Ward Councillors "Took A View" (From Swindon Advertiser)

Consultation Disregarded as Councillors Dig In Their Toes

9:01am Monday 4th May 2009 in Old Town & Lawns News

Residents suspect that they are being treated as simpletons when consultations are put in hand for issues that concern them such as their Post Office on Guildford Avenue (long gone), the Coate Water Inquiry and, now, the Old Town Library.

This week their ward councillors confirmed they cherry-pick which meetings they will attend. They jointly took a view to absent themselves on April 27th, under instruction from the Leader for Libraries, in case the views expressed at the meeting did not conform to the decisions the council wishes to take.  That stance could well render the council's consultations null and void, if they are no more than an exercise in window dressing.

All those present at a public meeting on April 27th in the Arts Centre noted their ward councillors' absence.  Resident, Mary Day, commented that it was "deplorable", whilst Shirley Burnham for the campaign to save the library said that their attitude was "very disappointing".