Liberal Democrat Councillor Anthony Rowlands, Chair of the all party Local Services Scrutiny Committee, has strongly criticised the Conservative administration at County Hall for refusing to appear before the Committee to answer local residents’ concerns over planned cuts in bus subsidies and highways repairs.

Anthony said: ‘These are reasonable requests. There is no other public forum in which local concerns can be discussed in detail – not least because the County Council recently abolished the local highways joint committee with the District Council which could have dealt with such matters.

‘Both Council officers and myself, as Scrutiny Committee Chair, have written to Councillor Terry Douris, the Cabinet member at County in charge of highways and buses.  Councillor Douris has refused to speak to us and he won’t even instruct a senior officer to attend the Committee. He excuses himself by saying he is about to have a private meeting with his Cabinet counterpart at the District – another Conservative!

‘Local residents could be forgiven for assuming that the County Council was not interested in their views.  County claims it wants to work in partnership with the District Council. Responses such as this make that sound like total humbug.’