It has been revealed this week that Smalltown and Dullbridge (SaD) Town Council Deputy Mayor, Eugenie Perry, has also been making decisions without first seeking agreement and approval from the Town Council.
SaD Mayor Cllr Kelsey Dullard’s behaviour, in respect to agreeing terms for the removal of a tree, had already been called into question, as her Mayoral powers do not give her the authority to agree to anything without the matter being voted on prior to a decision.
Now it seems that the Deputy Mayor Cllra Sherry is guilty of exactly the same thing.
Councillors and members of the public who attended the SaD Full Town Council meeting on Monday were fully expecting to hear a discussion about the future of the White Elephant Enclosure, after the owners of the Blitz Cinema had submitted an Expression of Interest in taking over the WEE. Indeed, Blitz owners, Padraig and Cheryl Irishh were at the meeting, ready to answer any questions that may arise as the matter was discussed.
However, the Chair of the WEE Mismanagement Committee, Cllr Sherry told Councillors that she had decided that they needed to ignore the letter because “a review of staff and the processes within the theatre is currently taking
place”.
She further explained that “two consultants with experience of running cultural venues ina local authority setting had been engaged and that their report is due at the end of the month.”
However, this is the first that anyone has heard anything about the Town Council employing outside consultants to look into the running of the WEE. The matter has never appeared as an item agenda for discussion at a meeting and a budget to do so has not been agreed.
Cllr Sherry detailed that the Town Council has begun to consider its strategic aims for the next four years as part of its Corporate Plan, which will include the
cultural life of the towns. She further stated that she had decided that “it is
important that both streams of work are concluded before the future
management and/or ownership of the theatre is discussed.”
Councillor Sherry thanked Mr and Mrs Irishh for their letter, but said that she had decided that SaD Town Council couldn’t possibly discuss it any further until she has decided what she wants from the WEE and how the council will achieve those aims.
SomersetClive can assure the Deputy Mayoress that residents of Smalltown and Dullbridge could not care less about what either she or the Town Council want from the WEE, but what they definitely don’t want is to waste further huge sums of money on it.
Cllr Sherry confirmed that she has decided that the future if the WEE won’t be discussed again until at least June when she will tell everyone what she has decided, if indeed she has decided anything.
It seems that both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor believe that they can do what they want, when they want, without inviting comment from other councillors or residents. They both appear to be under the misapprehension that the position of Mayor /Deputy Mayor conveys special powers, which enable them to do exactly as they wish without having to open the matter up for discussion.
Whilst Squire Teflon undoubtedly mobilised members of his Illiberal Party to vote the way he directed them to, he did at least allow them the option to vote before any action was taken.
The BeFuddled Mayor and Deputy Mayor now seem intent on promoting their own agendas without recourse to input from others. This is not ‘Open and Transparent Goverance’ and whilst it may well be the way things are done in a school environment, it is not what should be happening in a local authority setting.