Parish councillors ‘need to have more training’
CALL FOLLOWS INFAMOUS MEETING AT WHICH CLERK SHOUTED DOWN
A YOUNG parish councillor is to lobby the Government for more training after the “worrying” video of members of Handforth Parish Council shouting at each other went viral.
Lewis Anderson, 20, says the Youtube video made him think there was sometimes a “complete lack of knowledge between councillors and the employees of proper procedure”.
The video which has been watched millions of times online shows an online meeting of Handforth Parish Council in Cheshire in which Jackie Weaver, the meeting clerk from the Cheshire Association of Local Councils, was shouted down by councillors.
The meeting of the parish council’s planning and environment committee ended in chaos with those taking part trading insults and throwing one another out of the online call and has made national news.
The carry sparked interest up and down the country, following the behaviour of some of the councillors. Now Councillor Anderson, from Burton, who is a member of Outwoods, Tutbury, and Horninglow and Eton parish councils plans to lobby the Government on the issue. He said: “Like others I have watched it several times and at first it was quite humorous but when you dig a little deeper I don’t think it makes parish councils look good.
“I have seen similar incidents in East Staffordshire and it is quite shocking. We have had incidents of raised voices as it has been tense. And this is not helpful.
“I am quite glad, in some respects, that the video has come out in public but it raises serious questions.
“That video highlighted a complete lack of knowledge between councillors and the employees of proper procedure.
“It is gravely worrying that there are many people in public office who don’t know the rules and procedures. It is not just parish councils, it is all levels.
“It is no secret in East Staffordshire we have had issues, such as our former MP Andrew Griffiths standing down and other councillors resigning. This is not resting in one political party; this is all parties. “People deserve better.
“We need to work constructively.” The Handforth meeting has caused a divide on whether Jackie Weaver was right to kick out members of the parish council over their behaviour. Councillor Anderson added: “There is not a short answer to who was right and wrong because I don’t know the dealings with that parish council. There wasn’t very many people I would say that were in the clear.
“It was a worrying video all round.” It also comes after the chairman of Penketh Parish Council, in Cheshire faces calls to resign after telling a fellow member to ‘wipe that ******* smirk off your face you ******* piece of **** .
It came amid tensions and disagreements between Labour and independent parish councillors.
ELECTIONS. Whether you get as excited about them as Jeremy Vine with a swing-o-meter or sympathise with Brenda from Bristol and sigh “not another one”, they are important. It is that time again, well almost. Last week the Cabinet Office confirmed that the local elections on Thursday, May 6, will take place as scheduled. These elections are important as they will decide who makes the local decisions affecting our community and who runs the local services we all care about.
In Staffordshire, we have county council elections, as well as the police, fire and crime commissioner poll which was postponed from May 2020 due to the pandemic. By this May we will be in a very different place, and the Government has also made clear that it intends for everyone in the top nine priority groups to have been vaccinated by this point.
The Government is also making a number of temporary changes to the election process to ensure democracy can take place in a Covid-secure way. This includes ensuring voters and poll clerks wear a face covering at polling stations, social distancing is observed and that voters are asked to take along their own pen or pencil to vote.
The Government is also encouraging as many people as possible to get a postal vote and apply early so they are able to vote from the comfort of their own home.
This will also mean fewer people needing to visit a polling station to vote in person. Applying for a postal vote is quick and easy and I would encourage everyone in Burton and Uttoxeter to do so and that they exercise their right to vote.
Anyone who is registered to vote can apply for a postal vote and voters have the option of requesting a postal vote until further notice (a permanent postal vote) or solely for this election, or for a particular time period.
If you would like to apply for a postal vote for these elections you can download an application form from East Staffordshire Borough Council’s website: www.eaststaffsbc.gov.uk/elections/proxy-postal-votes. Alternately, you can contact the Electoral Services team at ESBC for assistance on 01283 508376.
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THIS week, we continue with our new year, new garden approach – getting to know your plot, trying out something new, or replanting. We’ve looked at soil type and aspect. Now we are on to the goodies – plants!
The first series of plants we are looking at are probably the planet’s most important – trees. They enhance our lives and our ecosystem’s existence in vital ways.
I’ve divided them into a series of sections.
Any garden, no matter the size or shape, can host a tree. As it is the largest specimen you will buy, plant or look after, it’s worth considering what role the tree will fulfil and researching all the possible options available.
TREES FOR PRIVACY
Urban life means living in close proximity to other properties, making privacy in the garden a priority for many.
We want to look out from our windows onto a leafy scene and relax in relative seclusion. And trees are a great way to screen off unwanted views.
Pleached trees are trained to grow like hedges in the sky so a row of these will do an excellent job.
Evergreens such as holly, Magnolia grandiflora and Quercus ilex form thick barriers all year round.
For a lighter screen, try some silver birch.
Pyrus ‘Chanticleer’ is a favourite of landscapers for screening purposes – slender and conical, it has white flowers in spring and holds on to its autumnal colours late in the year.
FAST-GROWERS
Often we want instant solutions and look for fast-growing trees, but it’s critical to know how large these trees will grow as mistakes can be costly.
Leylandii has an extraordinary ability to grow at the rate of two to three feet a year. Keep it tightly clipped and you will have a perfect green screen but let it go out of control and it becomes a runaway monster. So it’s only suitable if you have the space and the ability to maintain regularly – not one for suburbia.
Hazel trees are fast growing and great value to wildlife. I’ve also used Acacia dealbata as a quick fix to block an eyesore and I love the yellow pompom flowers that will soon be out.
FOR A SMALL PLOT
A small garden may be able to accommodate a tall, slim tree or a low-spreading variety but often you will just want a compact enough specimen. Malus ‘Rudolph’ is a small crab apple tree with a stunning display of deep cerise pink flowers. Its foliage emerges a bronze-red before turning green and the flowers turn to orange red fruit that persist on the tree until winter.
Other such as Amelanchier, which provide interest for two or three seasons, are good choices and I’d always recommend Acer griseum – a beautiful maple with ruffled cinnamon bark that’s a picture in winter.
POTS OR CONTAINERS
In some situations, such as balconies
or small paved courtyards, you are confined to growing in containers so choice is important. Best candidates include Japanese maples. There is a wonderful variety in terms of leaf size and colour but also observe its silhouette – in winter this can be sculptural and beautiful.
Small ornamental cherries, dwarf apples and the starry magnolia are suitable options as well. Grow in as large a pot as possible and under plant with spring bulbs to make miniature gardens.
CELEBRATE A LIFE OR OCCASION
Planting a tree can be a meaningful way to celebrate a life – to welcome a new arrival or in remembrance of those departed. A tree such as Liriodendron or magnolia that is in blossom on the anniversary or special day is very uplifting. Equally, a weeping willow or statuesque silver birch can commemorate someone in a deeply symbolic manner.
Whatever its function or appearance, planting a tree will contribute to our planet’s wellbeing.
Through the wonder that is photosynthesis, it will absorb carbon dioxide from the environment, trap it as carbon and as a happy by-product release oxygen back into the atmosphere. So let this be the year we all plant a tree.