Face the Public Meetings

[admin]

SENIOR borough councillors with key roles will 'face the public' at two neighbourhood forum meetings next week as part of Hartlepool Council's push to encourage public participation with local residents and the business community.


Following the Referendum and abolition of the directly-elected mayor system in May of this year - which will save the Council £1.4m over the next ten years - the Council is now run by a council leader and a committee system which provides more opportunities for local people to be involved in the decision-making process.

Neighbourhood forum meetings will take place on Wednesday 10 July and local people are being encouraged to attend and air their views.

The North & Coastal forum takes place at the Civic Centre starting at 10am while the South & Central forum takes place at the same venue starting at 2pm.

The North & Coastal forum is chaired by Councillor Sylvia Tempest and the South and Central forum is chaired by Councillor Kevin Cranney.

Hartlepool Council Leader, Councillor Christopher Akers-Belcher, will give a short presentation at both meetings on the Council's financial position following George Osborne's Spending Review earlier this week and members of the public will then have the opportunity to ask questions.

The chairs of the Council's four other policy committees will also be present to answer questions on their areas of responsibility. The committees are Children's Services, Adult Services, Neighbourhood Services and Regeneration Services.

Council Leader, Christopher Akers-Belcher said: "Following the abolition of the directly-elected mayor system, we are determined that the new Council will be a listening council that takes local people's views onboard.

"With the significant cutbacks in Government grant, the Council faces some massive challenges over the next few years but the views of local people are important to us in helping to plan for the future.

"The Neighbourhood Forum meetings are one of several opportunities that local people now have to voice their opinions and I hope people do come along to join in the debate which will help shape our town's future."

At the North & Coastal forum there will also be an update on the Council's environmental enforcement role including tackling dog fouling and people dropping litter.

Further details of how residents can get involved with Hartlepool Council are in the current edition of Hartbeat. Alternatively, pick up a booklet from the Civic Centre or any library.

Press release PR16663   2 July 2013.
Issued by Alastair Rae, Public Relations Manager, on 01429 523510

[tankerville]

Central Forum meetings were a farce councillors asking questions instead of the public Lillian Southeran was the Chair she allowed you 30 seconds to speak however if you were a Labour Supporter you could talk indefinitely.

She spoke to a non labour councillor while outside the Council chamber drinking her coffee.

I hope you haven't come here this morning to cause F*****G Trouble? Charming or what.

There was a lot of shaking of heads but that was about it a total and complete waste of time & money.

Oh and both Cllr Morris & Lauderdale were fast asleep.

And H.B.C. wondered why no one bothered attending these forums. I for one certainly won't be there.

[steveL]

Most people are at work... Why don't they have them at a time that people who work for a living can actually attend?

I would have thought the answer to that one was rather obvious. If people turn up then they would only start to ask questions . . . where would it all end?

Thinking about it, I think I know the answer to that one too. 

[fred c]

I echo Tankervilles sentiments, i attended about half a dozen Central Area forums several years ago, they were a complete waste of time, Cllrs ended up with a list of where the Dog Sh**e was.

[brassed off monkey]

You have it in one Perseus.

"Our Dear Leader" doesn`t want any engagement with the electorate, we have seen by the reaction of the ruling group to the questions asked by Mr D Riddle to Cllr G Hall, the Cllr was unable to formulate a answer without having to resort to Bluster & Threats.

That is why they did away with Public Questions as soon as possible.

We should all be asking the Questions, what have they got to hide ? why have we had to have a Public Inquiry into the running of the council & the behaviour of certain Councillors ?

[Inspector Knacker]

I attended a meeting that was highjacked by one individual who could talk underwater, going on and and on  about the frequency at which the roadsweepers went past his house  (which he timed). Even when given an explanation, he then carried on where he left off ..... we left.

[stokoe]

I attended a meeting that was highjacked by one individual who could talk underwater, going on and and on  about the frequency at which the roadsweepers went past his house  (which he timed). Even when given an explanation, he then carried on where he left off ..... we left.

he wants to think himself lucky riddler,cos our roads like a shithouse.

[Inspector Knacker]

I know I'm a world weary cynic, but why are they dragging out the corpse of 'consultation'  to parade it in front of the massed throng of their clamouring public, at  a time searching questions while be conspicuous by their absence. Glib presntations followed by glib jibber jabber, the comatosed throng leave reassured as both of them walk out blinking into the sunlight.
Trying to get in touch with the public in this case looks like sex between two skeletons,. A lot of noise, but never a cat in hells chance of anything being produced........ why don't they just buy a massive hot air balloon, put their pouting pictures on the side and tether it above the town.... Orwell would approve.

