Councillors back limit on questions at meetings

Councillors have voted in favour of limiting the number of questions members can ask at full council meetings to curb time-wasting.

A motion put forward by Boston Borough Council's overview and scrutiny committee was approved at a council meeting on Monday.

It means members are limited to one question per meeting, with related supplementary questions permitted.

It follows concerns that persistent questions from "the same councillors" led to delays and meant some voices were not being heard.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, some members were also using their questions to make personal attacks, rather than to scrutinise the borough council's policies.

One of those in favour, Stuart Evans, said: "At Westminster, scoring political points may well be the norm, but here at Boston Borough Council, where there are four Conservatives, one Liberal, one Reform and 24 Independents, political point-scoring is a total waste of time."

Another councillor, Helen Staples, told the meeting she was concerned questions were often not "relevant to our ward members".

"I'm happy to give my time to this council, to the borough of Boston, unquestionably, but I don't like my time being wasted by being gotten at politically by certain members who have got an axe to grind," she added.

However, Jonathan Noble - also a councillor - described the move as "an infringement on our democratic rights".

"I accept that certain councillors did abuse the system, but my point is that it's a way of getting a timely response to questions because we know the questions need to go in about four or five days before a full council meeting."

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