Postbag
Electors should stand up and be counted in 2008
SO that was 2007. What a year! Idiosyncrasies of weather apart it was dubious politics which predominated - and let us, the electors, down.
Will it change in the New Year and can we as individuals have any effect?
If we asked our councillors to investigate, it might, but too few of us will bother.
Despite the many good people elected, politicians as a whole have shown massive disregard for the views and opinions of the people who put their faith in them. That is true of every level of government from Number 10 down to our own doorsteps.
It is hardly necessary to spell out the details but the local examples are
important and demand every one of us to take an active interest. Our evident large scale inaction gives politicians too much rope.
When consultation is offered, the response is pathetic and the methods used are often suspect. Manipulation? Take
unitary government.
At no time did the department of culture and local government ask the electorate its views. Questions under the Freedom of Information Act were largely avoided either because the information was to be published in the future or because it involved internal government processes.
Going unitary was driven by the woman who is the county council leader. Her focus is her home base, Chippenham. The same woman lost a substantial lottery grant towards a new county record office because she put it on a redundant cattle market in, yes, Chippenham.
Scarcely a whimper from our councillors representing a district with more records than the rest of the county and Swindon put together! A small group of electors was gathered together, briefed without
independent observers present, to produce a predictable response.
Then we had the Bourne Hill fiasco thrown at us by one determined group who lost an election because they would not
listen. The right reasons but the wrong decision.
The new administration won on a
promise they could not fulfil because they did not bother to check the facts and the reduced compromise solution will cost more. Immoral? Both groups may have been steered away from the best solution by employees determined to stay,
unnecessarily, near the city centre.
An independent investigation should
follow but will it?
The Association of Council Taxpayers is the only independent body ready to help but not without much more support.
Best wishes for an elector active 2008.
JOHN ELLIS, Association of Council Taxpayer, South Wiltshire
12:27pm Thursday 10th January 2008
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CommentPosted by: John B. Pope, Tisbury on 3:01pm Fri 11 Jan 08
Best wishes to the Local Association of Tax Payers. As something of a pudding stirrer myself regret that your letter is the first that I have heard of any such local activity.
(Not the Taxing, but the Association). Thus it is one wonders what input the Association has when it comes to local affairs.
Do you field Candidates for any of the Local Councils in say Salisbury District, Parish,District or County. Is the Association's voice to be heard in any of the Political Parties? Are letters written to the local Press and Television beside that of John Ellis above.Does the Association run a Web site on the Community Webs, either the District or Wilts.Communigate? Those facilities are there to use.
In the District Council Elections last May, one two seat Ward of the District Council went uncontested, neither of the Political Parties whose Candidates won, had even bothered to put a second Party Candidate up for Election. Possibly your prior Correspondent is a member of his local(Parish) Council, if no with great respect why not?
Does the Association's membership bother to vote, write to or heckle Councillors, Go to Council meetings and take advantage of the opportunity extended to question councillors.
Some speak of consultation,there are plenty of opportunities to express ones point of view. It does not mean that Councillors have to agree with that point of view, none are delegates but sit to exercise their own judgement. If it so happens they have none, well maybe the fault is ours for letting them become Councillors. One must doubt the efficacy of the like of Parish Councillors having any say in Planning Matters whatsoever.
Our Tisbury Parish Council will not have had an Election for some 18 years'come next time'
Excellent though all our Councillors are, no one has elected any of them to their Office.It is no fault of theirs that they sit by default.
Maybe if criticism is due, it might best be levelled at those of us who criticise much, but make no attempt to stand for Election ourselves. Possibly the Electoral System is at Fault. Local Elections should be on the basis of one person one vote. Some have three votes in District Council Elections.
Best of luck to the Association. Please do publicise yourself more at the local level. Read the Papalscope web site on the Community Web.
Best wishes to the Local Association of Tax Payers. As something of a pudding stirrer myself regret that your letter is the first that I have heard of any such local activity.
(Not the Taxing, but the Association). Thus it is one wonders what input the Association has when it comes to local affairs.
Do you field Candidates for any of the Local Councils in say Salisbury District, Parish,District or County. Is the Association's voice to be heard in any of the Political Parties? Are letters written to the local Press and Television beside that of John Ellis above.Does the Association run a Web site on the Community Webs, either the District or Wilts.Communigate? Those facilities are there to use.
