Whose Getting Rattled Then? (01/03/07)
Hi - there was a telling incident in the Full Council last Monday night. I could be wrong - but I felt more than a little electioneering was in the air. I’ll let these email threads tell their own story.
----- Original Message -----
From: chris
To: jeremy-oates@tamworth.gov.uk
Cc: Briggs, Kevin ; Dawn_Fellowes@mrn.co.uk ; Councillors ; Dennis Powick ; laura.vickers@cintamworth.co.uk
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 1:43 PM
Subject: 26/02/07 Full Council Question To Council Leader Jeremy Oates
Dear Jeremy
I refer to my question to you at last night's Full Council meeting which was as follows:
"Tamworth Council is responsible for subsidising reduced fares on Tamworth's Arriva Buses. Since Arriva has decided to accept only one form of ID for concessionary fares for young people (a card called CitizenCard) does the Leader of the Council accept that our Council has a duty to scrutinise this decision of Arriva, including the suitability of the CitizenCard itself, and the process Arriva took to make this decision."
There must be something of a hint of electioneering in the air, for rather than give me a reply you castigated me for not understanding my role as a councillor and not knowing how to put an item onto a Scrutiny Committee agenda. I made clear in my supplementary that it was your opinion I was after - yet still you refused to reply and continued your scornful castigation.
This was a serious question, and one which you might have thought would have had a lot of sympathy from Conservatives generally. I do need a reply. You'll note away from the fevered atmosphere of the Council chambers that Council Officers and the Cabinet itself are more than entitled to "scrutinise" issues. They do it already - all the time. It is not necessary to be tied to the formal setting of a Scrutiny Committee.
You should also be aware that far from "not understanding" how to put an item onto a Scrutiny Agenda you may confirm with External Scrutiny Chair Cllr Lee Bates that I am the ONLY councillor who has so far followed the proper process of putting an item to his committee - and I did that some months ago. Yet even then that single item has not yet been programmed for scrutiny and it looks as if it will not be discussed - certainly not before May. The Arriva issue is more urgent than that.
Therefore I would also be grateful to accept an apology from you for your remarks last night.
Regards
Cllr Chris Cooke.
------------this first response from Cllr Lee Bates---------------
----- Original Message -----
From: Bates, Lee
To: chris ; Oates, Jeremy
Cc: Briggs, Kevin ; Dawn_Fellowes@mrn.co.uk ; Councillors ; Dennis Powick ; laura.vickers@cintamworth.co.uk
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 3:01 PM
Subject: RE: 26/02/07 Full Council Question To Council Leader Jeremy Oates
Dear Chris,
Regarding your comments about External Scrutiny, I can confirm that you have been the only councillor to submit a scrutiny summary sheet and I thank you for doing that, however I do have to point out which has been explained to you on numerous occasions and you have been more than happy with the answer that due to the work programme External Scrutiny has undertaken in 2006/2007 with important issues such as the county’s Changing Lives policy, Operation Team Work, Parked Cars on Grass Verges, yours was proposed to be the next issue that External Scrutiny looked at along with the cleaning up of the lakes and water ways which was agreed by the committee as part of their work programme when the committee formed, however due to your insistence that ‘Floride in the water’ be treated as a separate issue I did point out at the last meeting that we would try our very best to get this in before May or it may have to wait pending the work programme and again you agreed to this.
After the full council meeting last night I spoke with yourself and Cllr Simon Peaple about the issue of the subsidy of reduced fares on Tamworth’s Arriva Buses and offered to try and put this on the agenda before May but it was for you to decide which was the more important issue relevant to the people of Tamworth, is it ‘Floride in the Water’? or ‘Subsidy Fares’? I will gladly bring this up at the next scrutiny meeting and if you would like to make a proposal either way it can be brought up for the committee to decide.
Scrutiny is Independent and Non Political and I value that process, as Chairman of External Scrutiny I am happy to discuss items with members and put on the agenda what councillors want on there regardless of political colour, working together as councillors on issues like the ones already covered by External Scrutiny have positive outcomes.
Regards
Lee.
Cllr Lee Bates
Chairman of External Scrutiny.
PS: On a personal note as a councillor I do recall the leader of the council saying that he actually sympathised with anyone who is suffering under this scheme.
---------------reply to Cllr Lee Bates------------
----- Original Message -----
From: chris
To: Bates, Lee ; Oates, Jeremy
Cc: Briggs, Kevin ; Dawn_Fellowes@mrn.co.uk ; Councillors ; Dennis Powick ; laura.vickers@cintamworth.co.uk
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 4:37 PM
Subject: Re: 26/02/07 Full Council Question To Council Leader Jeremy Oates
Dear Lee
Thanks for that confirmation.
I do agree that the external Scrutiny Committee has been performing important work, not least the very important Care Homes topic and the generally agreed issue of selling cars from the town's grass verges. I am grateful for the hard work you clearly put into the task of Chairman of that committee.
