During the Smalltown and Dullbridge Town Council’s recent meeting, where Squire Teflon asked the assembled councillors if they had “ever experienced bullying, intimidation or harassment” SomersetClive can reveal that he was the first person to put his hand in the air to indicate yes. True to form, Councillor Fencesitter also put his hand up, then put it down again, before putting it back up.
We thought our readers may be interested in these recently released transcripts of a meeting of the SaD Town Council White Elephant Enclosure Mismanagement Committee, which we believe will give an idea of the level of behaviour during a council meeting.
The meeting was recorded by former Councillor, Ellen Proves, leader of the Dullbridge Liberation Front, who was thus able to support the resident when he complained and Squire Teflon subsequently claimed that it “didn’t happen“. This so incensed the Squire that be began a sustained campaign against Proves.
The meeting, which was held in 2019, was a prime example of Councillors being rude and abusive to residents and led to calls from Squire Teflon to ban members of the public from speaking.
Residents are allowed to address meetings for a maximum of three minutes, provided that they have submitted a request in triplicate to the Town Clerk three months before they plan to speak.
During the WEE Mismanagement meeting a resident called into question the amount of money spent on the facility. The full transcript is below.
Resident “I’m ashamed to be here really, but I have some figures here – not the full figures, because although I’ve put in a Freedom of Information request, I haven’t received a reply. Last year, your estimated budget for the WEE was £158,000, your loss – your estimated loss – was £78,000 for 2019/20. Not to even mention a figure like that is despicable. It is rate payers money – £78,000. Then during an extraordinary meeting you added a further £12,000”
Councillor Teflon “Point of order. That’s not correct.”
Resident “Well it will do for me. Let me finish. I only get three minutes so don’t keep interrupting me, Cllr. Teflon. “
Teflon “If you are not going to tell the truth then…”
Resident “Well I told you at the start I wasn’t sure of all my figures until I get the Freedom of Information”
Chairman “Let him finish. Mr Resident – carry on saying what you were saying.”
Resident “Well, the £12,000 added to my £78,000 makes £90,000. Loss. You took that from an earmarked project called ‘Sinking Fund’. I’m not sure which bright spark came up with the word Sinking Fund, but it’s unbelievable that you have taken the mickey out of rate payers as well. Sinking Fund. Because you know the WEE is going down fast.
The last chairman of this committee was thoroughly irresponsible in my book. The total cost since 2011 I’ve estimated is half a million pounds. Of my money. You want to waste your own money but you are not going to spend my money on a loss of that much. That’s taxpayer’s money. You ask any person in the town and there’s not many people know what the loss is. That’s not transparency.
This is a deprived area, Dullbridge, and most people can’t afford to come to the WEE let alone anything else. You put the rates up and you throw the money down the drain. You throw good money after bad. It’s not good enough.”
Audience member “Hear, hear!”
Resident “So I expect you to do something about it, your only answer to save the WEE is to do as Cllr Fencesitter suggested – sell Hayloft Road Palace, but you’ve been talking about that for three or four years. That’s your only answer because you will never pull back the amount of money you will lose this year.
Chairman “Thank you. I think you’ve had your three minutes now. Please switch your microphone off and sit down. It’s not the first time this has been raised. In fact the first person who raised this was Cllr. Nelson Jones and he’s been dead for a number of years.”
Resident “Turning in his grave that’s what it is.”
Chairman “That’s where the idea came from. Cllr. Teflon would you like to rebut some of the statements?”
Teflon “Yeah. I’m not normally rude but that was absolute drivel and it’s full of inaccuracies. If somebody wanted to come up to us and speak on figures get the proper figures first, not make them up.”
Resident “I tried. I couldn’t.”
Teflon (last chairman of the committee) “Regarding committee chairs – they have no extra powers than anyone else on the committee, so if you want to start being personal and offensive carry on. You are only making yourself look silly.
There was no addition to the WEE budget it was a virement from one budget to another.”
Resident “Sinking Fund”
Chairman “Excuse me. I didn’t allow Cllr. Teflon to interrupt you.”
Resident “He tried to interrupt me twice.”
Chairman “Yes and I stopped him.”
Resident “Well stop him being personal then.”
Chairman “No. Stop interrupting. Let him speak.”