Concerns are being raised about the appointment of two prominent, sitting Conservative Councillors to supposedly independent roles on the B&NES Council’s property development company.

Last month, B&NES Council announced that it was seeking to appoint a non-executive Chair and Director for the Board of the Council owned ADL property development company. Remuneration for the two roles was advertised at £10,000 and £4,000 respectively.

A decision has now been published, asking the Leader of Council to confirm the two appointments. This decision cannot be challenged by opposition Councillors as it has been exempted from scrutiny by the Conservative controlled council.

Lib Dem Group Leader, Councillor Dine Romero, said:

“The Conservatives announced plans last year to remove councillors from the ADL board and replace them with ‘independent members’. Whilst we were prepared to support the principle of including independent persons on the ADL Board, we have serious concerns over partiality concerning the appointment of two sitting Conservative Councillors to such sensitive positions.

“There are rumours that both Councillors may be planning to stand down at the election, but we are not aware that an official announcement has yet been made. The timing of this decision surely leaves the Conservative administration open to accusations of cronyism.

“We have also been asking why this appointment process had to be carried out in such a hurry and indeed whether these roles were actually properly publicised.

“It seems that a Council press release was the only means of advertising the recruitment process, with a deadline for applications only eight working days later. This surely gave little time for the announcement to reach suitable candidates and, in the event, only four applications were received – three for the role of Chair and one for the role of Director.

“The Lib Dems believe that B&NES should be transparent and responsive in all its functions. The property company must follow the same standards in its twin tasks of delivering the right balance of new homes and generating income for the Council. This decision should be suspended, pending the local elections in May.”