Press and public barred from Silica Lodge talks at Scunthorpe Civic Centre
Members of the press and public were barred from attending the petition hearing, held at the Civic Centre.
Ian Sharp was among the members of the public refused entry. He said: "I went to the Civic Centre to listen to the presentation of the petition against the Silica site by the people of Brumby.
"I was appalled to be told at reception that this meeting wasn't open to the public.
"I gather the chair of the meeting said later this had been a misunderstanding and he was unaware of the fact that there were people wanting to come in. This begs the question as to who had instructed the receptionist to turn people away."
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Councillor Steve Swift attended as a Bottesford ward councillor. He said: "It is disgraceful that members of the press and public have been barred from the democratic process on this important community issue.
"The issues surrounding Silica Park Nature Reserve have attracted great public concern and been aired in a number of other public meetings so there was no need to alienate them at this stage in the game. They could have been given consent to attend by the chairman of the meeting."
But a council spokesman said: "Petition hearings are meetings where petitioners can speak about the contents of their petition in an informal setting with elected members and officers of the council.
"On that basis, the press and general public have always been excluded from these meetings."
Comments
by HeavenlyManna
Monday, October 29 2012, 1:16PM
“It's absolutely incredulous that we now have the former cabinet member with remit for NLC Legal and Democratic Services, Labour councillor Steve Swift now backpeddling and digging himself in even deeper:
"Having read the constitution in full (that's what it is – North Lincolnshire Council's constitution NOT legislation..."
http://tinyurl.com/97hut4d
May I suggest it may be useful if NLC Legals could put cllr Swift straight on the existence and provisions within Section 37 AND the rest of the Local Government Act 2000 and its subordinate LEGISLATION!
null”
by HeavenlyManna
Friday, October 26 2012, 1:29PM
“Hopefully this is the link to Grant's blog "Petition on Children's Home":
http://tinyurl.com/d5by9lp”
by HeavenlyManna
Friday, October 26 2012, 1:20PM
“Wake up and smell the coffee here folks!
It was a LABOUR controlled council back in 2001 that revised the arrangements for Petition Panels to make them far less daunting (some may well say less intimidating!!) for petitioners.
It was that self same LABOUR controlled council that amended the Council Constitution's DEMOCRATIC PROCEDURES AND RULES for such Petition Panels.
A Constitution that rules any petition with more than 1500 signatures must still be put in front a FULL COUNCIL and, that thereby defaults to become a public meeting. Presumably reflecting the measure of widespread public interest in the dispute/challenge to the council.
Anything less, more informal Petition Panels have been set up to make them far less daunting for petitioners. Hence no public/press and only ward councillors and 3 petitioners are invited to present their case to the Panel members.
Revisions to the arrangements and RULES, that are all presumably intended to ensure that local democracy doesn't suffer from petitioners being deterred from; fazed by and thereby unwilling to exercise their democratic rights and voice?! In a manner to THEIR own choosing!!?
AND let's all be clear on the key issue here. NO WHERE in the Constitution does it make reference to the interpretation and application of these RULES being "down to the discretion of the chair of the Panel"!
Even VisitScunthorpe have acknowledged that the council got it right: http://tinyurl.com/ct962ah
So let's not ALL be misguided, misled and hoodwinked by the likes of NLC Labour cllrs Swift and Grant's rants and bleating about how this has all been handled.
I suggest that this latest devious, deceitfully concocted political opportunism at Tory bashing from Labours sore loser, inept dimwits has yet again backfired and has ended up in egg on faces all round?!!
WHY did the Brumby AND neighbouring Bottesford ward councillors not guide and encourage the petitioners to ensure they gathered at latest 1500 signatures if they wanted a public meeting?!
WHY in advance of Cllr Swift getting a final decision to his approach last Friday afternoon to NLC Legal & Democratic Service -to appropriately allow the immediately affected neighbouring ward's councillors to attend the Panel - did he then publicly and falsely still push ahead and claim that councillors had been "BANNED" from the "HEARING"?!
http://tinyurl.com/co4dsdn
WHY did Cllr Grant still continue to cajole the public into attending the Panel and thereby wasting their time and petrol?!
null
Finally, when it was their Labour council that changed these rules; WHY have Labour cllrs Swift and Grant such a blatant lack of awareness and disregard for the democratic rules of our Council's Constitution?!
It must speak volumes and I suggest that it says it all in respect of the way in which Scunthorpe has been run/governed for many a year?! And the self evident impact of of the calibre of that governance on Scunthorpe's economic status and image.
NLC Labour group troupe are getting beyond a 'music hall joke'. Surely its high time the Labour hierarchy got a grip before its too late?! For Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire and the local Labour party?!
AND certainly well before 2015?! ;-)”
by englander61
Thursday, October 25 2012, 1:54PM
“Its a go ahead then public not allowed a say , so why bother with meeting , Who do these people think they are we the tax payers pay their wages , and in some cases vote them in , We should have the right to vote them out , They are ruling over us not working for us end of story.”