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“Thats Democracy – Whitby Town Council Style”
Bye-election in Whitby’s West Cliff Ward
Mike Ward Stands Down And Sparks A Bye-election
Following the dramatic ‘on-the-spot’ resignation of Whitby Town Councillor Mike Ward, during a ‘behind closed’ doors session at the Extraordinary Meeting of Tuesday 26th October, WTC Town Clerk Pam Dobson issued an erroneous Notice of Vacancy the following day.
The Notice was erroneous insofar as it stated that unless “TEN ELECTORS for the PARISH” made a written request to the Returning Officer (SBC’s Jim Dillon), no bye-election would take place, and the Council would be free to co-opt.
Co-option is the process by which existing Councillors may select a new member without reference to the electorate. What the Notice of Vacancy should have stated was “TEN ELECTORS for the WARD” – ie: electors living within the West Cliff boundaries.
Acting on that erroneous information, 36 electors of the Parish signed a request for bye-election. This was (quite correctly) rejected. A complaint has been made to the Mayor regarding the Clerk’s error. No acknowledgement or response has been forthcoming. This is just the latest in a long series of errors by the Town Clerk.
Meanwhile, 13 electors of West Cliff Ward (including Whitby Town Councillor Dennis Collins) have since signed a new request for bye-election. SBC’s Sue Bedford (Election Team Leader) has now confirmed that the new document is valid.
A bye-election will therefore now take place on Thursday 16th December 2010.
Would-be candidates for the West Cliff seat should contact Sue Bedford (Tel: 01723-232309, or Email: Sue.Bedford@scarborough.gov.uk) to apply for nomination papers. Each candidate will require two signatures (proposer and seconder) of electors of West Cliff Ward.
No Bye-Election For Dan Johnsons Seat
When a vacancy occurs within six months of the full-term of the Council (5th May 2011) no bye-election can be called. So today’s (expected) resignation of Abbey Ward Councillor Dan Johnson will not result in a bye-election.
Four more Councillors are reported to be preparing letters of resignation for delivery at the next Council Meeting.
However, the Council may, if it wishes, fill the vacancies by co-option. If there is only one candidate for the West Cliff vacancy, he (or she) will be declared “Elected Unopposed” and no election will take place.
Of the remaining 17 Councillors (at the time of writing), only 8 have been elected at the ballot-box. The remainder were either elected unopposed or co-opted, without a single vote being cast.
That’s democracy – Whitby Town Council style.
Related Reading
Article kindly by submitted by Nigel ward
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12 Responses to “Thats Democracy – Whitby Town Council Style”
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Say No To Joe
Suggested Reading
admin
November 10, 2010 at 9:19 am
Can anyone shine anymore light on the unrest in the council chambers. Why are people resigning and when can we expect more resignations to be made public.
Tom
November 12, 2010 at 1:32 pm
I believe, though I stand to be corrected, Dan Johnson resigned for personal reasons and that there are no further resignations. Lets wait and see?
As for the political unrest, silly secret meetings regards unrealistic proposals, thankfully they are proposals more business minded councillors can see through, proposals that should all be discussed in the open, proposals that should never reach any extraordinary meetings let alone meetings in seeeeecrrrret, proposals given two calculations on any calculator show expenditure and costs that make it absolutely clear that they are absurd ideas, not in the public interest and should not even merit a proposal.
Should Whitby Town Council become part of the National Park, and only when it is a done deal, completed, sealed signed and delivered then perhaps ideas could be proposed, if need be, only if need be, even money raised or made available, European grants………
The site WTC bid on is a building site that is for sale along with an old Magistrates Court that needs demolishing before building commences.
I wish WTC would stop and think about the outcome of such ideas, the public perception……………………… do councillors never discuss anything with people on the street between full town council meetings?
As for Cllr Carson bleating on about Standards Board, WTC should all be up before the Standards Board.
£230,000 and after almost a full term in office your latter meetings are about finger pointing and Standards Boards…………….. what a bloody waste.
WTC needs to have a board of Governor's like a school to keep it in line, made up of a good cross section of society, beginning with an accountant and a solicitor, shop keeper, fisherman, harbour users………………..parents, teachers, builders, labourers, people seeking homes, seeking work…..
