Democracy with a difference

Sir, – Once again it was up to Carnoustie independent councillor David Cheape to question how decisions are made to spend quite large amounts of our cash on projects that no councillors are aware of – in this case a request for £24,500 for a path to Carnoustie House which was put on hold by Angus Council’s communities committee (Courier, May 30).

Council officers claim the decision to lay a path to Carnoustie House was the result of consultation from various sources. Surely the first consultation would have been with the Carnoustie councillors, yet Cllr Cheape said he was not aware of a need, or demand for this path and that the money would be better spent on a more popular path by the Panbride Church.

So no consultation there then.

It appears to have been the same situation in the other districts since Forfar councillor Lynn Devine said “the report came as a bit of a surprise” to her.

Cllr Cheape is relatively new to Angus Council and is now realising how it works. Decisions are made by the unelected who keep the councillors in the dark until the committees sit. At this point, the expectation is that decisions will be rubber stamped unanimously, giving a false presumption that democracy is in good health on Angus Council, when the opposite is apparent.

This is not the first time we have had to thank Cllr Cheape for bringing to our attention through The Courier decisions made in this way. The most curious was to use two years’ roads budget to realign the junction at the A92 at the Westway. As Cllr Cheape remarked, it came out of the blue with no consultation, no consideration for traffic calming or road safety

and no explanation for why it has become so urgent that the whole two years’ budget must be spent on this one junction.

I would suggest these roadworks have more to do with the coming council sale of the Elliot Industrial Estate. With improved road access it would be a very valuable piece of land for the buyer. Robert Alexander. 39 Barry Road, Carnoustie.