A MAN has taken South Lakeland District Council to tribunal in his five year bid to become a member of a panel that monitors councillors' allowances.

Ian Kell, of Mealbank, near Kendal, has attempted to join the council's Independent Remuneration Panel on six occasions but has been refused membership each time.

He wants the minutes of the panel to be disclosed to the public as he does not believe that it can ever be reasonable to withhold IRP deliberations from public scrutiny.

"In the case of SLDC, nobody has sight of its (IRP) minutes, barring a few officers. There are no checks and balances on the breadth of opinion it considers or on the views and prejudices of its members or informants," said Mr Kell at a tribunal held at South Cumbria Magistrates' Court.

"How important then to ensure that it truly represents the full spectrum of public attitudes rather than be recruited to, and to perform to, a profile suited to the council.

"In 2014 SLDC did, after prompting from myself and my solicitor, review and change the worst of their gerrymandering practices in IRP recruitment; councillors' veto over appointments was removed.

"Officers of sister authorities such as Cumbria County Council were debarred from membership and IRP members were required to actually live in South Lakeland.

"What I am pressing for now is simply an extension of this reform."

Advocating for SLDC at the tribunal, Nicola Hartley said that, as the IRP was an advisory body rather than a decision making body, members on the panel needed a 'safe space' to be able to discuss factors influencing councillors' allowances.

She highlighted that the council believed it would contradict public interest, rather than act in aid of it, if members on the panel no longer felt able to discuss issues because they were not comfortable with the discussions being publicly disclosed.

Ms Hartley said: "There are members allowances regulations and SLDC works fully within these regulations."

Tribunal judge Chris Hughes closed the opening proceedings and announced that a decision would be reached within three weeks.