A MOVE to stop councillors highjacking community Spotlight meetings and using them as a platform to air their political views in the run-up to the May local elections has been made this week.

The meetings are organised by Bromsgrove District Council in conjunction with representatives from the county council, police and health organisations and are held in various parts of the district.

Their aim is give the public an opportunity to raise concerns about matters affecting them and keep them up to date on local issues.

Now council chief Bob Lewis has written to all district councillors to say it has become increasingly noticeable that some matters discussed have been introduced by councillors who have tended to "lead discussions rather than responding to them".

Adverse comments

"This has led to adverse comments from some members of the public and has possibly led to other people being excluded from raising items or feeling too reticent to do so," he added.

He went on to say he felt it inappropriate for the meetings to be vehicles for matters which should be more properly dealt with in the council chamber.

"This is particularly important in the run-up to the local elections as it is important Spotlight meetings do not become a political platform for one councillor or group of councillors," he added.

Chairmen of Spotlight meetings will, in future, be told only to call on members of the public to speak unless a response is necessary from a councillor.

But Labour group leader, councillor Peter McDonald (Uffdown and Waseley) was defiant.

"I can tell the council we will not be gagged," he said.

"Spotlight meetings are the only time some residents ever meet their councillors.

"If we are told residents are getting a raw deal from this Tory administration we will not be afraid to stand up at a meeting and say so."