‘An insult!’ Deepings councillor claims political bias in heated exchange after being excluded from police and crime committee

A councillor says it was an ‘insult’ that he wasn’t included on a committee which he had been voted onto.

Independent Coun Phil Dilks made accusations of political bias as he wasn’t initially given his place on the Lincolnshire Police and Crime Committee, while Reform UK and Conservative members were.

He was added as an extra member after his complaints, but described this as being ‘a second class member’.

The Lincolnshire Police and Crime Committee is responsible for holding leaders of the police force to account.

It was agreed at May’s full council meeting that the four seats would be shared amongst two Reform members, one Conservative and one Independent, to keep it proportionate to the overall number of councillors.

However, Coun Dilks - who represents Deepings East - arrived on Friday (June 6) to find only the Reform and Conservative members had been given seats.

“This meeting’s unconstitutional unless there’s proper political balance at the start, as agreed. I was elected to this committee two weeks ago,” he told the meeting in a heated exchange.

“Why is it only the Independent members who doesn’t have a seat?”

Coun Dilks is the leader of the Independent Group on Lincolnshire County Council.

After a short adjournment in which he spoke to officers outside, he was voted on as an extra member through a method called co-opting.

Coun Dilks then told the meeting: “I take it as an insult to be co-opted. I was elected by Lincolnshire County Council as one of four members and wasn’t told I would be a second class member.”

Meeting chair Chris Cook suggested that the dispute should be resolved between council leaders and officers later.

After the meeting Coun Dilks said he ‘just wanted fairness’ and for Independents to receive the number of seats they were entitled to.

The other elected members were council leader Sean Matthews and Deputy Mayor Ingrid Sheard for Reform, and Lindsey Cawrey for the Conservatives.

Lincolnshire County Council hasn’t provided a reason at this time for why Coun Dilks was initially excluded from the meeting.