Resignation

I and other councillors actually made several attempts to change meeting times, which were repeatedly blocked by the MFs who run the council.

At an informal meeting of councillors after the 2015 election, Paul Edwards barred discussion of meeting times, even though he wasn’t a councillor but was still Mayor.

All councillors were barred from submitting motions to the first full council meeting because the clerk had not provided the ‘declaration of interests’ in time for councillors to sign.

At the second full council a motion to consult councillors on meeting times was voted down by the MFs. At the third meeting a motion to revert to full council at 7.15pm was also voted down by MFs.

I didn’t take any committee positions because I knew I couldn’t attend meetings that generally started between 5pm and 6pm.

However, the logic of the MF position is that to change the time of a meeting you have to be at a meeting at a time you can’t attend.

Fans of Joseph Heller’s ‘Catch 22’ will love that one.

Procedure was followed by me and other councillors, but the MFs persistently voted against reforms to allow the majority of working people to participate in council meetings.

Former councillor David Williams Middlewich