Council conflict reigns supreme
The view from ACE: Extracts from a letter Whatever opinion people hold on ACE, or the Corn Exchange, it cannot be denied that the ACE message has been clear and consistent throughout, which is more than can be said for the town council, where confusion,
The view from ACE: Extracts from a letter
Whatever opinion people hold on ACE, or the Corn Exchange, it cannot be denied that the ACE message has been clear and consistent throughout, which is more than can be said for the town council, where confusion, chaos, conflict and contradiction reign supreme.
...The mayor's (Cllr Deborah Reynolds) previous attempts to convince us all that only a small percentage of St Ives residents, certainly nobody in the north of St Ives, knows or cares about the Corn Exchange were quashed when one of her fellow councillors, Cllr John Vickery, informed us that everyone including the council is now fully aware of public opinion and the overwhelming level of support in the town for reopening the Corn Exchange. In his opinion, it is only a question of money.
Why this change of direction on public opinion I wonder? Is the council perhaps steeling itself for the overwhelmingly positive results of the current ACE questionnaire?
...We were informed that the town clerk's day is being 'disrupted' by matters to do with the sale of the Corn Exchange, and so the services of Ted Bocking are to be enlisted once more, enabling the town clerk to concentrate on the more mundane day-to-day running of the town hall. Very odd proposal indeed from Cllr Reynolds to exclude the 'proper officer' of the town council - recently appointed based on her proven expertise and professionalism - from one of the most important issues ever to be decided and administered by St Ives Town Council.
...Most telling was the absence of any discussion on important documents received by councillors this week, namely a letter from the district council detailing planning considerations for the Corn Exchange (despite being on the agenda), and a letter from the assistant director of the Development Trust Association offering to the town council the benefit of his wide experience of community facilities, which could prove invaluable in regenerating the Corn Exchange.
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...Cllr Angela Bush declared that it could be months before the Corn Exchange is sold. Cllr Reynolds told us minutes later that the sale is imminent.
How are we supposed to know what and whom to believe? Does Cllr Reynolds possess more information than other councillors?
...Wednesday evening's proceedings were a farce. The mayor has compared the council with the "board of a firm". I think not. Any business run like this, and which treated its customers the way the town council treated its electors, would be closing the doors for good.
...This council is becoming a laughing stock and people are commenting that some town councillors are no longer seen on the streets of St Ives. I wonder why.
St Ives surely deserves better than this.
Jan Dobson, Rookery Close, St Ives
