THE pilot Cabinet-style structure of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council meetings has been criticised by a leading politician as being a "grotesque caricature of democracy".

Speaking after the second Cabinet meeting last Wednesday, Cllr Phil Heath, leader of the Tories, claimed the new meetings were expensive, do not allow for proper debates and do not allow the public and councillors to ask questions.

He said: "We had the most senior officers on the council and the Cabinet congratulating themselves on everything that had happened in the area for the last five years."

Cllr Heath (pictured right) said the press briefings held before meetings and the webcam - which transmits the Cabinet over the internet - made for a public propaganda event.

And although he did not know the total cost, he said the internet facilities - combined with using the time of senior council officers - would make the Cabinet expensive.

But the council leader and Cabinet chairman, Cllr Brian Gurden, hit back, saying the new system is in its early stages.

"The Cabinet is not about contin-uing the old dreary, long-winded committee debates," he said.

"It is about corporate responsibility and individual responsibility for portfolios so the public can see who is responsible for what."

He said the meetings are held in public and the webcam allows anyone to see what is going on.

Cllr Gurden added: "The public can ask questions if they want.

"This scheme is still in the pilot stages and I am keen to learn from the experience and work hard to make the system better."