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A councillor has called for restrictions on decisions taken under delegated powers by Berwick Town Council.
Councillor Georgina Hill feels it is an important pillar in her drive for the council to be more open and transparent in its business.
Speaking at full council, she said: "This council will not be able to move forward in a positive way until there is a recognition that mistakes have been made in the past and things need to change.
“We need to be more open and transparent in everything we do. We need more robust systems and safeguards in place. And we need to move decisively away from a culture where all the meaningful discussions take place by a select few in the town council office and then are presented in such a way as to go through “on the nod” at council meetings, where the devil and the lack of detail is contained well within council documents.
“Above all else, we need more scrutiny and accountability especially when it comes to spending public money.”
She was particularly concerned at the ‘unlawful’ decision of the staffing sub-
“It is entirely inappropriate for these members, who are personally embarrassed by my revelations on Facebook, to use public money to advance their own interests,” she said.
However, her proposal that the town council does not authorise spending of council funds on external solicitors where expenditure exceeds £250, without the express authority of the finance committee, was defeated. Instead, an amendment for the matter to go the finance strategy group was carried.
https://m.facebook.com/GeorgieHill4BerwickEast?_rdr
Councillor Hill's Facebook page.