Council chairman threatens to halt meeting

There was uproar as a Conservative councillor’s motion on the national response to child sexual abuse was amended to remove a call for the government to commission an independent national inquiry.

At one stage the chairman of Hadley & Leegomery Parish Council asked another councillor to “stop muttering” or she would bring the meeting to a halt.

Councillor Andrew Benion (Conservative, Apley Castle Ward) had proposed that the parish council call on the government to commission an independent national inquiry into past and present child sexual abuse.

But Councillor Eileen Callear (Trench Lock ward), who chairs the Labour-majority parish council, proposed an amendment which condemned the “previous government’s failure to implement ANY of the recommendations” of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) after it reported in 2022.

The amendment added that the chairman should write to the Prime Minister and Home Secretary urging them to implement the IICSA inquiry recommendations.

Councillor Stuart Parr (Conservative, Hadley Manor Ward) immediately objected to the amendment, saying the original motion had been made “invalid” by it.

He added that it had been turned into a “political attack on the previous government”.

But Councillor Callear, who is also a member of the Telford & Wrekin Council cabinet called for a ruling from the parish clerk at the meeting on Tuesday, April 1 and objected to others “commenting constantly”.

The clerk ruled that it would be OK as long as the amendment did not ‘negate the motion.”

Councillor Parr and Councillor Callear continued their unofficial discussion.

“I’m not going to argue about this,” said Councillor Callear, from the chair as Councillor Parr replied “It’s not an argument, it’s about standing orders.”

The clerk called for a period of quiet as she considered the issues and then asked for the issue to be deferred so she could seek “legal advice”.

But Councillor Benion, the proposer of the original motion, said he would “like to continue with the motion.”

But that turned out to be a vote on the “substantive amendment” which was Councillor Callear’s wording.

There was continued informal discussion and Coucillor Callear called on Councillor Parr to “Please stop, Stuart. Now you are just being disrespectful.

“I’ll ask for the whole meeting to be adjourned until you can conduct yourself in a proper manner,” she said.

“Are you going to conduct yourself in a proper manner?” she asked.

“Please stop muttering.”

There was then continued back and forth on whether there should be a recorded vote on the original motion or on the amendment.

The clerk again asked for “just a moment, to get this clear.”

A continued debate on how the council’s standing orders should be interpreted followed.

“Stuart, I don’t need it explaining to me, I’ve made it clear – you are doing it again.

“I will adjourn this meeting if you continue to behave in this way,” said Councillor Callear.

The debate ended when councillors voted to accept the amended motion by six votes for, three against, with two abstentions.

Pic & Story – David Tooley – Local Democracy Reporter

Edited: Cllr Callear is not a member of the Borough Cabinet