Opposition brands cabinet 'St Valentine's Day massacre' (From Times Series)

Opposition councillors slam Barnet's cabinet for handling of Monday night's meeting

12:10pm Wednesday 16th February 2011 in News By Alex Hayes

MONDAY night's cabinet meeting has been described as a “St Valentine's Day massacre” by opposition councillors after leading members agreed to slash millions from council budgets.

Both Lib Dem and Labour councillors attacked the behaviour of Tory councillors who stopped the meeting after 45 minutes because of continued outbursts from residents in the audience.

At the meeting members agreed to approve a budget slashing £54 million over the next three years and passed controversial reforms to warden services and children's centres, as well as increased parking charges.

Lib Dem leader councillor Jack Cohen said the treatment of some speakers and residents, who were threatened with expulsion from the meeting by police, was similar to “old Eastern bloc show trials”.

He added: “Tory cabinet members should learn to grow up. If they can not take a bit of heckling then they should not be in politics”

Labour leader Councillor Alison Moore also criticised the way the meeting was conducted, with public questions limited to 30 minutes despite an unprecedented interest from residents.

She said: “I believe they have been caught off guard by the strength of feeling from local people. The way the meeting was conducted was symptomatic of the way they are at the moment.

“The level of discussion was typical of a cabinet meeting, but it is the first time I have seen a cabinet meeting go past 8.30pm for a long time.”

Julian Silverman, a senior member of Barnet Alliance for Public Services (BAPS), was one of the main hecklers at the meeting and was threatened with removal several times by police and officials.

He said: “We were left in no doubt that the councillors regarded their citizens as the enemy.

“The 'answers' were almost entirely evasions, distortions, cheap point-scoring exercises and attempts to humiliate their victims.

“Rather than face perpetual challenges from the gallery, the councillors first threatened to have us thrown out; and when we would not go, they decided that they would throw themselves out instead. “But when they came back after their temporary adjournment they were in no better mood to engage with the public or with the issues.”