As a resident of Denbighshire in 2015, I am frequently amazed and bewildered by the decisions being taken by my local council. But before I discuss the various decisions, let me first draw your attention to the manner with which they are being made.
Under the existing constitution of my local council (last amended on December 9th 2014), it is defined very clearly that our elected County Councillors are obliged to promote active citizenship (among other things). So what exactly is meant by active citizenship? If you take to the internet, you will be none the wiser as a plethora of suggestions confront you. I know how I would interpret it but I may be wrong. It sounds to me as though it is calling for members of the public to become more active in their dealings with their local County Councillors. Hence, active citizens.
But this just illustrates one of the main flaws in the current system. I doubt if anyone knows what this means so it is therefore questionable why my local council uses such expressions when clarity is in such poor supply. Another stated requirement of local County Councillors is that they become a channel of communication on council strategies, policies, services and procedures. I am bound to say that I am still waiting for this to happen.
Last November and last January, a local group called Denbighshire Voice held two public meetings attended by over 90 people in total. This group was doing the job of the locally elected County Councillors where I live. By engaging with the local public, we were arguably far more worthy of the County Councillor salary than the incumbent. That is really sad because all this has been taking place at a time when my local council has been faced with making £17 million of cuts to public services over a 2 year period. That they have failed to consult with the public is little short of a disgrace. Although elections are due to take place again two years hence in 2017, this behaviour is being allowed to prosper unchallenged in the meantime. But who are the losers?
Just last week, the cabinet voted unanimously to put an end to Welsh language education at Ysgol Pentrecelyn. Despite advice to the contrary from the Welsh Assembly government, they have also elected to plough ahead with another "consultation" to close the Church of Wales primary school in Llanbedr. And all of these decisions are being made with no attempt to consult with the people who live in these areas and who stand to be the most affected. That is an appalling indictment of the current system but it also reflects badly on the local population. Let me explain.
In any partnership, it is the responsibility of both parties to voice their concerns when they are unhappy. The local public have the same obligation to engage with their locally elected County Councillors. I have to say that I have seen too little evidence of this. In my county, there are over 95,000 people. It is incumbent on all of them to make their voices heard. That is why https://www.facebook.com/groups/741737152583271/ Denbighshire Voice Llais Sir Ddinbych was established - to give everyone a conduit through which to voice their concerns.
This week, the local council overturned their own ridiculous decision to try and ban taxi drivers from wearing shorts. That was in no small part due to the signatures of over 500 people on a petition protesting at the the silliness of such a move. A few months ago, another petition realised the signatures of over 5000 people. That petition was in protest at the proposal to close three council-run care homes. The latter has been largely ignored as they pursue their quest to close these highly prized community assets.
Last November, this group of dissatisfied local people asked for answers to three very simple questions:-
Under the existing constitution of my local council (last amended on December 9th 2014), it is defined very clearly that our elected County Councillors are obliged to promote active citizenship (among other things). So what exactly is meant by active citizenship? If you take to the internet, you will be none the wiser as a plethora of suggestions confront you. I know how I would interpret it but I may be wrong. It sounds to me as though it is calling for members of the public to become more active in their dealings with their local County Councillors. Hence, active citizens.
But this just illustrates one of the main flaws in the current system. I doubt if anyone knows what this means so it is therefore questionable why my local council uses such expressions when clarity is in such poor supply. Another stated requirement of local County Councillors is that they become a channel of communication on council strategies, policies, services and procedures. I am bound to say that I am still waiting for this to happen.
Last November and last January, a local group called Denbighshire Voice held two public meetings attended by over 90 people in total. This group was doing the job of the locally elected County Councillors where I live. By engaging with the local public, we were arguably far more worthy of the County Councillor salary than the incumbent. That is really sad because all this has been taking place at a time when my local council has been faced with making £17 million of cuts to public services over a 2 year period. That they have failed to consult with the public is little short of a disgrace. Although elections are due to take place again two years hence in 2017, this behaviour is being allowed to prosper unchallenged in the meantime. But who are the losers?
Just last week, the cabinet voted unanimously to put an end to Welsh language education at Ysgol Pentrecelyn. Despite advice to the contrary from the Welsh Assembly government, they have also elected to plough ahead with another "consultation" to close the Church of Wales primary school in Llanbedr. And all of these decisions are being made with no attempt to consult with the people who live in these areas and who stand to be the most affected. That is an appalling indictment of the current system but it also reflects badly on the local population. Let me explain.
In any partnership, it is the responsibility of both parties to voice their concerns when they are unhappy. The local public have the same obligation to engage with their locally elected County Councillors. I have to say that I have seen too little evidence of this. In my county, there are over 95,000 people. It is incumbent on all of them to make their voices heard. That is why https://www.facebook.com/groups/741737152583271/ Denbighshire Voice Llais Sir Ddinbych was established - to give everyone a conduit through which to voice their concerns.
This week, the local council overturned their own ridiculous decision to try and ban taxi drivers from wearing shorts. That was in no small part due to the signatures of over 500 people on a petition protesting at the the silliness of such a move. A few months ago, another petition realised the signatures of over 5000 people. That petition was in protest at the proposal to close three council-run care homes. The latter has been largely ignored as they pursue their quest to close these highly prized community assets.
Last November, this group of dissatisfied local people asked for answers to three very simple questions:-
- What were all of the available options for cuts?
- Why did the council choose the cuts they did?
- How were the proposed cost savings figures arrived at? On June 11th, we are still waiting.
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