Agenda item

Mr Mike Penny addressed Council and expressed his concern over the abolition of Wootton and East Hunsbury Parish Council. He commented that there would be financial implications under the proposed structure. He reported that the ethos of the proposal was to allow local communities to be more influential in the decision making process; however, he commented that the cultural and socio-economic needs of the residents would not be changed should the proposal be implemented and was therefore unnecessary. He further commented that the low voter turnout was not representative and the proposed changes to the Parish Council should therefore not be supported.

Mr Danny Moody spoke in his capacity as the Chief Executive of Northamptonshire County Association of Local Councils and commented that he had provided technical advice with regards to the Community Governance Review. He stated that there had been a long history of the Council working with Wootton and East Hunsbury Parish Council and that the council had been recognised and awarded for its positive contribution. He stated that it would be a dark day when one local authority suggests the abolition of another.

Ms Victoria Shaw commented on the extensive work that had been carried out by the Wootton and East Hunsbury Parish Council, which included being one of the first Parish Councils to sponsor PCSOs and the continued support during the relocation of the library facilities. She stated that to create two further Parish Councils would result in further expenditure for residents and that it was unsustainable – it would not be possible to run two parish councils more financially efficiently than one. She urged Members to vote against the abolition of Wootton and East Hunsbury Parish Council.

Mr Owen Coop spoke on behalf of the Banbury Lane Residents Association. He explained that residents had informed him that they wanted a Parish Council for Hunsbury Meadows and having circulated a document regarding the proposal, he called an open meeting with regards to the matter. He expressed his thanks to Councillors Bottwood and Oldham for attending the meeting. He further reported that there was a comparatively high turnout of voters in Hunsbury Meadows and congratulated and thanked the Borough Council for debating the notion. He commented that he welcomed the recommendations of the Council’s steering group to propose that Hunsbury Meadow be made a Parish Council.

Mr Brian Hoare was of the opinion that the Local Advisory Poll was fundamentally flawed in many respects and commented that the number of votes received were not indicative of the true feelings of the residents. He stated that there had been a lack of information about the Advisory Poll and the introduction of a new parish council could potentially have significant financial implications for residents. He urged Members to listen to the public and not to lay blame at the low turnout, as the process was flawed. He further asked Council to consider the recommendations individually and that they not be agreed on mass.

Mr Peter Jones commented that he was a resident of Wootton and East Hunsbury and he had received a letter from the Borough Council which detailed information relating to the Advisory Poll. It was noted that he had received further information which made reference to websites and that the information that had been supplied was satisfactory. He urged Members to consider the way people voted, irrespective of turnout.

Councillor D Savage spoke in his capacity as a Parish Councillor for Wootton and East Hunsbury. He commented that the proposal to abolish the Parish Council in favour of establishing two separate Parish Councils would greatly increase the operational costs which could be disastrous for the residents. He further reported that the current parish precept was considerably lower than others within the county and argued that the proposed changes could greatly impact on this.

Mr John Smith commented that the creation of further Parish Councils was unwanted and argued that another politicised Council was unwelcome and unnecessary. He was of the opinion that the low turnout was due to people feeling disillusioned and stated that the changes would only bring about an increase in Council tax.

Mr David Huffadine- Smith commented that he was very disappointed in the turnout and the result. He reported that the referenda had been an opportunity for people to vote and make changes and take on responsibilities at a grass roots level, but that apathy had prevailed and the lack of turnout was a reflection of this.

Mr Liam Costello commented that there had been considerable criticism of the financial implications that would occur should the proposals be agreed. He argued that it should not be viewed as an abolition of a Parish Council but as a creation of two further Councils which should be based on locality. Mr Costello commented that he had seen an email that had been circulated by one of the Borough Councillors which urged his fellow Councillors to vote against the split. He suggested that the communication was disgraceful and a manipulation of the process and had effectively turned the procedure into gerrymandering. 

Mr Brain Hoare submitted a petition to the Mayor. He commented that he had conducted a straw poll which indicated that 38 percent of the 90 residents he had spoken to were unaware of the Local Advisory Poll that had taken place on the 15^th November 2012. He commented that people had not been able to have a postal vote and had felt disenfranchised. He commented that the Advisory Poll was flawed and was poorly advertised and therefore the 1 percent vote in favour of the abolition was neither good enough nor acceptable.