As to the flouridisation of water supplies - I thought it was fairly clear and agreed by the Committee that it was a very different issue to river and lake cleanliness and uses generally. Not least of which is that Severn Trent has responsibility for one whilst South Staffs Water Co. has responsibility for the other. The issue of lakes and rivers was not added to the programme until after I had put in the flouridisation topic and then it was tagged into that. It was obvious that the two should be dealt with separately. Now it seems the lakes and rivers issue has acquired priority - which by the way I do not object to if other members feel that it is the more important issue for Tamworth. But it does raise the serious question of when our Scrutiny Committee might get around to discussing the topic of Arriva buses concessionary fares. As I said, I felt it was important for the Council to deal with this sooner rather than later - and this could have been done at Officer and Cabinet level.
I also thank you for last night approaching me and offering to put the Arriva issue onto the waiting list for the External Scrutiny programme. Water flouridisation is the more important issue to me - but that is a personal opinion. Arriva concessionary fares would perhaps be more important to others. Under those circumstances I think it is fairest that the topic first put forward gets dealt with first - unless there are really burning and agreed reasons as to why another issue should be given priority.
I believe you have done an excellent job as Chairman of the External Scrutiny Committee. As you say it has been completely non-political and you have gone to great lengths to ensure that the process is fair. I very much appreciate that. I hope you don't think that my comments below were in any way any criticism of your chairmanship. The Committee has also produced some very useful work - and mostly without the aid of a vice-chairman as noted at the last meeting. You deserve congratulating for this and I hope you don't mind if I take this opportunity to do so.
With kind regards
Chris Cooke
'
PS - Yes, on the supplementary question the Leader did indeed say he sympathised with anybody caught out by this "Citizencard only" ruling. However that did not answer the original question and he continued to pour scorn on my question.
--------- Next response was from Cllr Steven Pritchard (with C. Cooke reply comments interspersed)------
----- Original Message -----
From: chris
To: Pritchard, Steven
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 7:55 PM
Subject: Re: 26/02/07 Full Council Question To Council Leader Jeremy Oates
Hi Steve
Thanks for your email. I haven't sent this to other councillors etc. because it probably isn't appropriate. But I have just interspersed a few comments below (in fuchsia) in your remarks. I don't expect you to agree - but as you have commented - I thought I should reply.
Thanks
Chris
'
'----- Original Message -----
From: Pritchard, Steven
To: chris ; Oates, Jeremy
Cc: Briggs, Kevin ; Dawn_Fellowes@mrn.co.uk ; Councillors ; Dennis Powick ; laura.vickers@cintamworth.co.uk
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 7:10 PM
Subject: RE: 26/02/07 Full Council Question To Council Leader Jeremy Oates
Chris
I have to agree that there did seem to be a degree of electioneering in the Chamber last night.
It was painful to see such a lack of constructive input from the opposition in the Chamber, and we instead had to listen to opportunist headline seeking, the 0% amendment and the belated move from the Labour Group to finally join the campaign to fight the closure of Staffordshire Care homes. (Not my job to defend Labour!)
I am genuinely sorry that you feel that you were castigated by the leader of the Council.
I did feel that he was very strong in his response.
He was however totally correct with his answer. (In the light of my response today to Jeremy can you explain why you think his non-answer was a correct reply? And how can his assertion that I did not understand my role as a councillor be correct?)
I believe that you must know that we as Councillors, or the Borough Council, have no actual control of private enterprise companies who offer various services to the Borough. (We were talking about a subsidy here which we, as Tamworth Council, hand over to Arriva - over which we most certainly should - and do - have control. Therefore it is debatable that this might even be a matter for external scrutiny)
The correct forum for your concerns is through the Scrutiny processes. (My question was not about my concern but whether the Leader himself had that concern and was that concern sufficient for him to want to see it scrutinised. After that the formal Scrutiny process may have been one avenue - but that does not preclude scrutiny at Tamworth Council Officer and Cabinet level. I feel my question was very clear on this.)
May I suggest that if you need to discuss issues with the Councils policies and services you have, it may be an idea to discuss informally your thoughts with friends on more than one side of the Council Chamber. (I'm a fairly open person and I had in fact already spoken to a number of councillors on both sides about my concerns on Arriva's subsidy system. Response was lukewarm, with some interest - but it led nowhere.)
You may find that a balanced view helps you to be truly independent. Agreed! But as Labour and Tory agree on so much I do find it helpful to temper their statements with my own views. :-)
I am BTW still awaiting a reply from Jeremy for
a) a proper answer to last night's question and
b) An apology.
That's all my email today was about. thanks - Chris
Regards……….Steven
------------------That’s All (for now?) Folks ---------------------
EXCEPT - HAVE YOU NOTICED WHO STILL HASN’T REPLIED? That’s right! The Council Leader himself - even though the email was addressed to him.
Well ..... maybe his computers down ......... or something??
