HUNTINGDON town councillors have done a u-turn on a u-turn on a u-turn on the Priory Road cemetery grass cutting.
The state of the burial ground sparked outrage earlier this month, when former mayor Doug McIlwain highlighted the apparent lack of maintenance – said by the council to encourage biodiversity.
At a subsequent town council meeting, on July 5, the current mayor Colin Hyams proposed that the grass was cut immediately and the motion was passed.
However, councillors sitting on a leisure and community services committee on July 19 were asked to review the situation and decided not to cut all the grass after all.
When Mr McIlwain found out about the committee decision, he pointed out that it was contrary to the council’s standing orders – rules that govern how councillors act – and the decision should be quashed.
Cllr Hyams told The Hunts Post: “I have overturned their decision.
“The original decision was made by the town council at its main meeting. Inadvertently, the matter was included on the agenda of a leisure committee meeting that followed and councillors decided to investigate the situation further. The fact is, however, that the motion from the town council meeting stands for six months so, obviously, we have had to go back to that original motion. We are grateful to Doug for pointing that out. The grass will be cut immediately. This was a clerical oversight by the office and we have sorted it.”
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