• IN the March 25 Tribune Cllr Caroline Russell alleges a lack of scrutiny in Islington Council and that “the system is very broken”, (Lack of scrutiny in one-party council is ‘broken system’).

This is a totally inaccurate and misleading account of how scrutiny in the council is conducted.

Cllr Russell sits on two of the council’s scrutiny committees with me, so I know that she is given the same access to information and council officers that other councillors have.

The scrutiny process is not party-political as Cllr Russell seems to suggest. No Labour councillors are expected to follow a party line. Indeed all councillors are expected not to do that.

Scrutiny is about back-bench councillors challenging the council executive members and council officers on the policies and performance of the council. And that is exactly what my Labour councillor colleagues and I do.

All areas of council policy and performance are scrutinised in this way. All the committee papers and minutes are published before scrutiny meetings on the council website, and the meetings are open to the public to attend and ask questions.

It is true the Covid-19 pandemic rules have restricted attendance at meetings, but that is for public safety reasons.

It is certainly not the case that there is an “extraordinary lack of accountability and transparency” in the council, as Cllr Russell alleges.

This therefore looks like a political stunt of her part in the run-up to the council elections in May.

Cllr Russell is also being disrespectful to her other Islington Council councillor colleagues who work really hard to scrutinise the council.

Personally I have made a significant contribution to many scrutiny reports in the council.

Most recently on how best to improve performance of the council, achieve net-zero carbon by 2030, improve waste management and increase our recycling rate.

And I advise and support people in my ward to submit petitions to the council and ask questions too. All because I want to serve the community, improve scrutiny of the council, and improve council services.

CLLR GARY HEATHER
Labour, Finsbury Park ward