A COUNCILLOR has expressed his surprise after learning a resident’s questions to a committee had been blocked.

Philip Gatrell submitted four questions to April’s BCP Council audit and governance committee.

The council’s current constitution states that public questions for committee meetings must be related to items on the agenda for that meeting.

Mr Gatrell believed all his questions met this requirement, however, officers disagreed.

Before the meeting he also sent his questions, related to aspects of the council’s financial accounts, to all members of the committee.

Christchurch Town ward councillor Mike Cox spoke out about Mr Gatrell’s situation.

The Liberal Democrat councillor said he “failed to understand” why they were not being allowed, adding that they were to do with the accounts and “at the end of the day we are the audit and governance committee”.

“If he can’t ask those questions here, where can he ask them,” said Cllr Cox.

“I know it might be at (full) council but it seems ridiculous to me that we are not being allowed to hear those questions and hear any answers.

Audit and governance chair Cllr John Beesley said Mr Gatrell had been responded to “appropriately by the officers as to why those other ones are not admissible at this evening’s meeting”.

Councillor Beesley said it was “difficult” if committee members were being sent copies of emails without the knowledge of the chair or officers.

Monitoring officer Susan Zeiss said there had been “a full response from officers to his questions and why he cannot make them at this particular meeting”.

Councillor Cox said: “Just for the record I am not happy.”

He added: “It is the transparency I am trying to get a handle on. Somebody has asked questions and he has not been given an answer and we don’t know at the moment, apart from me raising it, we don’t know that he has asked these questions and we don’t know what the answers are. If we want transparency, it should all be out there.

Councillor Beesley earlier said he did not believe there was a procedure for discussion on public questions, the answers they receive and public statements.

This was confirmed to be the position in the constitution, a council officer to confirmed.

Councillor Cox said: “The constitution is wrong then.”