‘Shut up’ warning in Southwark council chamber as heated rivals clash
By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter
Rival Southwark councillors have accused each other of unprofessional behaviour after squabbling at a meeting on Wednesday where one advised another to ‘shut up’.
Cllr Ian Wingfield, Labour chairman of the council’s overview and scrutiny committee, said Cllr Victor Chamberlain, Leader of Southwark’s Liberal Democrat opposition, was disrupting the meeting by behaving like an ‘activist’ and making ‘political statements’.
Cllr Wingfield told Cllr Chamberlain: “Be quiet. You are undermining proceedings of this committee and I will report you to the legal officer if you don’t shut up.” The Southwark Liberal Democrat leader in turn accused Cllr Wingfield of refusing to allow questions and of undermining the purpose of the scrutiny meeting.
The committee had gathered at the council’s Tooley Street offices on Wednesday evening to ask questions of officials about controversial leaseholder charges, over-budget major works projects on estates, and a critical recent report about social housing in the borough.
Cllr Wingfield and the Southwark Liberal Democrat leader initially clashed when the latter made reference to a report by the Regulator of Social Housing while asking a question to Cllr Sarah King, cabinet member for council homes, about the major works projects.
The Labour chairman interrupted Cllr Chamberlain, telling him: “We’ll deal with that [the regulator report] when we get to the next item.”
Cllr Chamberlain returned to the major works report, drawing the committee’s attention to a line which stated that some of the documentation used for the tender and contract processes was not ‘fit for purpose’. He then asked Cllr King if the council’s housing department was ‘fit for purpose’.
At this point, Cllr Wingfield interrupted Cllr Chamberlain again and warned him that he was swaying from the subject of the meeting. Cllr Chamberlain protested: “That’s a fair question to ask about the political accountability of the not-fit-for-purpose tenders and contracts.”
The duo then started bickering before Cllr Wingfield brought the war of words to an end by threatening to report the Lib Dem Leader to the council’s legal officer.
But around ten minutes later, Cllr Chamberlain and the Labour Chair were facing off again after the former accused Labour council leader Kieron Williams of a ‘lack of respect’ for failing to attend the meeting despite receiving an invitation from the committee.
Cllr Wingfield told Cllr Chamberlain that he was behaving like a ‘party political activist’ rather than as a ‘scrutineer’ and again threatened to report him. Cllr Chamberlain proceeded to ask Cllr King a question about fire safety, but the Labour Chair shut him down when he accused the council of failing to learn the lessons of Grenfell.
The clash ended after Cllr Wingfield said he was ‘formally reporting’ the Southwark Lib Dem leader for his behaviour. Cllr Wingfield added: “I’m fed up of your behaviour and the disrespect you show me and the other members of this committee. It’s not to be allowed any more. I’m not having it.”
When approached for comment on Thursday, Cllr Chamberlain said: “I raised concerns about the council’s response to the serious failings identified by [the] Regulator of Social Housing.
“When I sought to question how the council plans to deliver these improvements and ensure political accountability, I was interrupted by the Labour chair and told to ‘shut up’. Such language is unprofessional and unacceptable in a public meeting, and it undermines the ability of the opposition and committee as a whole to hold the council leadership to account for its serious failures on housing.”
Southwark council said it wasn’t aware of any formal complaints submitted about councillors’ conduct at the meeting. Cllr Wingfield declined to comment.
Pictured top: A loggerheads were Cllr Wingfield, left, and Cllr Chamberlain, right (Pictures: Southwark council)