Parish Meeting – Complaint
A request to publish the complaint below was received from Trimdon Station resident Mrs. P. Chatterley:
“Councillors Eadsforth, Elliot and Ferguson called an Extraordinary Parish Council Meeting to be held on Friday, 29th August 2014 at Trimdon Station Community Centre commencing 6.30 pm. A notice to this effect was put on the notice board. Derek Bradley opened the Centre especially for this. Mr. & Mrs Moroney and myself arrived at 6.20p.m. and waited and waited untill we decided at 7.15pm that no-one from the Council was going to appear. There was NO telephone call to the Centre neither did any Councillor ” pop in ” to tell us it had been cancelled. COMMON COURTESY WOULD HAVE BEEN APPRECIATED – is this the way to treat residents? There can be NO valid excuse! At 7.30pm the notice was still on the board and no indication that the meeting was not going ahead.” Pat Chatterley
Update, added 1st September 2014:
I refer to my previous letter regarding the Extraordinary Meeting that did not take place. My concern now is, that as an Agenda was set for that meeting, what exactly is happening as far as the urgency of the items contained therein ?
Are these matters being discussed and decided behind CLOSED DOORS? I trust that this is NOT the case. I think the residents deserve some sort of explanation as to what is really going on.
(At mid-day Saturday the notice was still on the board but when I checked on Sunday morning the notice had been removed from the board.)
I spent quite a few hours over the week-end scanning the Good Councillors Guide ( National Training Strategy for Town and Parish Coucillors ) and the most significant part regarding this problem is dealt with on page 22 ( 5 ) which is not open for interpretation but is required by law.
Pat Chatterley
Update, added 2nd September 2014:
Well, there is a surprise —-The Northern Echo have details of the status of the Parish Council ! I assume a meeting was held on Friday last but NOT at the venue booked for the purpose. Where and when and why we we not informed. So much for the “ WE WANT THE RESIDENTS TO WORK WITH US “ mantra .
Pat Chatterley
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