpayers are paying for a longer process as the item is adjourned until the next meeting.

“We are the only council in Hampshire to have political assistants for councillors, and the rest work perfectly fine. We are trying to reduce the bill and residents are shocked we are spending money in this way.

“The reality is that the legal officers are competent, and the process was followed.”

Cllr Harvey said: “Councils all over the country use political assistants, and they have made such a difference. It allows us to be a more effective opposition, and it helps people to be better councillors.

“This is an attempt to stop us from holding them to account, and a very serious worry of stopping any close scrutiny of the administration. The staff deserve better than this and we can use their professionalism and they have already done a good job.

“This is an attack on healthy democracy and I hope that they will listen to reason and drop the item as they have not followed procedure.”

The meeting was adjourned before a decision was made due to a technical fault with the microphones in the council chambers.

The item and the rest of the agenda, will be discussed at the next full council meeting on December 14.