General Discussion

Slightly strange question, does anyone know if there is a diary on the mayor's activities?  Can't find anything on any websites that are up to date.  If anyone knows in particular what the mayor is up to today would be really interested to find out!

Have you tried contacting the town council to see if anyone there can help?

The Mayor and myself have been at a fundraising coffee morning at the Methodist Church Hall this morning hosted by Wanda and Peter and this afternoon we are at Dawlish Community College. The Mayor who was a pupil at the college 56 years ago will be addressing visitors from India, staff and pupils.  If you want to contact us our number is 864655.

Ooh thanks Linda, that's what I'm interested in, the Community College one.  My son was asked to be involved but couldn't really tell us what it was about!  Any more details would be brilliant.

Wonderful event at DCC. DCC exchanged teachers with a school in India.  The Indian teachers have spent a week at DCC. Today we presented them with a plaque from DTC and the Indian teachers answered questions from the students.  Very special afternoon.

I wonder if our Mayor and Mayoress understand that they are now in Purdah? 

They certainly are.

I wonder how many of our 'Voices for Dawlish' councillors elect will have the bottle (this time!) to declare their true allegiance.

Some of them have done a good job but they have to lose the deception - particularly as their agent has just picked up a 'citizen award'!

Everything I've read about election purdah says it starts on Monday 30th March 2015.

On this matter of VoD and/or Independent councillors.

The conundrum as I see it is this. And it is a conundrum that exists irresepective of any wider party political allegiance any individual VoD or Independent councillor may have. So, it affects all 'independent' councillors on all types of councils.

(and if what I am about to say is incorrect then please someone correct me. We have elections coming up and may well have people standing under an independent/VoD ticket so it's important we have the correct info.)

Okay, so the conundrum is this: as I understand it places on council committees are determined pro rata by the number of councillors representing particular political parties.

So, for example, council X has a total number of 46 councillors. Political party Y has 27 of those councillors, political party Z has 13 of those councillors and the other councillors are made up of Independents. So, Political party Y has control of the council and will have majority control of the council committee's as well. Political party Z has a pro rata number of councillors on the committees.

But what about the Independent representaton on the committees? How is that worked out? There are 6 of them? How is it decided which committees they sit on? They aren't a Group with party political allegiance are they? You could have Independents whose inclinations are towards the political Left as much as those with inclinations towards the political Right all being Independent councillors on the same council.

Unless of course they were to form an Independent Group and then of course they wouldn't be individually independent any more would they because they would have Group meetings and decide Group policy and be subject to the Group's whip (however informal that whip might operate).

Hasn't the Independent Group of councillors on Teignbridge District Council been supporting the Conservative adminstration for the past year or so? So, how can those Independent councillors be independent when they must be following a 'line' determined by er.........the Independent group of councillors?

Anyone?        

Often better to do a little research to prevent embarrassing oneself...

These councillors comprise the Independent Group on TDC (it has gotten larger over the past four years as I understand some councillors who were originally elected on the Conservative party ticket subsequently left the Conservative group and joined the Independents).

http://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/article/14041/Independent

note that as with any other political party the Independent Group also has a Leader.  

Teignbridge District Council announced that Purdah for them would start on Monday 23 March and Dawlish Town Council decided to follow suit. Purdah for the rest of the country starts on Monday 30th March. This was the reason why a number of applications for grants, including the one for the carnival, were heard at full council instead of the F&GP meeting held on Thursday 26th March as Purdah had commenced for DTC. 

Did TDC give any reasons for their having a 7 week purdah? I've tried to find out by searching and using various words and variations of words to see what TDC have to say on this matter but can't find anything.  

I feel embarrassed. 

Like a scene from Purdah She Wrote. 

@Lynne, no reasons were given. it is odd that they chose to start purdah a week earlier than the rest of the country and that DTC followed suit as they didn't need to. One of the consequences was that we had to make decisions on several grant applications at full council when it would have been far better to have heard them in the F&GP meeting where we have more time for deliberation.

Margaret, do you think that a different decision might have been given in respect of some grant applications had there been more time at F&GP meeting?    Any particular one in mind? 

Also, what was the significance of you wondering whether the Mayor and Mayoress understand that they are in purdah?  Was answering Flo's question a breach in some way? 

What about answering this Margaret?  Without backstabbing your colleagues and without distancing yourself from your voting record.  

I think I have really touched a nerve tonight looking at all your posts in the round!! 

If you make these statements you should at least be able to explain them. It was a reasonable and polite question, are you able to give a reasonable and polite response? 

Happy to answer. We will never know if different decisions would have been made if all the grant applications had gone to a full F&GP meeting where there would have been more time to explore them fully. The grants were all tabled as late items at a council meeting which already had a packed agenda. I did suggest that the F&GP meeting could be brought forward but for reasons unknown this did not happen. 

No significance, I was just wondering. Didn't realise that was against the law now!!