Frank Dooley (left) talks to Allan Birchfield about the rates issue at West Coast Regional Council, shortly before tensions flared. Photo: Greymouth Star/Brendon McMahon
Tensions boiled over between West Coast regional councillors today, when censured former chairperson Allan Birchfield tried to stay for a committee meeting.
Councillor Frank Dooley called on Resource Management Committee chairperson Brett Cummings to remove Birchfield from the meeting.
But Cummings, who is Birchfield's close ally and a fellow goldminer, defended Birchfield's right to stay. Cummings threatened to leave himself, saying he had had "a gutsful".
West Coast Regional Council chief executive Darryl Lew called for the livestream recording of the meeting to be stopped. A short while later, the room was cleared of staff and members of the public.
It all unfolded just after the full council meeting for October had adjourned.
Before the Resource Management Committee was about to get under way, Dooley approached Birchfield with information about his analysis of the council rates debacle. That exchange seemed amicable enough.
The council is in the midst of an internal inquiry over its rates, after apologising last week for a potential mistake in the way rates invoices had been calculated, which led to some ratepayers being hit with 100 percent rate increases.
But earlier, under questioning from Birchfield, Dooley was challenged as chairperson of the Risk and Assurance Committee over the current rates mess facing the council.
The former chairperson, Birchfield, was censured and removed from all council committees on 8 August, after allegations over the leaking of confidential business.
As the committee meeting started this morning, Birchfield remained seated. That immediately drew the ire of Dooley, who said he was entitled to stay in the room, but not at the table due to his censure.
Cummings leapt to Birchfield's defence: "He is still an elected member - I'm happy with it".
Dooley: "Whether you are happy with it is irrelevant. He (Birchfield) has been suspended from council committees. This is a council committee meeting."
Birchfield was entitled to stay in the room as an observer, but not as a councillor, council chairperson Peter Haddock said.
Birchfield responded that more than 3000 people had voted him onto the council a year ago and he believed he was legally entitled to remain.
"It's not legal to exclude an elected member from any committee - I will just sit out here for the public part of the meeting," Birchfield said.
A frustrated Dooley urged Cummings to "remove him from the table".
Cummings stuck to his guns, however: "What difference does it make where he sits?"
Dooley: "He is suspended. You are the chairman of this committee, and you have an obligation to direct him (to leave)."
Cummings: "It's not upsetting anyone else Frank - it's upsetting you."
Dooley doubled down, and asked Cummings if he was aware of the 8 August censure of Birchfield.
"I might just get up and get out of here," Cummings replied.
"I have had a gutsful."
At that point, the chief executive called the meeting to a halt, stopped the livestreaming on the internet and noted the media presence.
However, councillor Peter Ewen called "a point of order".
"With respect to the chair, the chair makes the decision," Ewen told Lew.
Lew persisted and asked the media and staff to leave.
A few minutes later, Birchfield exited the room with Cummings, who then returned to chair the meeting.
Immediately after the meeting, Birchfield told the Greymouth Star he had advice he was legally entitled to remain on all council committees.
It was mutually agreed with Cummings "out of respect for him" that it was better not to stay on today.
- Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
