Warwick District Council leader defends his attendance record

A report to the district’s scrutiny committee – the panel of elected members that oversees the work of the council – showed that leader Councillor Ian Davison (Green, Leamington Brunswick) had attended 50 per cent of West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) meetings and no District Councils’ Network (DCN) meetings over the past year.

The council is a non-constituent member of the WMCA with a lot of the business discussed focused on the major players, while the DCN is one part of the wider Local Government Association which represents the sector.

The district report states that “Councillor Davison reported that there had not been any (DCN) meetings relevant to him”.

It continues: “Officers use it for networking, although local networks can be more relevant.

“The LGA itself is extremely useful to the council, undertaking the follow-up to the peer review that was done in the previous year and offering numerous courses that councillors are encouraged to attend.

“They also facilitated an excellent 'away day' for the cabinet and senior leadership team.”

Despite that, Councillor Judy Falp (Whitnash Residents’ Association, Whitnash) said: “I don’t agree with the leader’s comments. It is his decision but I think the district council is missing out by him not attending meetings.

“If I felt the same thing, I would hardly attend any Warwick District Council meetings because there is rarely anything on the agenda for Whitnash and we would all probably feel the same.”

The debate went on to consider many appointments to outside bodies, how performance and attendance should be measured and what the council should expect to gain from being represented. The panel felt it needed a better handle on the purpose of some before determining metrics.

Following on from that, Councillor Phil Kohler (Leamington Lillington) brought the focus back to the two groups the leader is the representative on, arguing the prospect of district and borough councils making way for unitary authorities in the near future ramped up their importance.

“Even if there is nothing relevant on the agenda of those meetings, one would think there is value in attending for the networking and the side conversations that go on at such events," he said.

It follows on from comments made by Cllr Davison's predecessor Councillor Andrew Day (Con, Bishop's Tachbrook) in July last year.

At the time, Cllr Davison confirmed he "rarely" attended WMCA board meetings, to which Cllr Day responded: “It is often what happens around a board meeting rather than what is on the agenda." He went on to argue that some kind of representation was "terribly important" for the district.

Responding to the latest comments, Cllr Davison told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that while the two referenced were the bodies he has been appointed to, there are many other organisations or networks that he regularly attends and feels he gets better value from, particularly since the issue of local government reform reared its head in late 2024.

“It is not quite daily but you could easily go to a meeting per week in London, Birmingham or online – there are dozens and dozens of meetings each year and you have to work out which ones are most productive,” he said.

“The ones I have found to be really good involve the Local Government Association (LGA) and we have participated fully with them. The District Councils’ Network is part of the LGA so we are engaging a lot with the main body but you can’t go to them all.

“Local government reorganisation is a huge issue for us. The informal forum that I am most involved with is the five districts and boroughs in Warwickshire where the leaders and chief executives gather, sometimes the county council comes along. I would hope Councillor Kohler would agree that it is more important to go to that than be on a random call about local government reform.”

He said that he does go on the group calls with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, while he is briefed by the council’s chief executive Chris Elliott on relevant matters arising from the WMCA.

“I do discuss whether it is worth attending with the chief executive,” he added.

“The ones to do with the investment zone, which is a huge thing for us of course, I attend those whenever I can.”