Senior Officers of Thanet District Council are trying
to restrict Councillors’ freedom to research, understand and comment on the
Pleasurama issue. During a telephone conversation with a TDC Manager yesterday Cllr Ian Driver was
advised that the legal advice and valuation documents relating to the
Pleasurama development, which were requested by the Scrutiny Panel last week,
will not be sent out to councillors in advance of an emergency meeting on 15
October. Instead they will be made available at the meeting itself and
councillors can have a recess to read them.
In an e-mail to TDCs Monitoring Officer, Steven Boyle, Driver claims that restricting access to the
papers. Is undemocratic and possibly illegal. He also points out that by
restricting the time of Councillors to read
and make decisions on what are complex documents, could lead to poor
decision making. Driver’s e-mail is copied below. Said Driver “this is yet
another example of the bullying, manipulative un-democratic culture which prevails
at TDCs and which has brought it into disrepute. Its time for change.
Dear Mr Boyle
I understand that the legal papers and valuation report regarding the Pleasaurama site will not be made available before the meeting of the extraordinary meeting of OSP on 15th October. I was told that members of the OSP will be able to have a recess to read the papers on the 15th October.
I am writing to let you know that this not acceptable to me. First I am dyslexic. It takes me longer than most people to read and understand documents, especially complex and technical documents. If I am placed under pressure of deadlines to read documents, such as a time limited recess, then it becomes much harder for me to read and understand them. I therefore request that I be provided with copies of the documents several days in advance of the meeting so that I can read and understand them at my leisure and be properly prepared to play a full role in the in the meeting like other non-disabled Councillors.
Second, the decision to withhold the OSP papers until the day of the meeting is most unusual. In all other cases reports and papers, including confidential reports, are sent to members one week before the meeting. I can see no reason to have suddenly changed procedure without any explanation or justification.
Furthermore, it is my opinion that the Local Government Act 1972 and the Council's Constitution does not afford officers the right to withhold, until the last moment, documents which members of OSP have a legal right to see. The limited and restricted access of key documents,especially when decisions need to be based upon these documents, is my my opinion highly improper and entirely undemocratic. By following the proposed course of action the Council is improperly restricting the ability of its elected members from properly understanding the issues.
Third I am not available to come into the Council offices before the meeting on 15th October to read the documents and I will not be able to come into the council offices early on the day of the meeting itself.
I therefore request that you e-mail me the papers to me today so that I have time to read them and properly prepare for the meeting.
I would appreciate hearing from you today as refusal to provide me the OSP papers in advance will result in a complaint to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission for breach of the Equality Ac t 2010.
Finally I undertake to respect the confidentiality of the the papers you may provide today in relation to the OSP meeting
Yours sincerely
Councillor Ian Driver
07866588766
Well done Ian and thanks for highlighting this for us the puboic to see. This is a disgrace you should have documents 7 days before any meeting. If not provided until the meeting table a motion to reinforce this and then cancel that meeting and reschedule for 7 days or more ahead. Presumably you should make this a sackable offence too along with salary deductions of your/others costs.
ReplyDeleteRidiculous our elected officials of any party are being misled by the public servants we employ. They are out of control on our paycheque and pensions. Sack them and get new ones.
Should the public FOI request the documents from this Boyle chap? We have paid for them and have a right to see them. Separately are TDC meetings routinely filmed now?
ReplyDeleteThanet District Council's senior management really are incompetent when it comes to the proper and efficient ways to conduct business. What is the point of people turning up to meetings to find the content is a surprise? This is utter madness. No wonder decision making is so poor and massive failures abound in Thanet District Council. The only reason to work like this is to stifle debate, cripple the opposition, and to avoid criticism or alternative strategies. If the officers do not have the necessary professional grounding they should go. If the officers are doing this knowingly they should go.
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