THE leader of Bournemouth Borough Council has said it is time for an opposition councillor ‘to put up or shut up’ after he questioned the legality of the authority’s budget and council tax.

Lib Dem Cllr Roger West raised the issue at Tuesday’s council meeting at the town hall.

He had previously brought up concerns about ‘corporate governance failings’, but was told the council had complied with its legal duties, although it would now publish agendas for meetings seven days in advance.

However, Cllr West suggested decisions made at previous meetings were now ‘null and void’ and said: “Can the council validate unlawful decisions after the event, as I am concerned that the council is operating an illegal budget and collecting council tax that has not been agreed in the correct way?”

He was due to call for Ian Milner to be appointed as chief finance officer following the resignation of Liz Wilkinson over complaints about her behaviour, but chief executive Tony Williams said Mr Milner would be installed in an interim capacity.

But Cllr West did add: "I request, indeed I demand, on behalf of the residents of Bournemouth, an independent investigation into the corporate governance failings over recent years. Will this be done? And done properly?"

In response, leader of the Conservative-controlled council, Cllr John Beesley, said legislation over summons to meetings and publication of paperwork had been complied with.

He added that ‘the council has very definitely not set an illegal budget as alleged’ and urged Cllr West to meet senior officers over his concerns.

Cllr Beesley said that Cllr West had made ‘unsubstantiated allegations about matters and individuals, including me, over a number of years, often alleging unlawfulness and unethical conduct, but he never provides any evidence to support these wide-ranging and unspecific complaints’.

He added: “For the avoidance of doubt, if Cllr West has ascertained information which neither the external nor internal auditors have been able to find during their lengthy and detailed assessment of the finance and corporate governance arrangements of the council over the past year, or in any previous years, then he must provide it to them.

“Enough is enough and it is time for him to either put up or shut up.”

Note: We have edited this story after it erroneously included a paragraph that was not said at the council meeting.