There has got to be a more effective and productive way of blowing quarter of a million pounds each year, yes almost A MILLION POUNDS OF WHITBY ELECTORS MONEY THIS COUNCIL TERM!
For what, no councillors email addresses on WTC website and WTC possibly taking over monitoring the public seats in the town, that's if they have time between attending Standards Board meetings at £10,000 a time.
Give me strength.
Tom
admin
November 12, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Press Release
NOTICE OF VACANCY
IN OFFICE OF TOWN COUNCILLOR
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to Section 87 (2) of
the Local Government Act 1972 that a casual vacancy
exists in the office of Town Councillor for the West Cliff
Ward in the Parish of Whitby.
If, within 14 days (not counting Saturday, Sundays or
Bank Holidays) after the date of this notice, a request
for an election to fill the vacancy is made in writing to
the Returning Officer of the Scarborough Borough
Council by TEN ELECTORS for the Parish, an election
will be held to fill the vacancy; otherwise the Town
Council will fill the vacancy by
co-option.
The address of the Returning Officer of the Borough of
Scarborough is :-
Town Hall
St. Nicholas Street
Scarborough
YO11 2HG
Dated 27th October 2010
Pam Dobson Town Clerk
Whitby Town Council
admin
November 12, 2010 at 1:44 pm
I sat next to 3 ladies at the photography group last night. I overheard them talking about how both councils run Whitby, very badly in their eyes. The general consensus amongst them appeared to be that a lot of councillors never consult the public at all, and second to that, most councillors only have their own interests at heart. Made for interesting listening
Nigel Ward
November 12, 2010 at 4:20 pm
WTC Town Clerk Pam Dobson has once again demonstrated her incompetence.
The quoted "TEN ELECTORS for the Parish" is a whopping blunder. In fact, it requires a request from TEN ELECTORS FOR THE WARD (in this case, West Cliff Ward).
This has been accomplished and a bye-election has now been scheduled for Thursday 16th December.
YUet to be confirmed, but the word is that there will be at least three candidates.
Ex WTC Councillor Mike Ward (whose resignation on grouinds of no confidence in the Council's competence, as well as his strenuous objection to the 'veil of secrecy' mind-set) tells that the core cadre of the Council is desperately trying to rustle up a 'crony' candidate – one of whom told Mike, "I wouldn't touch 'em with a barge-pole".
At the last Poll of 'no confidence' (back in June 2010), only 32 electors (out of an electorate numbering 10,700) supported the Council – the Councillors and their spouses!
What rhymes with 'golden anchors'?
Nigel Ward
November 21, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Two candidates confirmed for the WHITBY West Cliff Ward bye-election on Thusday 16th December 2010. (Voting 7:00am to 10pm at the Leisure Centre).
Sean Anthony RIXHAM-SMITH
Peter Andrew BUDD
…
Both candidates represent local pro-Whitby values and local decision-making, and neither is a ‘stooge’ or ‘crony’ or ‘patsy’ of the old guard. A win/win election!!!
The Man In The White suit
November 21, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Oh my god!
peter anderson
November 21, 2010 at 3:06 pm
well done pete&shaun.we all hope that whitby will now regain DEMOCERY
The Man In The White suit
November 21, 2010 at 4:41 pm
Your spelling is as bad as mine!
Jon Risdon
November 22, 2010 at 11:30 am
Two men who both have Whitby's best interests at heart are standing; well done to both of them, and I hope people turn out in large numbers to vote for them.
jgh
June 28, 2011 at 1:51 am
‘Old on, you can’t call a by-election if the seat is due to be up for election anyway within six months – the “six month rule”. Within 14 days of 27th October 2010 takes you past 5th November – six months before the normal election day. Was the by-election actually called before 5th November? Aren’t Parish Clerks supposed to know this information?
Nigel Ward
June 28, 2011 at 7:32 am
@jgh – Ten of us did indeed call the bye-election before Bonfire Night; and, yes, Parish Clerks are supposed to know this information, but we have to make do with Pam Dobson, whose ineptitude knows no bounds. Cheer up, though – things are improving; at least we now have a Mayor (chair, that is) who can do joined-up writing, and will thus be allowed to sign the cheques!