'Facing scrutiny helps us make the right decisions' says Central Beds Council leader

Speaking at the council’s annual meeting (Thursday, May 15) councillor Adam Zerny (Independent Alliance, Potton) described Central Bedfordshire as a “very positive” council and paid tribute to the progress made over the last year.

“We have, in many ways, joint responsibility for pretty much all of the big decisions that we make,” he told members.

“All of the big positive successes that this council have brought through over the course of the last few years is something that we should take joint responsibility for.”

Councillor Zerny, who leads a group of just 15 councillors out of 63, said the council had defied expectations after two financially difficult years.

“I believe this council is in a very positive position,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) after the meeting. “We have had two very tough years financially and we have gotten through them.

“We’ve managed to stick to the budget in both years and for me that is a tremendous achievement.”

He acknowledged that scrutiny from opposition groups could be uncomfortable, but said it was ultimately good for democracy and for residents.

“We face essentially four different opposition groups turning up at every meeting and questioning everything we do,” he said.

“That might sound unpleasant, but ultimately, it makes us question every single decision we take.

“Not only must we make decisions that all of our fellow councillors will go along with, but they must be decisions most of our residents also approve of.”

In his speech to the chamber, councillor Zerny said Scrutiny Committees had at times “put us in some awkward positions” but that it had “held us to account and made us look at our decision-making and evaluate it in a very different way.”

He thanked scrutiny chairs for their work and said he hoped for continued “close working” in the year ahead.

When asked by the LDRS whether this model of decision-making worked better than previous administrations with large majorities, councillor Zerny said: “I certainly agree that that scrutiny is a very positive thing for the council.

“No one likes putting out their decision and hearing a dozen councillors stand up and tell them what a terrible idea it is.

“But actually if we don’t get that, then we can potentially end up making decisions that aren’t to everyone’s benefit.”

He added: “I remain to be convinced that [councils] where one party has the vast majority of councillors make decisions which are truly in the interest of residents.”

Councillor Zerny also used his speech to call for continued collaboration across all political groups and said recent examples of councils failing financially showed the importance of protecting taxpayers’ money.

Speaking of extra financial support for roads, schools and health, he told members “We all want to achieve these things, and we will do.

“We will achieve the things that we should be proud of and that our residents deserve.”