The Conservative Group raises concerns over the new Reform administration’s approach to scrutiny and transparency.
In answer to a question from Conservative Group Leader Councillor Richard Rout, at the Cabinet meeting on 17 September, the Leader of the Council responded that he would put forward “resolutions to protect the constitution and officers from harassment in terms of questions from councillors”. He also said that there was “an inappropriate number of questions and requests being put to officers”.
The comments follow questions from opposition councillors to the Monitoring Officer about the Council’s decision to launch a judicial review against the Government. Those questions helped expose that Suffolk County Council had failed to comply with the law in the way it administered the decision, ultimately leading to a Section 5A report being issued. The Leader of the Council had previously described the questions as “numbering into the double figures”.
Since the May 2026 local elections, Conservative Councillors have found it increasingly difficult to get answers from council officers in relation to their work on behalf of Suffolk residents and people living in their divisions, with some answers still outstanding over three months later.
The Leader of the Conservative Group, Councillor Richard Rout, said:
“Despite grand promises of openness and transparency, what we’re seeing from Reform UK in Suffolk is quite the opposite. The Leader of the Council, in moving to restrict what opposition councillors can ask council staff, is trying to label legitimate questioning ‘harassment’. Let us be very clear, it was that questioning which exposed that Suffolk County Council failed to comply with the law and it is because of that questioning that a Section 5A report was issued.
“Not content with limiting opposition councillors to just a single question and supplementary at Cabinet, the Leader of the Council is now wanting to restrict what we can ask on behalf of our residents outside meetings. This change of attitude, which seems to be directed from the top, is already making it harder for us to work on behalf of local residents who quite rightly expect a response from us. Despite repeated chasing, I’m still waiting for an answer to a question I emailed in on 16 June. This isn’t acceptable on any level.
“We will resist, in the strongest possible way, any further attempts to restrict the work we do on behalf of our residents. When we controlled the Council, the opposition may not have agreed with everything we did but we never contemplated changing the constitution to restrict what they can ask officers. Council staff have a job to do, and we recognise the need for them to focus on key services, but councillors have a job to do as well. Sadly, Reform UK in Suffolk seem to want to stop any councillor who isn’t a member of their party from speaking up for the residents that elected them.”
Councillor Joe Mason, Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group, added:
“If a councillor has genuinely crossed a line, there are proper procedures for dealing with it, and they should be used. But this all smacks of a new administration that looks inexperienced and uncomfortable when faced with challenge. Asking pertinent questions about a controversial decision, challenging whether the proper process was followed, requesting information and holding an administration to account are not harassment.”
The Conservative Group will continue to press for transparency and proper scrutiny, and to ask questions on behalf of Suffolk residents. Councillors have a responsibility to hold the administration to account, and residents deserve clear answers to legitimate questions about decisions that affect them.
