SHROPSHIRE TAXPAYERS were today left with a bill of more than £4,000 after Lib Dem councillors failed to secure a Shirehall debate on the county’s planned hospital shake-up.

The Lib Dem group of Shropshire Council had called today’s extraordinary meeting of the authority to discuss the proposals.

But council speaker David Lloyd wound the meeting up in less than 10 minutes.

He told members that constitutionally the council had “absolutely no power” to amend, reject or ratify a decision of its cabinet.

The cabinet broadly supported plans which could see women and children’s services transferred from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to Telford’s Princess Royal, with Shrewsbury becoming the main centre for surgery.

Councillor Lloyd said a previous motion from the Lib Dem group calling for a full debate was rejected at full council on February 24.

He added: “Is it right one may ask to use the chamber as a sort of casino, whereby if after losing out at a full council one attempts to recoup one’s losses through betting on an extraordinary meeting?”

Councillor Lloyd said the notice calling for today’s meeting contained no new recommendation.

“So no motion no debate and no vote. Therefore, as speaker, I thank you for your attendance and declare this extraordinary meeting closed.”

Council leader Keith Barrow said he had tried last night to persuade Lib Dem leader Nigel Hartin not to press on with the meeting.

“We have followed the rules of the council’s constitution which was written by a cross party group, including the Liberal Democrats,” said Councillor Barrow. “This states that the consultative body is the cabinet.”

He said that today’s meeting had cost more than £4,000 to arrange.

Councillor Hartin said: “What has happened today is a travesty of democracy.”

He said he would be submitting a formal complaint to the chief executive and was also considering referring the matter to the district auditor, the local government spending watchdog.

A decision on the hospital proposals will be taken by the county’s NHS trusts next Thursday and follows a major public consultation exercise which ended earlier this week.

By Health Correspondent Dave Morris