The Conservative Group at Suffolk County Council is calling on the Reform UK administration to provide a full explanation for its decision to pursue a Judicial Review of the Government’s decision on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).
Following pressure from the Conservative Group, an Extraordinary Cabinet meeting has been scheduled for 29 June to discuss the proposed legal challenge. However, councillors have not received a clear explanation of the legal grounds for this action, despite the significance of the decision and its potential legal and financial implications for Suffolk residents
Cllr Richard Rout, Leader of the Conservative Group at Suffolk County Council, said:
"A decision this big should be made in the open, so it's right that it's finally coming to a public meeting. But it's telling that Reform won't follow this council's own precedent of debating matters relating to local government reorganisation at Full Council. They aren't just excluding opposition councillors but their own members too - what are they afraid of?
"Make no mistake, taking the government to court is a key decision, and one that affects every single division in Suffolk. Yet residents and councillors still haven't seen a shred of the case for it.
"Unlike Essex, which published its case in full - 22 pages and six legal grounds for any resident to read - Reform in Suffolk are keeping their letter to the government secret. We don't know the argument, and we don't know the cost, which could run well into six figures of taxpayers' money, with the risk of paying the government's legal bills on top if they lose.
"We've pushed hard behind the scenes to force this into the daylight, and I don't believe for a moment Reform wanted it there. The real test comes when the papers are published: will residents get enough to judge this properly, or are they being asked to write a blank cheque?
"And let me be clear, if Reform now try to water down the council's constitution that protects public scrutiny, we will fight it every step of the way."
The Leader of the Council has decided not to share the correspondence sent to the Secretary of State setting out the Council’s intention to pursue a Judicial Review, despite the impact of this decision for Suffolk residents and taxpayers.
Local Government Reorganisation will have a profound effect on the future of Suffolk, and any attempt to challenge the Government’s decision through the courts must be subject to proper scrutiny and transparency. This is particularly important given that councillors were previously advised by officers that there appeared to be no grounds for a legal challenge to the Government’s decision.
The Conservative Group believes that residents deserve clear answers before public money is committed to what could become a lengthy and costly legal process.
