Manorbier.com
On a wet and very windy night the Council met at the Skrinkle Community Centre at about 7.45 p.m. and was opened by the chairman Cllr Wales.
Only one apology was given when Cllr Wales explained the absence of Cllr Neads, the proper officer, who was away on business, so this left the council without a scribe for taking their minutes. No councillors were prepared to take on the job of keeping the minutes the formal record of the meeting. Cllr Coleman, the vice chairman, declined to take notes of the meeting on specifically being asked to do so. Then the chairman wanted to adjourn the meeting. This would have meant that the Council could reassemble without notice to the public and possibly give rise to even more secret council meetings. Cllr Calver suggested they cancel the meeting and this proposal was seconded and if it had been adopted would have ensured the public were made aware of the replacement meeting. The chair then stated no proposal could be accepted as nobody was taking minutes and there would be no record. This obviously vetoed his own earlier suggestion. It was left that another meeting would be called, sometime, but when, we just don't know.
A Council without a Clerk is not a happy sight and detrimental to the functioning of a community council and to the people it is supposed to serve. Despite the instruction from the Council to re-advertise the post of Clerk, at the meeting on the 3rd. of October Cllr Wales revealed that he had not yet re-advertised the post. Maybe instead of seeking a part lawyer, part accountant and part secretary what is needed is a body that can write.
Such are the complicated affairs of their state that councillors even failed to give each other the usual seasonal greetings at what should have been their last Council meeting of the year.
However to our readers, we do.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year