On the 25th August 2012 I emailed the Biggleswade Town Clerk and copied it to all Town Councillors:
Do you think we could have some minutes of this financial years meetings
published please?
I think by now, these ones at least should be published on the web
site:
15th May 2012 – Off Street Car Parking
12th June 2012 – Planning
26th June 2012 – Council
10th July 2012 – Planning
and what about the minutes of the F&GP Meeting held on 15th
November 2011, and
the minutes of the Public Land & Open Spaces Meeting held on
27th March 2012. This is not even on the meetings list. I brought this
fact to your attention on 7th March 2012, 31st March 2012 & 29th April 2012
but have never received any response from you.
Is the Council really going to meet on Sunday 23rd September
2012 as published on the web site? I have not pointed this out before
in view of the response I got the last time, when I brought an “odd” meeting
date to your attention.
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By the 15th September 2012 there had been no response so I emailed the Town Clerk and all Town Councillors again.
It is now three weeks since I
wrote to you and copied it to all Councillors concerning minutes that have not
yet been published on the Town Council web site. I received a read receipt from
yourself and Councillor George Wilson and from Councillor Jane Lawrence “Your
message was deleted without being read on 11 September
2012”
Lets look at the progress that has
been made:
15th November 2011 - Finance &
General Purposes Committee Minutes.
Still no minutes
published.
27th March 2012 - Public Land
& Open Spaces Committee Minutes.
This meeting was not included in
the meeting list.
Still not included on meeting list
so no minutes published.
15th May 2012 - Off Street Car
Parking Committee Minutes.
Still no minutes
published.
12th June 2012 - Planning
Committee Minutes.
Minutes belatedly published, the
document was created on 30th August 2012.
26th June 2012 - Council Meeting
Minutes.
Minutes belatedly published, the
document was created on 29th August 2012.
10th July 2012 - Planning
Committee Minutes.
Minutes published, the document
was created on 29th August 2012.
The meeting list still shows that
the Council will be meeting on Sunday 23rd September 2012.
The Council Meeting Minutes of
24th July 2012 and The Planning Committee Minutes of 14th August 2012 have been
published in a document created on 4th September 2012 and marked as
"Provisional", whatever that means.
One I missed before, the Minutes
of the Precept Meeting held on 24th January 2012, not yet published.
I
understand that Biggleswade Town Council are looking at becoming a Quality
Council. One of the basic tests is that they will be required to publish draft
minutes of meetings within two months of the meeting taking place and make them
available for inspection by any elector in the parish, as a
minimum. Given that there are unpublished minutes going as far back as
November 2011, (10 months), I see very chance of Biggleswade Town Council
qualifying.
I
get quite used to you ignoring me, and it does not bother me providing at least
something happens about the genuine issues I raise with you.
Can
someone at Biggleswade Town Council do something about getting the rest of these
minutes up to date on the web site?
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I did receive a response from the Town Clerk on the 17th September 2012, but I do not have explicit permission to reproduce it here but I think from my response you will get the gist of it.
_____________________________________________________________
Email sent to today, 4th October 2012, to Town Clerk and Councillors:
With reference to your email of 17th September
2012.
Firstly regarding deletion of messages, I think you need to read my
email of 15th September 2012, again. At no time did I suggest or think
you had deleted my message of 25th August 2012, without
reading it. I did say, and from Councillor Jane
Lawrence “Your message was deleted without being read on 11
September 2012” In fact I have received another identical one from
Councillor Jane Lawrence to my email of 15th
September.
You now admit that the non publication of the F&GP Committee
Minutes of 15th November 2011 was an
oversight!!!!!!!
The omission of Public Land & Open Spaces Committee meeting of
the 27th March 2012 from the meeting list was brought to your attention by
emails on the 7th March, 31st March, 29th April and 25th August, none of which
you replied to, or had the meeting added to the meeting list. The minutes were
finally published on the 18th September 2012.
The minutes of the Off Street Car Parking Committee of 15th May
2012, you say cannot be approved until 20th November 2012 because you say that
the Committees only meet quarterly and this delays approval and publication of
Minutes. The Off Street Car Parking Committee met on 14th August 2012, or at
least I have the Agenda for it, so why were they not approved
then?
The 12th June 2012 Planning Minutes might have been created by
yourselves on the 20th June, but the document was not added to the web site
until 30th August 2012. The 26th June 2012 Council Meeting minutes might have
been created by yourselves on 12th July, but again not added to the web site
until 29th August 2012. The same with 10th July 2012 Planning Minutes, created
by yourselves 17th July but not added to the web site until 29th August
2012.
The Town Council web site is the face of the Town to the world, and
members have agreed that it needs updating. I would have hoped that as Town
Clerk you would have given it a higher priority, and taken personal
responsibility, ensuring that it was at least up to date, and factually correct.
