Darlington Council meeting re-run after late paper gaffe

Darlington's new mayor was being sworn in at the ceremonial meeting

Darlington Council is to re-run its annual meeting after a gaffe meant it could face legal challenges over councillors' decisions.

It follows a complaint that papers were sent out six hours before the meeting, rather than the statutory seven days.

This "procedural non-compliance" meant no councillors, including the mayor, were legally appointed or voted in at the ceremonial occasion on 20 May.

One councillor said it put the council at risk of becoming a "laughing stock".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said that a spokesman for the authority said if it was found councillors had not been properly appointed, any decisions they made, over matters such as housing developments or council tax, could be legally challenged.

'A little embarrassing'

Liberal Democrat councillor Nigel Boddy, who made the complaint, said: "We have got to abide by the statutory periods of notice otherwise you end up with the absurd situation of people being given six hours notice of changes."

The authority's leader councillor Heather Scott said that the by-elections and having to hold the meeting in the Dolphin Centre due to social distancing restrictions had meant officers organising the mayor-making ceremony had been extremely busy.

However, Green Party group leader councillor Matthew Snedker said: "With Treasury North coming, the eyes of Britain are on Darlington and people are saying it's on the up, but with that high profile comes scrutiny, and it is starting to feel a little embarrassing that we can't run our own council."

The meeting will now be re-run on 9 June.