[Hartlepudlion]

Riddler5. do you think your 'complainer' could have been a Labour mole hogging the floor so no genuine participant could get a word in!

[tankerville]

Similar meeting were held in Council Chamber with Mayor Stuart Drummond " anyone remember him"? and Cabinet Members.

Senior Officers sat to the side of the room taking notes or just observing events.

A member of the public stood up when indicated to do so by the Mayor. To ask a question directed it Cllr Peter Jackson the Portfolio Holder for whatever.

It was not a difficult or awkward question Cllr Jackson flustered & Blustered searching for an answer going red in the face clearly embarrassed.

He then pointed to Dave Stubbs and said out loud.. ASK HIM!

The mayor and other Cabinet Members looked most surprised it was hardly the done thing, after all he 'Peter Jackson' was the person who had agreed to carry this out, so he should have given the answer

But I suppose without a script to follow it must have been difficult to think for himself and give a plausible answer or merely say to the gentleman. I will speak to you later on this matter.

[steveL]

Interesting post as it also describes fairly accurately the reaction of Marjorie James when Riddle asked his now famous supplementary question of her as Chair of the then Scrutiny function. She had walked to the lectern confidently holding her pre-prepared script, which was the response to his submitted question but, when it came to the unscripted supplementary, she was all over the place. She was constantly looking at her labour colleagues with a forlorn look that had 'HELP' written all over it.

I don't think it was her inability to provide a coherent answer that was the problem, it was more the risk that an ad-hoc answer, that hadn't been previously sanctioned, might land her in trouble with the labour group.

Soon afterwards, supplementary questions were banned.

[DRiddle]

For anyone that's interested, here are the questions Steve mentioned above. All the questions were put to Councillor James.

My question relates to an article in the Hartlepool Mail published on Wednesday 5th September 2012, which carried the headline 'Town on the breadline'. In the article Councillor James correctly anticipated the potential need for food banks within the town due to proposed cuts in council tax benefit.
I am aware we now have a sizeable food bank working hard to help families across the town, however, in the article Councillor James also spoke of the potential need to provide vulnerable people with "additional support for heating and clothing".

"Given the success of the 'food bank' initiative and the imminent arrival of what is likely to be a cold winter, have the council made any progress in addressing the issue of 'additional support for heating and clothing' as suggested by Councillor James in an article published by The Mail on September 5th 2012?"

Supplementary question number 1.

In the same article in The Mail, on Wednesday 15th September, Councillor James also asserted that because of the cut in council tax benefit, Hartlepool would, quote "have an increase in children coming into care", end quote. In real terms, the 10% cut in council tax benefit scheduled for 2013 amounts to £1.74 per week for the majority of households affected.

As a public sector employee who works with children every day, some of whom are caught up in the care system, I KNOW, that the primary reasons children end up in care are: Sexual abuse, Physical abuse, medical neglect, incarceration (of a parent), abandonment, or death (of a parent). I have yet to meet a child, in ten years of working with the daily, who has wound up in the care system, due to a parental benefit cut of £1.74 per week.
My question therefore, is "Would you be willing to retract that statement made in the article, and acknowledge on the record, that at best it was totally ill informed, and at worst, could be interpreted to be deliberate scare mongering in already vulnerable communities?"

Supplementary question 2.


In the same article in The Mail, on Wednesday 15th September, there are various references to charitable organisations, the 'people's relief of pressure' and their soup kitchen, the town wide churches together food banks to name but two. There is also a third quote from Councillor James that the cuts I referred to in my first question were evidence that the government would quote, "Screw Hartlepool to the wall", end quote.
In light of the recent peer review findings, there is a growing belief amongst the Hartlepool public, that if anyone is 'screwing Hartlepool to the wall', it is potentially councillors, for whom such Charitable ventures, are little for than vehicles for the "pursuit of self interest".

As a result, my question is "Would the council support a FULL independent inquiry into the connections between existing, or former councillors, and Community Interest Groups and such like, with whom they have significant connections, and an obvious potential conflict of interest in terms of funding allocated? Would you support such an inquiry?"

At that point she muttered something about that being a question to the whole council and not her and legged it back to her seat.

Then came the frantic debate and motion from Councillor Lilley that led to all the Labour lot (except Brash) freaking out and going "NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOooo!"

However, our council leaders have stated that they removed supplementary questions to INCREASE the publics opportunity to ask questions... and i for one believe them.