Peace In Our Time. And Bins Collected As Well

We can all finally sleep safely in our beds.  Some High Peak Borough councillors have won a vote in favour of world peace.


At Chapel-en-le-Frith town hall, Cllrs Bob Mckeown and Graham Oakley tried to persuade other councillors that war is bad.


The grasp of physics was very poor however.  Cllr Oakley told the assembled councillors that he was born in the 1950s and he could 'recall heightened tension - when a loud bang would go off in the neighbourhood.  We'd gaze anxiously in the direction of Manchester looking for a mushroom cloud.'


The reality of a distant nuclear bomb explosion is that the sudden flash of light brighter than the sun reaches you far quicker than any sound waves.  So the worrying loud bangs in the youthful Cllr Oakley's neighbourhood had some other cause.


'World Peace' was defined in strange way.  It is the abolition of nuclear weapons that causes world peace, according to the logic of the promoters of this motion.  By that logic, there have not been any wars in mankind's history, and there's been no end of nuclear wars on earth since the atom bomb was created in 1945. 


Common sense at the council meeting was in vain however.  Conservative Cllr John Haken's bizarre, strange, wild off the wall idea - that the Borough Council's priority should be to ensure that the local residents' bins are emptied and the streets properly cleaned etc - failed.


The High Peak Borough Council motion calling for no nuclear weapons - and certainly none in Chapel-en-le-Frith - was carried by 24 to 14, with 2 abstentions.

Andy and Dave, Part Two!

For the second week in succession, our MP attracted the attention in parliament of either Conservative party managers or the Speaker.  This week's perfectly proper and correct question to the Prime Minister, asked on 30 November:


Andrew Bingham MP:
The Prime Minister will know that I recently held a small businesses event in my constituency, and many of the businesses that attended complained bitterly about the red tape and bureaucracy that they have to jump through to deal with public bodies. What message can he send to these businesses, as we look to them to help rebuild the economy, about getting rid of some of this obstructive bureaucratic nonsense?


The Prime Minister:
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise this subject. It is why we have introduced the red tape challenge, so that all these rules are published on line and businesses and individuals can tell us which ones can be scrapped without harming public safety. At the same time, we have the one-in, one-out rule so that Ministers cannot introduce a new regulation until they have scrapped an existing one. This Government are determined to scrap unnecessary regulation and to help small businesses to employ more people in our country.


Andrew Bingham and David Cameron have their work cut out: the last Labour government put in thirteen years of pointless interference and needlessly adding to the red tape burden and costs on families and business.


During that time the European Union (Hang on, when did we say we wanted to be in a Union rather than a community?) also issued Directive after pointless Directive to the people of this country.


it's not possible to clean all that up in a short time.

Andy and Dave

Prime Minister's Questions provided a sign of Andrew Bingham's current rising star status in Parliament.

This week, the honour of asking the question that always kicks off proceedings fell to Mr Bingham.

For nonsensical ancient reasons, the first question from an MP is always required to be 'Will the Prime Minister list his official engagements for the day?'

After the Prime Minister has wasted time reading out a bland listing that has already been published , the tradition is that the MP then gets to ask a 'supplementary question'.  It is this supplementary question that is the real one.

In this case, the question was urgent and topical, about local government workers going on strike at a time of high unemployment elsewhere in the economy and when only a small minority had voted in the pre-strike ballot.

"I think my honourable friend makes a very important point," said Dave, the Prime Minister.

Of course you do.  That's why your party managers planted the question!

Local Hospice Charity Wants Your Vote

PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE (registration only takes 30 seconds!!)

Blythe House Hospice has been accepted into the Natwest Community Force scheme with the opportunity to win £6000 towards one of their new or ongoing projects. Their choice would be to invest any winnings into a much needed van to transport stock to their five charity shops in the High Peak area.

This investment would potentially result in a large increase in the shops' profit which would directly benefit the Hospice and all those within our community who use the services when at their most vulnerable.

Voting opens 26^th September through to 23^rd October.

Please vote by going to http://communityforce.natwest.com/project/1750

Or ring 0800 2100 246 (free phone from landlines) to cast your vote.

Please pass this information on to all friends, family, colleagues, long-lost relatives, professional footballers, politicians etc etc.  Share it on facebook or tweet it on twitter – the more votes Blythe House Hospice gets, the more chance of winning!

