Decisions over a string of multi-million pound road schemes in Norwich were legal, lawyers have said - despite a blunder which meant councillors voted for them when they did not have the power to do so.
A number of high-profile projects have been given the go-ahead by members of the Transport for Norwich joint committee in the past couple of years, including the £6.1m revamp of St Stephens Street and the £330,000 alterations to Grapes Hill roundabout.
But, in March, it was discovered the committee - made up of councillors from Norfolk County Council, Norwich City Council, South Norfolk Council and Broadland District Council - did not have the power to make joint decisions, even though councillors believed they did.
Instead, power rested with the chairman of the committee, Conservative county council cabinet member, Martin Wilby and councillors could only recommend a course of action for him to approve.
It triggered a detailed review of all the schemes and, at a meeting of the committee on Thursday (September 29), council lawyers said there had been "a lawful decision-making process for the schemes".
But there was anger from Norwich-based councillors, who refused to back new terms of reference stating they could only make recommendations for the chairman to approve.
In July, members had agreed to ask County Hall leader Andrew Proctor for it to be given decision-making, rather than advisory powers, but that was rejected.
Labour county councillor Emma Corlett, who represents Town Close ward in Norwich, said: "We are effectively being asked to vote for our own impotence as a committee.
"The risk is we are going to end up with unpopular decisions against the wishes of local people and local residents."
Brian Watkins, leader of the county council's Liberal Democrat group, said having so much power in one councillor's hands was "not democracy".
However, Conservatives Kay Mason-Billig, representing South Norfolk Council and Barry Stone, representing the county council, said the committee had worked well to bring schemes to fruition.
Four councillors voted to recommend the terms of reference be agreed and four voted against.
It came down to Mr Wilby's casting vote to agree the committee should adopt them and to recommend endorsement by the county council's cabinet.
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