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INTEGRITY A BASIC QUESTION<br />
At the Parish Council meeting of 23rd January during the planning section the<br />
chair vice chair and another councillor declared non-pecuniary interest in<br />
items on the agenda. All three in the Heart of the Village planning application<br />
and one in the Church Style Farm applications.<br />
2<br />
Nothing wrong there you might say, and all right and proper. All three of these<br />
councillors have refused, despite reports being sent to the Parish Council , to<br />
update their legally required declarations of interest lodged with the local<br />
council. Until this meeting they have not made declarations of interest in a<br />
scheme that they all support (two of them financially) over the last few years.<br />
Talk about ‘closing the stable door after the horse has bolted’ They have<br />
stated non-pecuniary (not financial) interest when clearly two of them have<br />
donated monies to this particular scheme.<br />
against the rules<br />
What makes this so blatantly absurd of course is that this apparent partial<br />
observance of required action was made not on any matter requiring debate<br />
but a notice that their supported scheme had been withdrawn. No comments<br />
were required and overkill in declaration was a couple of years too late<br />
DEFINITELY NOT GOOD ENOUGH COUNCILLORS<br />
WELL BELOW YOUR REQUIRED LEVEL OF INTEGRITY<br />
WHO MAKES THE DECISIONS ?<br />
Now that the elections are over and Cradley and Storridge now have for the first time in a long while a<br />
Parish Council who have been voted there by the people of the community. The future should be<br />
planned well so that this body can no longer be a battlefield for personal interests and agendas.<br />
Those who have given themselves up to the task of serving only the interests of the people of this<br />
Parish before everything else, should seek out wise council to develop, over time the skills and wisdom<br />
required of such a position.<br />
They should think deeply about the burden that being a part of probably the only truly democratic tier<br />
of government that exists in this nation, will place on them.<br />
As the old saying goes “you can please some of the people all of the time………(I’ll let you look up the<br />
rest and realise the truth held therein).<br />
As we have a large contingent of people elected, who have never served on a PC before, the first few<br />
meetings can be akin to the first day at School when everyone apparently knows oh so much more<br />
than yourself and you are afraid to ask. Don’t be!<br />
It is a councillor’s job and responsibility to question, investigate and ultimately to seek out all the<br />
correct information needed to make well informed decisions on behalf of the community<br />
Seek out more experienced councillors (old and new) and ask for guidance and their advice but<br />
ultimately you choose and make your decisions based on the principles you sign up to.
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