Manorbier.com
Community Council Meeting - July 2004
Selection of additional members to the Manorbier Community Council.
As only seven potential candidates had applied there was no election to decide the members of Manorbier Community Council on 10th June 2004.
It was decided at the first Community Council meeting on 20th June 2004 to advertise, on the village notice boards, for any residents of the village interested in becoming a member of the Community Council to forward their names to the council clerk by Monday 4th July 2004.
The clerk, Mrs Davies, informed the meeting on the 5th July 2004 that she had received nine letters of interest from various members of the community for the three advertised vacancies.
Council Chairperson Beddoes felt obliged to open a discussion on the method he would prefer for selecting those he thought would be suitable councillors. He suggested that the council should interview each candidate who would be obliged to give a presentation as to why they would make an acceptable councillor.
County Councillor Calver reminded the meeting that they themselves had not been elected by anyone in the parish and were only sitting on the council by default as there had not enough candidated for an election. He also reminded the council that he was the only person there that had been elected by the parish albeit to the Pembrokeshire County Council and therefore he could not agree to take part in any selection process that did not give every one of the parishioners who had put their names forward in good faith, a fair and equal chance to become a community councillor. The only fair method of selecting potential councillors was to place their names in a hat and the first three out would become councillors.
Councillor Neads voiced his strong objection to this suggestion by Councillor Calver as he felt that in his opinion this would not allow the right type of person from the parish to become a councillor.
Both Councillor Calver and a member of the public present at the meeting showed concern regarding this statement by Councillor Neads over his astonishing remark as surely only the electorate could decide that issue. It was not for councillors who had not themselves been elected to take this slant upon the matter. Councillor Calver reminded the other councillors that they were unelected themselves and that he would not be taking part in any selection process that, in Councillor Neads words, would be judge and jury for the right type of person. He then proposed that all the names be put in a hat for selection, which was then seconded by Councillor Davies. Councillor Griffiths proposed an amendment, which was seconded by Councillor Wales that the method suggested by Councillor Neads to judge the right type of person to sit on the council be adopted. Councillor Grifiths amendment was carried and the selection took place with Mrs Neads, who was a member of the public attending the meeting, being asking to scrutinise the selection result with the council clerk.
Mrs Neads returned the selection papers to the chairman and remarked that only four councillors had voted. Councillor Davies stated he did not vote on his ballot paper. Councillor Beddoes then announced the names of those that had been selected as being Mrs Thompson, Mr Tuffs and Mr Colemen. Councillor Calver asked for the votes cast for each candidate to be announced but was informed by Councillor Beddoes that he would not release these figures. Councillor Calver indicated he could not discern any reason for the secrecy and asked Councillor Beddoes for the reason in denying this apparently reasonable request. Councillor Beddoes would not give Councillor Calver the reason why the result was to be kept secret.
Website Comments
It is assumed that the Clerk as part of her duty to keep all Records of Meetings safe will store the co-option election figures in a secure location should any member of the community wish to inspect the voting papers.
Councillor Wales had pointed out in the discussion on a suitable selection method for co-opted members, that the currently appointed Councillors were prepared to be elected. The corollary must also be true. They, given enough candidates, might not have been elected at all. Democracy is a funny animal. Only seven original candidates up for election and nine people ready to be co-opted. How much better it would have been if all sixteen could have stood for election so that the tried and tested selection method of " by the people" could have decided who should best represent them. Ed.
Accident outside Celtic Haven, Lydstep
A letter was received from Pembrokeshire Coast National Park staling that the signs outside the Celtic Haven village complex required planning permission that they would be following up this matter.
County Councillor Calver pointed out that he had been informed that there had recently been an accident involving two buses on the main road outside the complex and was concerned that the recent application for a vehicular access for extended parking in the field alongside the establishment would create an additional safety hazard. Councillor Neads stated that the bus driver involved in the accident had been involved in two accidents during the previous week. Councillor Calver asked what relevance this had regarding the accident in question. Councillor Neads said he was only mentioning the fact.