Tim Hill and the Liberal Democrats have been successful in demanding that Bedford Borough Council opens up to local residents by allowing Members of the Public to question Councillors at public meetings without providing written notice of the question in the previous week. 

With a new Council, we have an opportunity to open up these dusty corridors to the public once again. Removing the ludicrous notice period required for questions from the public at Council meetings would be a good start. Public participation is clearly discouraged by the requirement for questions to be submitted, in writing, in the week before meetings. The retention of this barrier between the Council and the residents to whom it is accountable suggests either that the Mayor or his Cabinet Members cannot be trusted to give coherent answers or that they might have something to hide. Neither is an acceptable reason for restricting the public’s right to question elected Councillors 

Our amendment was successful at the 8^th April Full Council meeting. It is a great shame that all bar one of the Conservative Group and all of the Independents voted to carry on with the ludicrous notice period. It is about time the Mayor and his Executive started earning their crust by being properly prepared for Council meetings.