Sunningdale Parish Council accused of being "undemocratic"

Royal Borough resident Andrew Hill said he will lodge a formal complaint against Sunningdale Parish Council (SPC), claiming he has been prohibited from speaking at meetings unless he accepts a “private meeting”.

He accused the parish of being ‘undemocratic, not being transparent, and avoiding scrutiny’. SPC did not wish to comment on the complaint but denied Mr Hill’s accusations.

At a parish council meeting on July 27, attended by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Mr Hill, who was the only member of the public there, wanted to ask a question about libraries during the public adjournment, a 15-minute segment where registered speakers are allowed to ask questions.

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The chairman of SPC, Cllr Anne-Catherine Buxton, did not permit Mr Hill to speak and said he had been offered to meet with herself and the vice-chairman to pose questions.

She said: “As chairman of the meeting, I am entitled to make situations happen and we have requested this resident, who is not actually a resident of Sunningdale at all, to have a meeting with myself and the vice-chair. We have now been asking for over six months.”

Parish councillors discussed various items at a meeting on July 27

While Mr Hill is not a Sunningdale resident, he said that should not matter as council meetings are open to ‘members of the public’ and not solely to their respected parish where business owners or motorists who pass through the area but don’t live there should be able to voice their concerns in public forums.

In the parish’s standing orders, which regulates the conduct of council meetings, it does not specify only Sunningdale residents can ask questions or speak at a council meeting – but public participation is at the discretion of the chairman.

Speaking to the LDRS, Mr Hill claims SPC has effectively “banned” him from raising questions at council meetings unless he accepts a “private meeting” with the chairman and vice-chairman.

A bewildered Mr Hill said it was “bizarre” that the parish wants to deal with scrutiny “behind closed doors”, believing all local authorities, including parish councils, should be scrutinised in the public eye.

But SPC says it’s not “private” but a “personal meeting” to ‘openly’ discuss his concerns and he would be allowed to invite other people if needed.

Sunningdale Parish Council, Broomhall Lane, Sunningdale, Ascot

They said: “The council has often used this approach with residents in the past who had questions that did not relate to a council agenda, and it has enabled a much more helpful exchange of views.”

SPC added Mr Hill could have had his concerns resolved in a “democratic way” by following their procedures. But Mr Hill deflected, saying he has been following it for months and has hit roadblocks.

Mr Hill has been at loggerheads with the parish after he pointed out their notices for public inspection were allegedly “unlawful”. He also claims he became “banned” in October 2020 when he asked why the council ‘self-exempted’ itself from an audit report.

A local authority cannot self-exempt itself if it collects over £25,000 a year.

SPC acknowledged Mr Hill’s questions as “legitimate” but deny they ‘self-exempt’ themselves and an audit did take place.

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They did admit to the LDRS a wrong template was used for the notice for public inspection on the accounts and the external auditor flagged an incorrect form was used. Both were corrected.

Since the July 27 meeting, Mr Hill said he’s ‘tired’ of playing by the council’s rules and will lodge a complaint against the SPC to the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.

He said: “That is not, in my opinion, what democracy looks like or is meant to look like, and what people fought and died for.

“One member of the public there and I’ve been banned for six months all because I asked why did the self-exempt from an audit.”