At last night there was a number of issues.
First the room was packed out. Never have I seen so many people go there and other cllrs said that too never saw anything like it. Good to see that interest is growing in the PC and all it's do
The first thing to comment on is that the two cllrs that quit last month, we had to decide what to do with their seats. I said that we should go for a by election but all the other councillors said no and they decided to leave the seat open till the May elections. What is worth reporting at this point is that yet another Councillor resigned. So the Shevington PC is down to 6 cllrs rather than the standard 9.
More to follow.
I do believe there is room for change and ideas need to need be heard and looked into.
ReplyDeleteWhat i do find is you seem to have your own little agenda you are asking questions and wanting answers which is all well and good but what you also need to look at is your own behaviour at the meetings before condeming others. As your outburst are appaling.
You seem to have a little group that are supporting you which is your poragative, but to have them sat in the room and be ignorant when other people are talking and making sniggering sounds is very rude so if you want change then i would suggest that you start with the people that are attending for your support.
What an interest comment! Obviously this to me is one of the other members of the Parish Council or their close mates but yet they fail to either put their name or contact me directly to discuss ways forward. If they are open to change and want to work through change I can work so long as it is a positive step forward for the residents of Shevington.
ReplyDeleteLets look at the first ever Parish Council meeting which I attended, when I was first elected the first 20 minutes where personal attacks from the then Chairman towards myself and if any one thought that I would sit there and take that kind of abuse with out giving back, then they are sadly mistaken.
As for the small group that this person talks about, I would suggest with the recent new enquiry's from residents supporting the call for a referendum and the changes which I am calling for, i.e having the Parish Council more open and transparent, then I think this person will see the small group is growing. Also lets not forget the small group that actually elected me in the West Ward.
As for this person saying that my behaviour is appaling then I would suggest that this has been aimed at the PC Cllrs for many years from residents of Shevington in the way that they have handled themselves towards residents and the way the Parish Council has previously worked.
Rather than writing annonymous, why not contact me directly via email, telephone or speak with me after a meeting.
Forgot to say to this person I have never have nor never will ask people to attend to support me at meetings or write letters in annonymously, not like others. I would hope that people want to attend because they want too.
ReplyDeleteHaving read the first comment on this post, I just had to remark on it. But I think it is probably pertinent to say that I reside in Wigan Central and know Gareth this way rather than his work in Shevington.
ReplyDeleteWhilst not a natural Conservative voter, I was glad when Gareth left the Conservative Party, as it made it easier for me to vote for him. However, one thing that I know of Gareth is he does not suffer fools likely and whilst I know he can get a rough ride at times, he can without doubt give it back and I guess this is what the original person is stating in his outburst being appalling. But I do not believe that Gareth is a person that walks into a room and starts arguing for no apparent reason. Rather that, he was most likely attacked personally, like he was in the Town Hall for years and he reacts. Whether he reacting in the way that he does and if this is appropriate or not, that is his style, as I have learnt. Gareth did some eminent battles for us, in Wigan Central so I have seen what he is capable of.
And to probably guess what the anonymous person will respond with yes I am biased but if I were to give you some advice, Gareth is a person that you can work with if you want change and this change does not have to be hard. As the old saying goes, “It takes two to tango."
As for Gareth, good to see you have not lost it and can't wait for you to come back to us.
Not forgetting you being asked to produce proof that you have 800 plus names towards the petition it will be very interesting to see if you do produce the document.
ReplyDeleteI am not nor never have been invloved with the parish council but am a resident of Shevington, and have been for 40 years which is why i seem puzzled at your invloment and also amazed that you feel you need to bring the Parich Coucil down when you are not even from the parish yourself. You published a leaflet about the precept of 46% but what you did not explain in your publication that the top end of the scale is actually 21p.
So if you want things transparent then why not tell the public the exact cost to them rather then just printing 46%, so you can see my point that you yourself are not really being open either which to me is double standards.
With regards the last comment from anonymous you say that you wonder if I will produce the proof. Well if that person is in the know like they claim they will know the proof is already out there. Cllr Debbie Fairhurst had a picture taken with the petition before she put it in to the Council on the first occasion. Then the Council acknowledge that this did happen by reporting that it in the governance review report they produced.
ReplyDeleteYou say that you are not involved with the Parish - I think it is clearly proven in the post that you put on here and have sent me previously that you are.
You mention that I should be more open and transparent and that I am somehow being deceptive by reporting the 46.5% increase. The thing that gets me with people like you that report the pence per week figure is that is not open and transparent has that figure only relates to one band. There are several bands and rather than quoting a lowest figure Wigan Council has to report a figure that is generic. The only figure that is generic is the percentage figures as that is the same for every band. That figure is 46.5%.
You say in your last post that I can see your point - no I cannot you are simply choosing to use a figure that is not representative of EVERY band for convenience. As for double standards - what a laugh. I am as open as they come and have been. I am not a cllr that as served on Wigan Council and said I do not take free meals, drinks or claim expenses and then do. What I say is what I mean. I do not talk the talk, I walk the walk. I listen to reasonable debate and study the argument and facts and make a decision. This Shevington Parish Council was one of the most corrupt councils in the land, in my opinion. That is now changing partly down to external elements and another down to me. How’s that for being open and transparent.
PS What about a Parish Chairman voting for his own pay - no wonder he quit when I raised this.
Oh dear seems you read what you want to read i did say 21p being he highest band so anything below this will be less.This figure was actually read out at the meeting as being the highest so to me fact is fact.So again you did the scare tactic by printing the percentage, also if there had been no rise i have no doubt you would not even be interested in the Prish Council.
ReplyDeleteAlso you have another Anonymous repling but you do not ask them to put names to it oh but that must be because they are in your favour, you see i am just stating facts.
You did not even answer the question that i put what is your interest in this Parish council when you do not live in the Parish.
Is this someting you are looking at moving to this Parish if not then what are your true interest.
Talking the talk is correct as you seem to do a lot of it.
No I do not read what I want to read I want to be fair to all bands and report the generic figure. If this is scare tactics then you might as well blame Wigan Council as this is the organisation that quite rightly reported.
ReplyDeleteYou are right their is another annonmous and I did not addresss that sorry ....but I do not think that what they wroted was asking a question(s). The way this blog is written is so people can not leave their name. The fist post that you wrote was about the Parish Council chnaging but you do not say how they could change for the residents of Shevington.
You are right that I do not live in the Parish and when a by election was called numberous residents from several areas asked me to stand as they thought I was the right person for the job. Goven that residents of Appley Bridge elected me I guess they thought so too.
As for talking I do do a lot of it and I back up my talk with actions too.
O, I do like this waffle. As for doing I can say this..."I say what I am going to do and I do what I say!"
ReplyDeleteIf in May of next year we do get the result that we want then there will be no question the first meeting will be to get the referendum under way and, even though I am personally against another level of Bureaucracy, it will be ultimately up to the resident of the Parish to have their say if they want to keep the Parish Council or not.