'Our residents are being stripped of their right to object' claim Tories on Milton Keynes City Council

Their outburst follows a proposal by the Labour group, which has control of the city council, and also the Lib Dems to change the way residents can take issue with resolutions made at council meetings.

These “sweeping constitutional changes” will deny many residents and parish councils of their right to challenge the decisions, claim the Conservatives.

Current council rules allow any two councillors, or the chair or clerk of any Parish or Town Council ,or any 20 residents of Milton Keynes to 'call-in' a decision by the council within a period of five days of that decision being published.

“But on Wednesday 14 May, the Labour controlled council will force through constitutional changes that remove that scrutiny and they will be backed by the Liberal Democrats,” said a Tory spokesperson.

"The process will now require either 10% of all councillors or 40% of the relevant scrutiny committee—a threshold virtually impossible for smaller groups or independents to meet.,” they added.

With just one Conservative councillor on each scrutiny committee, and Labour and Lib Dems holding the majority, this change effectively shuts out the opposition and removes residents’ voices from the room, they say.

It also removes any option for parish councils or residents to call-in a council decision.

“This is a power grab – plain and simple," said Cllr Shazna Muzammil, Leader of the Conservative Group

“It's a calculated attempt to silence the voices of residents and parish councils. It’s no surprise that Labour and the Lib Dems are working together again—they’ve run this Council in partnership before, and after the recent election results across the country, it looks like they’re closing ranks and running scared of being held to account.

Tories say the timing of the “power shift” is no coincidence. In the past six months alone, the Conservative Group has brought several serious issues into public view, including one call in meeting where over 100 residents filled the chamber to challenge the administration’s “vision” for the city.

“That day was democracy in action,” Cllr Muzammil continued “Yes—it took officer time. It took councillors time, and over 100 residents gave up their evening to be there. But that’s what democracy is supposed to be about—people showing up and being heard.”

"We’re elected to serve our residents. It can’t just be about asking for their vote every single election year, then shutting the door on them when decisions are being made. This Council exists to serve the people—and right now, Labour and the Lib Dems are failing our residents.

“These constitutional changes silence the very people who put us here in the first place, and that’s just plain wrong.”

The Labour Party regained control of Milton Keynes City Council last May, for the first time in 24 years, after taking seats from the Conservatives.

Labour won nine seats, gaining three extra councillors, while the Liberal Democrats also took two seats from the Tories, winning six.

The council had previously been under no overall control since 2006, when the Lib Dems were in charge, even though Labour has been the largest party for many years.