Tees Valley to scrap public questions at conferences

A regional authority has been accused of “eradicating citizen’s rights” with a change to forestall the general public from submitting questions forward of conferences.

The present system of sending inquiries to the Tees Valley Mixed Authority (TVCA) and having them answered by officers is ready to be scrapped at a gathering later.

A cupboard report mentioned the TVCA’s plan to introduce a Query Time with the Mayor, Lord Ben Houchen, in Could will enable the “public participation protocol” to be faraway from its structure.

The report states the place there’s “respectable query to reply, it can be crucial that TVCA does so”, however claims the present protocol is an ineffective use of assets.

The Conservative mayor plans to host in-person Query Time occasions twice a 12 months and take part in a month-to-month native radio phone-in.

However Ray Casey, a member of the Teesside Resistance group which opposes Houchen, mentioned it “seems to be an try to scale back public scrutiny of the TVCA”.

He claimed that, beneath the brand new proposed system, individuals wouldn’t be assured to have entry to Houchen in an effort to ask questions, some could possibly be vetted to “keep away from troublesome ones” and it was additionally “extremely unlikely” the mayor would have the ability to reply detailed questions.

At a gathering final 12 months, TVCA’s chief authorized officer Emma Simson mentioned officers had labored by means of the evening upfront of a gathering in an try and reply submitted questions.

A cupboard report, to be thought-about by TVCA cupboard members, mentioned: “The place there’s a respectable query to reply, it can be crucial that TVCA does so, however at the moment hours of officer time are getting used pointing to available assets, decreasing capability.

“TVCA believes this isn’t an efficient use of public cash and assets.”

In keeping with the Native Democracy Reporting Service, the report goes on to say eradicating the general public participation protocol is “each proportionate and displays the strategy taken by different mixed authorities that have already got in place a mayor’s Query Time”.

Mr Casey mentioned that, quite than “eradicating our rights as residents”, the TVCA might have sought to extend the capability accessible to deal “rapidly and successfully” with any questions coming in.