Council whips through budget in half hour

Committee member David Snowdon later learned that a Labour group meeting was scheduled for that time, leaving the board to whisk through the committee's strengthened powers and annual auditors fees, and sign off the entire budget in 30 minutes. The meeting had already been pushed forward an hour from the regular 7.30pm start time.

Cllr Haque was among eight of the 14 audit committee members who represent Labour.

Cllr Snowdon, the Conservative councillor for Millwall ward, said: "If a company had a turnover of over a billion pounds and signed it off in half and hour, it would hardly be seen as best practice.

"We were presented with a 250-page report and the comments by officers were little more than a minute long because we had so little time. I expected a fuller presentation of accounts, and more time to examine them.

"I had a number of things marked on my agenda that I wanted to raise, but all of a sudden the chair just said 'last question', and that was it."

The council's net assets for 2008/9 were £1.935billion, down from the £2.139billion revealed in March 2008. Cllr Snowdon was cautious about the council's £1.6million liability for the Barkantine health clinic, the provision made for repaying £394,000 in European funding and the 20 per cent rise in staff earning more than £50,000 a year in the council from 2007/8. But the discussion needed to be concluded that evening, as the council had set the meeting for the evening before the statutory deadline for signing off council accounts.

A council spokeswoman said: "When it became apparent that last night's Audit Committee meeting clashed with a political group meeting, members and officers investigated the possibility of rescheduling the meeting. However, this was not possible due to the statutory deadline for signing off the statement of accounts before the end of June.

"All members of the Audit Committee were consulted in early June about changing the start time of the Committee to 6.30pm (a change in start time is allowed under the council's Constitution as long as enough public notice is given). No objections were received and so the meeting went ahead at this time.

"Whilst members did consider the majority of reports on the agenda, the final four items will now be considered at the next meeting of the Committee in September.

"Members were advised by council officers that while these items were significant, they were not time sensitive or for urgent decision by the Committee. The meeting had to close early as without the majority of its membership in attendance, it would have been inquorate and unable to continue.

"The Service Head for Democratic Services will be liaising with relevant officers and political groups to seek to avoid such diary clashes taking place in the future."