June 2019
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17
News
Petty party politics return to town council at AGM
New faces in the Conservative group on Bradley Stoke Town Council (l-r): Cllr Michael Hill, Cllr Nikki Hallur and Cllr Ed Rose
F
ollowing the recent local elections, Bradley Stoke Town Council welcomed four new members at the new administration’s annual general meeting on Wednesday 15th May. But the presence of one new Labour member and two independents seemed to have rattled the majority Conservative group, which had enjoyed the luxury of holding all 15 seats on the council during the previous eight years. Signs that everything was not going to be plain sailing emerged even before the meeting had started, with one of the new Conservatives suggesting that it wouldn’t be appropriate for party colleagues to appear alongside the sole Labour member in a ‘new faces’ photo for the Journal. The theme continued once the meeting got under way, with veteran Conservative councillor Roger Avenin calling for proportional representation along party lines to be observed in the allocation of members to each of the council’s three committees. The request was ruled inadmissible by the town clerk who pointed out that there is no such requirement within the council’s standing orders (rule book). This cleared the way
for the three non-Conservative members to each volunteer to sit on all three committees. Later in the meeting, the persistent Cllr Avenin raised the matter of proportionality again, suggesting that standing orders should be amended to incorporate this, as well as fixing the size of each committee. When the town clerk remarked that “most parish council aren’t operated along party lines and that’s how it should be,” she received a swift rebuke from Cllr Avenin, who said it wasn’t her place to express opinions. Officers were asked to report back to the next meeting with regard to the points raised.
The outgoing mayor, Cllr Ben Randles, welcomed everyone to the annual general meeting (AGM) and explained that it was his pleasure, as his last action in the role of mayor of the town, to present cheques to the two beneficiaries of the Mayor’s Charity Fund. A total of £8,217.42 had been raised over the past year, to be split equally (£4,108.71 each) between the West of England MS Therapy Centre and the Stroke Association. Amy Spencer, regional fundraising manager for the Stroke Association, attended the meeting and accepted their cheque.
The Only Cure for Litter is YOU KEEP Bradley Stoke
Cllr Fabrizio Fazzino (Labour)
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