In the District Council Elections last May, one two seat Ward of the District Council went uncontested, neither of the Political Parties whose Candidates won, had even bothered to put a second Party Candidate up for Election. Possibly your prior Correspondent is a member of his local(Parish) Council, if no with great respect why not?
Does the Association's membership bother to vote, write to or heckle Councillors, Go to Council meetings and take advantage of the opportunity extended to question councillors.
Some speak of consultation,there are plenty of opportunities to express ones point of view. It does not mean that Councillors have to agree with that point of view, none are delegates but sit to exercise their own judgement. If it so happens they have none, well maybe the fault is ours for letting them become Councillors. One must doubt the efficacy of the like of Parish Councillors having any say in Planning Matters whatsoever.
Our Tisbury Parish Council will not have had an Election for some 18 years'come next time'
Excellent though all our Councillors are, no one has elected any of them to their Office.It is no fault of theirs that they sit by default.
Maybe if criticism is due, it might best be levelled at those of us who criticise much, but make no attempt to stand for Election ourselves. Possibly the Electoral System is at Fault. Local Elections should be on the basis of one person one vote. Some have three votes in District Council Elections.
Best of luck to the Association. Please do publicise yourself more at the local level. Read the Papalscope web site on the Community Web.
Posted by: John Ellis, Farley, Salisbury on 9:25pm Fri 11 Jan 08
In reply to the rambling comment by Mr Pope of Tisbury’s Papalscope (is Oct 2006 really Iis surprising that he cannot find ACT on adjacent pages or has he bothered to look?
Most of his questions are answered with clarity and, despite some antiquity, yes, I am a Parish Councillor! Go and look at:-
[bold]www.southwilts.com/s
ite/act-south-wilts/
about-act.htm[/bold] From there our own Website can be reached for even more information about us.
With a registered membership in excess of 400, The Association of Council Taxpayers, South Wiltshire is almost certainly the largest independent organisation concerned with the interests of electors and probably larger than the memberships of all the local political parties put together. But ACT is itself politically neutral.
Just like many other similar organisations, ACT is finding it difficult to generate reaction from its members to even the most critical issues that affect them. If it is not something at their front gates people take no interest. They are too busy.
If Wiltshire goes Unitary much of the blame will sit squarely on the heads of electors. They don’t even squeak when the most objectionable measures are imposed. Bourne Hill is an example.
Some squeak but not in the right way or the right place. To be effective get a likeminded group together with the facts carefully checked out and put it to your Councillors, insisting upon an prompt a full answer.
In reply to the rambling comment by Mr Pope of Tisbury’s Papalscope (is Oct 2006 really Iis surprising that he cannot find ACT on adjacent pages or has he bothered to look?
Most of his questions are answered with clarity and, despite some antiquity, yes, I am a Parish Councillor! Go and look at:-
www.southwilts.com/s
ite/act-south-wilts/
about-act.htm From there our own Website can be reached for even more information about us.
With a registered membership in excess of 400, The Association of Council Taxpayers, South Wiltshire is almost certainly the largest independent organisation concerned with the interests of electors and probably larger than the memberships of all the local political parties put together. But ACT is itself politically neutral.
Just like many other similar organisations, ACT is finding it difficult to generate reaction from its members to even the most critical issues that affect them. If it is not something at their front gates people take no interest. They are too busy.
If Wiltshire goes Unitary much of the blame will sit squarely on the heads of electors. They don’t even squeak when the most objectionable measures are imposed. Bourne Hill is an example.
Some squeak but not in the right way or the right place. To be effective get a likeminded group together with the facts carefully checked out and put it to your Councillors, insisting upon an prompt a full answer.
Posted by: John B. Pope, Tisbury on 2:42am Sun 13 Jan 08
I have duly noted the Comment;
‘In reply to the rambling comment by Mr Pope of Tisbury’s Papalscope (is Oct 2006 really Iis surprising that he cannot find ACT on adjacent pages or has he bothered to look? (Yes it is really mine)
For the Record I have this instant put
‘Association of Council Tax Payers’ into the Community Web Site and have received the response ‘No Pages found for The Association of Council Tax Payers’.
