No-Show Mayor misses crucial budget meeting

12.00.00am GMT Fri 8th Feb 2008

Lewisham's Labour Mayor, Steve Bullock, failed to turn up for a crucial meeting where his budget proposals for next year were to be scrutinised. The Mayor was required to attend the meeting of the Public Accounts Committee held on Tuesday 5^th February, where councillors and the public would be able to question the Mayor about his proposals for net expenditure of £262m in 2008/9.

The Mayor provided no formal reason for his non-attendance, though the Committee was told informally that he had decided to go to a 'training event' that evening, even though the budget meeting had been in his diary since November and that the Mayor was required under the Council's constitution to attend the meeting if requested to do so.

The Committee Chairman, Lib Dem councillor Alex Feakes, commented: "The Mayor's no-show makes a mockery of the budget process, and reveals the Mayor's contempt for the scrutiny system and residents' councillor representatives."

"We must be able to test the Executive Mayor's budget with him in person. As such, we were unable to properly fulfil our role, and now the budget lies unproven. "

The Mayor's budget proposals include a three-year capital programme of £189m, a 5.4% increase in housing rents and a 2.5% increase in Council Tax. The Mayor's plans include cuts and savings of over £12m in council services from last year to meet expected increases in costs.