Flouting The Law: Business As Usual For Dysfunctional Council

The first statutory Annual Meeting of the newly elected town councillors in New Mills was held on the 16th of  May 2011.  The local elections had taken place on the 5th of May.  

At this meeting it was shocking to see the local town clerk’s persistent and casual attitude to law breaking.  The town clerk here is in charge of large amounts of public money, as well as effectively having care and custody of local councillors’ public reputation.

Here is how the law was flouted in this latest of a long series of law-breaking activities inside this town hall:

The legal structure

A Local Council comprises a Chairman and Councillors.  It is a body corporate with perpetual succession and a name.  A local council exists in the above form, and only in the above form, until permanently dissolved by one or other statutory mechanism.

The above legal structure applies to all town and parish councils in England.  There are no exceptions.

No person can be a member of the council and also a paid clerk to the council at the same time (Local Government Act 1972, s116).

The roles of individuals under the relevant statutes

There permanently must be an elected Chairman or woman (‘Chair’).  The duties of the Chair of the council are set out in law.  To cover death or incapacity of the Chair, a vice-chair is elected at the same time.

The Chair must be a member of the Council (Local Government Act 1972, s15(1)).

The Chair of the council continues in office until succeeded in that office by another lawfully appointed councillor.  This legal requirement applies even when the outgoing chair has not stood at the last local election.

If council proceedings at a first annual meeting after an election are opened with the paid clerk in the chair, that is illegal.

The latest activity in New Mills

So, in the case of the 2011 Annual Meeting of New Mills Town Council, who was the person specified in law to chair the meeting’s first business?  Chantal Hannell, the outgoing Chair of the council.

Did the town clerk send the legally required written summons to the 16 May 2011 council meeting to Ms Hannell?  No.

Did the town clerk invite Ms Hannell to the council’s statutory annual meeting in any other way?  No.

Was Ms Hannell - who was there at the meeting in the public gallery - allowed by the town clerk to perform the duties that the law requires her to do?  No.

Did the town clerk, Mrs Susan Stevens, take the role of Chair for the first business of the meeting?  Yes.  Completely unlawful.

Previous Form

See previous entries in High Peak Transparency for guidance to some of the other law-breaking and consistent past dishonesty behind closed doors inside this particular town hall.

Can vindictiveness or malicious intent be considered a reason for breaking the law whilst holding public office?  More than one third party has reported that Cllr Alistair Stevens (the town clerk's husband) and Cllr Hannell had fallen out before this incident.

Councillors: who did what

In fairness to the newly appointed councillors, for whom the above was the first meeting they attended in their new role, these are: Alan Barrow (Labour); Andy Bowers, Gwyn Bowers, David Lamb(Conservative).

The returning councillors who took part in this meeting are Ian Huddlestone; Alistair Stevens; Lancelot Dowson; Janet Carter; Mark Gadd; Ray Atkins.

Cllr Tony Ashton did not attend, sending his apologies to the meeting.

Exclusive - Guilty Ones Named In Dysfunctional Council Scandal

The recent official 'Dysfunctional Council' report highlighted a disturbing fact: many separate complaints have been made connected with New Mills town council, whereas none of the 18 other town and parish councils in the area have been the subject of a single complaint.

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Gang of Four

Further to pleas in the Buxton Advertiser and elsewhere, asking that the guilty ones be named, here is the league table:

Lancelot Edgar Dowson made 4 or 5 of the complaints.  The motivation was mainly malicious or mischievous and all were against political opponents .  All of his complaints were against LibDem councillors.  Nominally 'independent' Cllr Dowson has in fact been a long-term Labour Party member.

Stephen Lewis made around 3 of the complaints.  At least 2 complaints were against a tragically deceased councillor - a retired member of her Majesty's armed forces.  Mr Lewis is employed by the New Mills town council.

Jacqui Gadd made 1 or 2 of the complaints.  All were aimed at political  opponents in the LibDem party.  Cllr J Gadd is a Conservative, and personal friend of Lancelot Edgar Dowson.

Mark Gadd has been involved with at least 1 of the complaints, which was aimed at political  opponents in the LibDem party.  Cllr M Gadd is a Conservative, and personal friend of Lancelot Edgar Dowson and Stephen Lewis.

