Tory administration gags debate on failures at County Hall

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 28th Apr 2009

Surrey Lib Dems at County Hall today were denied the opportunity to debate the failures of the Conservative Administration and the millions of Council Taxpayers' money wasted.

The ruling Tory group refused to allow the debate saying that they did not have enough information from officers to debate the subject adequately.

Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr Hazel Watson said that millions of pounds had been wasted on at least 12 areas including the failed Business Delivery Review (BDR) and failure to manage the Highways contract. " The Conservative administration should be held accountable and answerable to Surrey residents for their actions and for their failure," she said. "It is shocking and undemocratic that a supposedly democratically elected body, the County Council, is being gagged by the Tories.

"The administration is in denial and is not facing up to the problems it has created within Surrey, nor accepted responsibility for them," said Cllr Chris Slyfield. "This Tory administration is unfit to govern the County Council. It is time for change at County Hall. Only the Liberal Democrats offer a positive alternative to the failure, secrecy, waste of money and poor services provided by the Conservative administration. Surrey residents deserve much better."