If one requests that the Community Data Base find ‘ACT.’ Two similar pages turn up advising that the site is under development. This is a better result than that one obtains if ‘Tisbury Parish Council’ is entered into the Search Box of the Community Web.
With great respect surely if one seeks to represent local Taxpayers, a good hunting ground is the Community Web. Goodness only knows whether anyone reads the thing, but when one of the Major Search Engines picks the site up one can register an astonishing number of hits.
I have a counter which the last time I looked, registered some 3,800,000 hits on a particular ‘rambling’ article. The facility is there for use, its excellent that you intend to advise the Local Community that you exist, now that I too know of your Association I will confirm that ‘ACT’ appears on Google
It is further regrettable to read that
‘Just like many other similar organisations, ACT is finding it difficult to generate reaction from its members to even the most critical issues that affect them. If it is not something at their front gates people take no interest. They are too busy.’
Regrettably too many of us see no correlation between cause and effect. If we fail to stand for Election to the Council, or like too many can not be bothered to vote in an Election maybe we have to put up with what we get.
We are then advised
‘If Wiltshire goes Unitary much of the blame will sit squarely on the heads of electors. They don’t even squeak when the most objectionable measures are imposed. Bourne Hill is an example. Some squeak but not in the right way or the right place. To be effective get a likeminded group together with the facts carefully checked out and put it to your Councillors, insisting upon an prompt a full answer.’
I have found little difficulty when approaching District Councillors, or Council Officers, and all comment is gracefully accepted, there is no need to ‘insist’ on anything. All have listened courteously , and those not subject to the Political Party Whip have been very helpful.
A Recent Tisbury Survey by TisVis reported back that 58% of the two Parishes couldn’t agree that our Parish Councils at the time of the Survey, responded ‘well to the views of the people of Tisbury’. Well of course we haven’t had yet another Election since then.
I have duly noted the Comment;
‘In reply to the rambling comment by Mr Pope of Tisbury’s Papalscope (is Oct 2006 really Iis surprising that he cannot find ACT on adjacent pages or has he bothered to look? (Yes it is really mine)
For the Record I have this instant put
‘Association of Council Tax Payers’ into the Community Web Site and have received the response ‘No Pages found for The Association of Council Tax Payers’.
If one requests that the Community Data Base find ‘ACT.’ Two similar pages turn up advising that the site is under development. This is a better result than that one obtains if ‘Tisbury Parish Council’ is entered into the Search Box of the Community Web.
With great respect surely if one seeks to represent local Taxpayers, a good hunting ground is the Community Web. Goodness only knows whether anyone reads the thing, but when one of the Major Search Engines picks the site up one can register an astonishing number of hits.
I have a counter which the last time I looked, registered some 3,800,000 hits on a particular ‘rambling’ article. The facility is there for use, its excellent that you intend to advise the Local Community that you exist, now that I too know of your Association I will confirm that ‘ACT’ appears on Google
It is further regrettable to read that
‘Just like many other similar organisations, ACT is finding it difficult to generate reaction from its members to even the most critical issues that affect them. If it is not something at their front gates people take no interest. They are too busy.’
Regrettably too many of us see no correlation between cause and effect. If we fail to stand for Election to the Council, or like too many can not be bothered to vote in an Election maybe we have to put up with what we get.
We are then advised
‘If Wiltshire goes Unitary much of the blame will sit squarely on the heads of electors. They don’t even squeak when the most objectionable measures are imposed. Bourne Hill is an example. Some squeak but not in the right way or the right place. To be effective get a likeminded group together with the facts carefully checked out and put it to your Councillors, insisting upon an prompt a full answer.’
I have found little difficulty when approaching District Councillors, or Council Officers, and all comment is gracefully accepted, there is no need to ‘insist’ on anything. All have listened courteously , and those not subject to the Political Party Whip have been very helpful.
A Recent Tisbury Survey by TisVis reported back that 58% of the two Parishes couldn’t agree that our Parish Councils at the time of the Survey, responded ‘well to the views of the people of Tisbury’. Well of course we haven’t had yet another Election since then.
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