Council leader defends making major Wycombe decisions in Aylesbury
Buckinghamshire Council’s leader has defended making major High Wycombe decisions in Aylesbury after questions were raised over why they are taken outside the town.
Steven Broadbent said Buckinghamshire Council’s cabinet represented the whole county and that meeting in Aylesbury did not prevent councillors from properly considering decisions affecting High Wycombe.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Councillor Broadbent said: “First and foremost, remember, I’m a former Wycombe district councillor, and our cabinet have people representing from all over the council area.
“This is [the council’s Aylesbury headquarters], generally speaking where we have cabinet decisions, and of course, on the same day, you may have a decision that impacts Wycombe, you may also have another paper that more directly impacts Buckingham.
“So, you couldn’t abandon the meeting halfway and move somewhere else. We are a unitary council, and we consider all aspects of the decision-making. We don’t need to have the meeting in Wycombe to be considering the impact on Wycombe.”
Councillor Broadbent said cabinet agendas were published a week before meetings, while some decisions were also subject to public consultation, giving residents the opportunity to make their views known.
He said: “The papers are out a week in advance. Some decisions rely on public consultation and other things, so everyone has the opportunity to make their voices heard. But we balance and reflect all people in the county.”
The comments come after questions were raised over why several major decisions affecting High Wycombe have been taken at cabinet meetings in Aylesbury. Among the most notable are the sale of the council’s Queen Victoria Road offices to Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and the decision to close and demolish Easton Street car park.
With the council’s headquarters around 40 minutes from High Wycombe, some residents have questioned why decisions affecting the town are made outside it and have called for more meetings to be held locally.
Some residents who spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service suggested cabinet meetings could instead be held in High Wycombe, including at the Guildhall, following the sale of the Queen Victoria Road offices.
Buckinghamshire Council has previously said Aylesbury was chosen as the authority’s headquarters when the unitary council was created in 2020 because it was considered the most appropriate location.
The council has also said the location of its headquarters has “no bearing” on decisions affecting different parts of Buckinghamshire.
Buckinghamshire Council was created in 2020 through the merger of the former county council with the district councils of Wycombe, Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern and South Bucks.