Tensions boil over at West Coast Regional Council committee meeting

Councillor Frank Dooley (left) briefs councillor Allan Birchfield on the rates issue at the West Coast Regional Council, shortly before things got testy. Photo / Brendon McMahon

Tensions boiled over in a heated exchange between West Coast regional councillors yesterday as former chairman Allan Birchfield tried to stay on for a committee meeting after he was censured in August.

Councillor Frank Dooley called on Resource Management Committee chairman Brett Cummings to remove Birchfield from the meeting.

It culminated in Birchfield’s close ally and fellow goldminer, Cummings, defending Birchfield’s right to stay - and threatening to leave himself, saying he’d had “a gutsful”.

As it unfolded, chief executive Darryl Lew called for the live-streamed recording of the meeting to be stopped.

A short while later, the room cleared of staff and 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 had approached Birchfield with some 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 it last week apologised for a “potential” mistake in the way rates invoices had been calculated, which led to some ratepayers being hit with 100 per cent bill increases.

But earlier, under testy questioning from Birchfield, Dooley was challenged as chairman of the Risk and Assurance Committee over the current rates mess facing the council.

The former chairman, Birchfield, was censured and removed from all council committees on August 8 after allegations over the leaking of confidential business.

As the committee meeting started yesterday 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.”

The councillor was entitled to stay in the room as an observer, but not as a councillor. Council chairman Peter Haddock agreed.

Birchfield responded that well over 3000 people had voted him to 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.”

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 outcome of the August 8 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 live-streaming 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” that 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 that day.