Crusading Ken’s £87 questions

Taxpayers have forked out almost £1,500 over the last 18 months to pay council officers for their time in responding to questions posed by Saddleworth parish councillor, Ken Hulme.

The crusading councillor has submitted nine questions to Cabinet meetings, amounting to 69 per cent of the 13 questions asked, and a further eight questions of the total 15 made at full council meetings.

Council leader Howard Sykes revealed the figures in answer to a question from Moorside resident Stephen Fairbrother.

He offered a “conservative estimate” of 51-and-a-half hours of officers’ time spent on providing the information to answer Councillor Hulme’s questions. That’s on top of the 20 hours spent by Oldham borough councillors.

Councillor Sykes said the average cost per question was £87, on top of taking councillors’ time which could have been used for “other useful activities.”

He also said Councillor Hulme had twice failed to attend meetings to ask questions he had previously given notice for, wasting more than £170 of council taxpayers money in the process.

Councillor Jim McMahon defended Councillor Hulme’s democratic right to ask questions, but admitted: “All of us at some point found the number of questions quite an irritation.”

But, he added: “It can’t be denied he has uncovered and brought to the public some interesting facts.”

Councillor John Hudson commended Councillor Hulme’s never-ending interest in borough life.

He said: “I wish there were more Ken Hulmes.

“I would like more citizens to come forward to ask questions and participate and I would like to see this council chamber full every time we have a meeting.”

Council meetings rarely attract more than a handful of members of the public, unless there is a burning local issue on the agenda. Interested parties usually leave after the item has been discussed.