Lib Dem outcry as Tories stitch up leisure trust

11.00.00pm GMT Mon 26th Jan 2004

Cllr David McBride

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader on Bromley Council Cllr David McBride has slammed the appointment of two more Tories to sit on the board of the Bromley Leisure Trust as "one huge stitch up".

The Tory councillors used their majority to fill the Council's two places on the Trust board with a Tory councillor and a former Tory councillor. This is despite the fact that in other Council transfers, such as Broomleigh, opposition parties have nominated representatives.

Cllr David McBride said that while the Liberal Democrats support the content of the trust, there were still outstanding issues which he and the public are uneasy about. "The make up of the board of the leisure trust was a way to demonstrate to the public that the system was, in some way, still open and democratic. What we have here is a trust which is chaired by a former Tory councillor, advised by a former Tory councillor, and now has two new appointees to the board who are both well established Tories. This is a complete stitch up which will do nothing to calm those local Bromley borough residents who are still uneasy with the whole trust proposal"