Lib Dems say no to Councillors' weekend away

12.33.48am GMT Tue 18th Jul 2006

January 1995: Bromley's Conservatives were embarrased into scrapping expensive weekends away while services for the elderly were being cut

Liberal Democrat councillors David McBride and Reg Adams have voted against a Conservative councillor's recommendation to re-introduce a councillors' 'weekend break' to discuss Council issues.

In the past, Tory controlled Bromley Council has spent thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money to send councillors to the coast to discuss issues. At Monday night's Executive Scrutiny Committee a similar proposal was made and will be heard by the Council's Executive next week. At the same meeting Council officers said that the next few years would be difficult financially for the Council.

Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr David McBride urged the Executive not to agree with the proposal. "We are being told that the Council needs to tighten its belt financially yet there seem to be Tory councillors who want to spend money on a weekend conference away, when we have facilities in the Civic Centre that are just as good. Any money ought to be spent on services like fighting crime and cleaning up our area, not on a free weekend for councillors," he said.