Yesterdays Full Council Meeting started at 1.30pm and went on until 7.30pm yesterday evening. It is split into different sections and starts with delegations from local community groups. Yesterdays delegations included the Young Mayor for a Day who spoke passionately on the issues of disability, a group trying to reduce the speed limit in a village near Bramhope and a group of youngsters asking for traffic calming in their community in Chapeltown.
This is followed by a series of questions from Councillors. They come in two versions. The ones from the Labour side are almost universally hostile and the ones from the Administrations side are soft ball ones, usually used to promote whatever candidate is facing an election shortly. Occasionally the MBIs or the Greens will ask a question that might actually be relevant.
We then go into comments on the minutes of all committee meetings held over the last 8 weeks and we can comment on what ever issues we wish. I spoke up about section 106 monies - which are used to improve parks and green spaces (Scatcherd Park and the present replacement programme being a good example). My colleague Cllr Leadley commented on the Comprehensive Area Assessment - a piece of Central Government baloney which is made up of trendy faces such as "going forward" confirming the level of dross in the report. Cllr Terry Grayshon called publicly for the buses to be placed back into public control or at least to be re-regulated. Cllr Bob Gettings spoke up about children's services and the need to improve outcomes for local children.
The other councillor for Morley - the extreme right BNP Councillor Beverley said nothing during the whole meeting. This is hardly surprising as he spends the vast majority of his time outside the chamber on the phone - presumably asking for advice from Nick Griffin!
We break for tea and a sandwich at 5pm which is not the lavish banquet detailed by the YEP and all people present, the public, councillors, officers who are there for the duration of the meeting, all attend. I would invite anyone down to see what really goes on a tea time and you may be disappointed that the tea that is put out is not the Babylonian Feast it is claimed to be.
The rest of the meeting discusses white papers resolutions which can commit Council to implement certain actions. Yesterdays included a debate on a recent Ofsted Report on Children's Services - not pleasant reading - a commitment to reducing Council CO2 omissions (overseen by Friends of the Earth who packed the public gallery) and a brief debate on the Leeds Arena. After several electronically recorded votes, we left the chamber at 7.30.
It is difficult to see what purpose the Full Council Meeting serves. It is barely attended by local voters, is used as a platform for overly political debates and spreads little light on issues while generating much heat and CO2 omissions!
I suppose the ultimate test is that this type of Democracy is the worst possible system - other than all the alternatives.
Roll on the next meeting - the Annual Budget Meeting scheduled for next month!
"trendy faces?", Robert. Shurely shome mishtake.
ReplyDeleteI have read this with interest, but would like to know how this affects Morley and our local area.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned Bramhope and other areas, the only mention regarding Morley was Scatcherd Park.
The Full Council Meeting at the Civic Hall covers all the Leeds area and some local issues as well as general issues that effect all areas are often discussed. The buses issue is one that concerns Morley residents follwing recent cuts in bus services and the Childrens Services issue is important in developing an extended schools agenda cross Morley schools. We do make sure Morley issues are discussed and our collegues across Leeds often wince at the regularity that Morley is mentioned.
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