Conservatives Abolish Area Panels: Are They Afraid of the Public? (Saffron Walden Constituency Liberal Democrats)

Saffron Walden Constituency Liberal Democrats <info@saffronwaldenlibdems.org.uk>

Conservatives Abolish Area Panels: Are They Afraid of the Public?

May 29, 2008 12:36 AM

Uttlesford's ruling Conservative councillors are centralising power by abolishing area panels.

Uttlesford District Council's ruling Conservative councillors have abolished the Council's powerful and effective area panels and replaced them with toothless talking shops modelled on the useless area forums run by Essex County Council.

Cllr Alan Dean, Liberal Democrat Member for Stansted said, "The deputy leader of Uttlesford District Council, Cllr. Jackie Cheetham, should be more open and accurate in her public defence of the Conservatives' actions. The Conservatives are deliberately taking decision-making further away from local people. Cllr. Cheetham claims that the same model of (councillor) membership will be used for the larger community forums as previously applied to the smaller area panels. That is misleading. The local councillors will now have 'their hands tied behind their backs' to prevent them voting".

Alan Dean continued, "The three former area panels had decision-making and advisory powers. Because of their increased size, the two new forums are prevented from even making advisory comments for the Council to consider and are prevented from making any decisions. They will be completely toothless talking shops. Anything they say will be vetted by the ruling Conservative council group.

"Cllr Jackie Cheetham claims that the new forums will consult parish councils, yet the Conservatives failed before the first hurdle. The District Council recently wrote to over 50 parish councils on whether or not to scrap the decision-making area panels. Uttlesford District Council's own charter with parish councils commits to allowing six weeks for responses. The Conservatives allowed less than three weeks. Only five parish councils found time to reply. All five rejected the switch to community forums. Two out of the three members of the public who participated also disagreed with the Conservatives."

Cllr Dean concluded, "Disappointingly, Conservatives did not take the slightest notice of this near universal opposition. Once again, Uttlesford Conservatives are determined to ignore any opinion apart from their own. Even the Audit Commission, which recently commended area panels, has been blown a raspberry."