The thing about musical chairs,is that when the music stops, someone is without a seat….
There’s an item at the next full District Council? meeting about committee places. With Jamie Burton leaving UKIP and Labour gaining a seat in the recent by-election, this means committee places have to be re-jigged – parties lose or gain a committee place or two.? This is rather more significant than usual because the Development Committee has been slashed in size from all members to just 13!? As a result there are just two seats to be shared – between the three smallest groups -? Labour, Lib Dem and UKIP. One group? is going to be unlucky here, and if all three groups put a name forward it will go to a vote, where the Conservative Group will be in a position to determine the outcome.
Similar decisions will need to be taken about other committees. The situation is exactly the same for Audit, Investment Board, Licensing and Review – 2 places to be shared between the three smallest parties.
The Lib Dem nominations will be:
Ron Oatham – Licensing
Chris Black- Development, Audit and Investment Board.
Whatever happens, these committee places are only until the next elections in May. In those elections there will be three Councillors elected for the newly enlarged Downhall and Rawreth Ward.? If we win all three seats we definitely get a place on Development and some other committees.
Even if another seat was given out , the way it has been set up assures Tory dominance on any vote overall , the only way to get effective representation
is taking enough seats off existing incumbents. Hopefully the Wards served by London Rd will now change hands due to the over-development –
Kingsley Grange 140
Countryside 500+
Timber Grove 91
Grange Villa 46
Probably RTSSC in due course
Jim, there has to be Tory dominance, they have a majority of Councillors. The legal rules are that if a party has a majority of Councillors, they have to have a majority of seats on every committee, unless the whole council agrees otherwise. Once that is done, seats are shared out pro-rata amongst groups.
Admin – I do understand , hence my “only way to get effective representation is taking enough seats……..” , my point being that a large majority combined with a Cabinet style set up with decisions taken in small groups ( committees ) equals very little representation of diverse views. For an example –
London Road and side roads are going to feel the impact of at least 3 new sites;
years of heavy construction traffic ( that will not even be assessed ) followed
by the resultant additional domestic traffic ( which will be under-assessed as usual). Even Countryside’s light weight traffic appraisal identified problems so
add on Timber Grove / Grange Villa and probably a surrounded RTSSC in due course, never mind School Places / Doctor – Dentist visits or a seat on the Train.
Grange / Sweyne / Wheatley Wards would yield 6 seats next May – if the public are minded to make their point via the only route available to them.