Councillor Don Whitaker, Restore Britain representative for Whittlefield with Ightenhill, has formally requested an urgent council meeting after Wednesday’s Full Council meeting was abruptly adjourned, leaving critical motions unaddressed.
During the session, which took place without the Mayor presiding, opposition motions—including a key proposal submitted by Cllr Whitaker—were halted mid-session following rulings from the chair. Rather than debate the outstanding items on the agenda, the meeting was adjourned until December, leaving key business unresolved for months.
Transparency concerns have also been raised regarding the official broadcast of the proceedings. The meeting was not live-streamed to the public as expected, and the recorded video was only published online days later with significant editing.
Cllr Whitaker has officially submitted a formal request to Burnley Council’s Head of Legal Services to convene an extraordinary meeting prior to December so all remaining agenda items can be properly debated in full view of the public.
Commenting on the adjournment, Councillor Don Whitaker said:
“Wednesday night’s Full Council meeting was a travesty for local democracy. Key motions submitted on behalf of local residents were effectively silenced, and the meeting was shut down before the public’s business could be finished.
“To make matters worse, residents were deprived of seeing these events unfold in real time because the live stream was withheld and replaced days later with a heavily edited recording. That is not how a transparent council operates.
“I have written directly to the Head of Legal Services requesting that a meeting be brought forward immediately to complete the business we were elected to conduct, no matter how late it runs. The people of Burnley deserve full transparency and genuine democratic representation, and I will not give up until their voices are heard.”
Further updates regarding the response from Council legal officers and the scheduling of outstanding motions will be released to residents once confirmed.