So far as can be established at the time of writing, the current councillors in New Mills who have not contributed to the dysfunction by occupying expensive Borough officer time and resources in the making of spurious and/or malicious complaints are (in alphabetical order):  ASHTON, Tony (Conservative); ATKINS, Elizabeth (LibDem); ATKINS, Ray (LibDem); BODY, Hazel (Green); CARTER, Janet (LibDem); HANNELL, Chantal (Independent LibDem); HAWLEY, Kevin 'Huggy' (LibDem).

This report is a public interest document.  A copy of it has been sent to every person who is named in it.  This is in order to give them the full opportunity to point out any material omissions or errors, should any exist.

Here comes the science

The Pareto Principle is often also known as the 80:20 rule.  In this case, it refers to the fact that about 80% of the problems tend to be caused by about 20% of the people.

Attempt To Gag Elected Representatives

The new official Standing Orders of the town council in New Mills, High Peak, Derbyshire have just appeared on the council's website.

Electors and council taxpayers in the area will be shocked to read new Standing Order 26.  It is completely undemocratic and anti-free speech.

Ignoring grammatical errors for a moment, the relevant extract reads:

"In accordance with the Council's policy in respect to dealing with the press and/or other media, councillors shall not, in their official capacity, provide oral or written statements or written articles to the press or other media."

For a councillor to give personal opinions to media outlets, provided that they make it clear they are 'councillor so-and-so' and do not purport to speak for the whole council, is part of the democratic process.

If a councillor has sensible and/or honest opinions, then it is important that we should know.

If their opinions reveal them as deceitful, or dishonest, or hypocritical, or plain old barking mad - or madder than Mad Jack McMad, winner of last year's Mr Mad competition - then it is even more important that we should know.

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Note: click on this link to dowload a copy of the document referred to in this report. In the event of any difficulty, email this site requesting a copy and it will be emailed.
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The Fantasy World Of Council Officer Stephen Lewis

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A document has recently been prepared by New Mills town council employee Stephen Lewis.

His newly produced paper, called 'Draft Parks Strategy Targets', makes the following proposal for eliminating the conservation area status that currently protects the character of the town:

"Consider whether the town's conservation area is truly of benefit or whether it in fact denies both the town council and local business the opportunity to best promote the town.

"Seek to lessen the detrimental effects of conservation status on the activities of the town council..."

The above proposal is on page 5.  On page 4 of the same document, Stephen Lewis proposes giving the public far more information about the activities of the town council.  Hear hear to that.  However, the reason that Stephen Lewis gives for doing this is to "counter act the negative blogging and criticism of certain members of the public."

The easiest and best way to counteract any 'negative' coverage of a public body is obvious.  Simply stop making mad and bad decisions, and stop making mad and bad statements.  Also, save money rather than wasting it on grandiose schemes and council employees' continued empire-building at public expense.

It really is that simple.
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Note: click on this link to dowload a copy of the document referred to in this report.  In the event of any difficulty, email this site requesting a copy and it will be emailed.

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The Public Cost Of A Politician's Vanity

Postman and Labour Borough Councillor Ian Huddlestone has just cost local taxpayers £2,500.

Following the sad and untimely death of LibDem councillor Glynn Jennings, there was a vacancy on New Mills town council in the East ward.

The usual way of selecting a new parish or town councillor in the event of death or resignation of a member, especially where there are full local elections coming up shortly as at present, is to put oneself forward to be co-opted as a new councillor.  There is no cost when this method is used, and it is how Hazel Body and Julian Ashworth (among others) came to be town and parish councillors.

However Huddlestone, known as 'Postman Pat' by other councillors, insisted that a public ballot be held, with his name on it.  The ballot took place yesterday.  There was a tiny little turnout.

Despite the exorbitant cost of getting him on to the town council (again), in fact there are only three meetings of the full council from now to the next local elections, which take place next May.

Given the facts of Huddlestone's poor attendance record at the Borough Council, and his previous forced removal from office for non-attendance at that council's meetings, it is quite conceivable that the cost of Huddlestone's vanity will net out at a £2,500 cost per his attendance at council meetings in New Mills.