Westmorland and Furness Council, Opposition councillors are concerned they are not being given enough time to ask questions of the administration.
The concerns were raised at the full council meeting at the end of last month, with a number of opposition councillors unhappy.
At full council meetings, if there has been a cabinet meeting or multiple cabinet meetings since the last full council, councillors will be given the opportunity to ask cabinet members about the decisions taken.
During an item about the two recent cabinet meetings in June and July, councillors from both opposition parties and the leading Liberal Democrat party asked questions of cabinet members.
Similar to previous meetings, 30 minutes was allotted for the asking of questions.
But at the end of the time, councillor Tony Callister of Dalton South, Labour, said he felt the responses given by cabinet members were ‘too long’ and resulted in some opposition members not being given the opportunity to ask their questions.
Cllr Callister said he felt this was ‘unfair’.
Chair of the council, councillor Doug Rathbone of Kendal South, said the point was ‘valid’ and that he would look at it along with the director of law and governance.
An item allowing members to ask questions followed, one which is also limited to 30 minutes.
At the end of the time, the issue of timing was raised again, with not all members having been given an opportunity to ask a question.
Again, the chair asked members to email their concerns to him and the monitoring officer and they ‘would discuss’ it.
Councillor Hazel Edwards of Hawcoat and Newbarns, Reform UK, raised concern about the issue after the meeting.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, she said she believes debate is ‘stifled’.
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