Monday, May 24, 2010
Remember when you used to play spot the ball?
Do you remember when you used to play spot the ball? You made little crosses all over a picture of a few footballers about to kick a football and hopefully your cross landed on the centre of the ball ( which was invisible ) Well...it seems that Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council adopt the same spot the ball mentality when dealing with items that they really would prefer we didnt ask questions about. Here are six different versions of what they have told different people they were going to do, regarding discussing the options for Coatham at a cabinet meeting to be held today.
Who knows where the real truth lies?
1. The leader of the council told a member of the public by email on the 23rd of April, that the Coatham options section of the cabinet meeting on the 25th of May, would be open to the public because there was nothing confidential to discuss hence all items were on white papers.
2. However a week or so after this, the Coatham options section was omitted from the agenda for the cabinet meeting stating that the press and public would be exluded from these discussions and that it wouldn't be open to them?
3. Senior council officer Alan Logan backed this up by telling a member of our group that the Coatham options section would be discussed behind closed doors because there were commercially sensitive issues to be discussed that were tied into the options and AMAZINGLY that it wasn't in the best interests of the public to know?
4. The Gazettes political editor Sandy Mckenzie told me in an email on Friday last week ( 21st May ) that he had informed by 'the council' that the Coatham options section would be held in public again?
5. A senior councillor and cabinet member told a member of our group on Sunday night ( 23rd May ) that the Coatham options section of the cabinet meeting had been split into two. The options for Coatham were just going to be put forward at a date in the near future and then the confidential items would be discussed at a special meeting of the cabinet in about three weeks time.
6. On Monday the 24th May the head of regeneration and Alan Logans boss, Ian Wardle, then tells a member of our group that the Coatham options won't even be discussed because they haven't had time to prepare the papers for the meeting but that they would be discussed at another cabinet meeting to be held in three weeks time and the press and public will not be excluded?
Which one do you want to pick as being the truth? Does this sort of behaviour really constitute openness and transparency in local government?
Who knows where the real truth lies?
1. The leader of the council told a member of the public by email on the 23rd of April, that the Coatham options section of the cabinet meeting on the 25th of May, would be open to the public because there was nothing confidential to discuss hence all items were on white papers.
2. However a week or so after this, the Coatham options section was omitted from the agenda for the cabinet meeting stating that the press and public would be exluded from these discussions and that it wouldn't be open to them?
3. Senior council officer Alan Logan backed this up by telling a member of our group that the Coatham options section would be discussed behind closed doors because there were commercially sensitive issues to be discussed that were tied into the options and AMAZINGLY that it wasn't in the best interests of the public to know?
4. The Gazettes political editor Sandy Mckenzie told me in an email on Friday last week ( 21st May ) that he had informed by 'the council' that the Coatham options section would be held in public again?
5. A senior councillor and cabinet member told a member of our group on Sunday night ( 23rd May ) that the Coatham options section of the cabinet meeting had been split into two. The options for Coatham were just going to be put forward at a date in the near future and then the confidential items would be discussed at a special meeting of the cabinet in about three weeks time.
6. On Monday the 24th May the head of regeneration and Alan Logans boss, Ian Wardle, then tells a member of our group that the Coatham options won't even be discussed because they haven't had time to prepare the papers for the meeting but that they would be discussed at another cabinet meeting to be held in three weeks time and the press and public will not be excluded?
Which one do you want to pick as being the truth? Does this sort of behaviour really constitute openness and transparency in local government?
// posted by Chris McGlade @ 9:12 PM 
