Racism' accusations enter purple shop row

'SORRY seems to be the hardest word"—little did Elton John know when he penned those lyrics how conveniently they would sum up a parish council's ongoing row with a now infamous 'purple shop'.

A special meeting of Beaudesert and Henley Joint Parish Council was called on Thursday evening to discuss the media coverage of the parish council's activities, in particular those surrounding Bespoke Curtains and Blinds of Henley and its controversial purple exterior.

More than 30 residents turned out to the meeting despite the parish council neglecting to advertise the agenda anywhere and yet again there was a sense of 'Groundhog   Day'   for anyone   who   attended looking for the council to apologise for its actions.

Instead,  the   council seemed keen to pass the blame on to the media, alleging it had portrayed the council in a bad light despite numerous comments from residents and even me proprietors of the curtain shop that the newspaper reports have been accurate.

There  was  still  no apology despite the rather severe allegations being levelled at certain members of the council. Cllr Carsina Goodman has been accused of racism. This follows her comments to the curtain shop's proprietors including "this is my town and you're not welcome here" and "if you don't like it clear off".

Two complaints have been made against her to the Standards and Ethics Committee at    Stratford    District Council. Meanwhile, Warwick and Leamington MP James Plaskitt has declared his dismay at the parish council's behaviour.

Council chairman Cllr Les Goodman, who is also Cllr Mrs Goodman's husband, announced that a letter had been sent to the proprietors of the curtain shop to ask them to meet with the council at their convenience to discuss the way forward and the council was waiting for a reply. However, as he made this announcement, the proprietors of the curtain shop were sat with the assembled residents.

Proprietor Zak Miah even stood up later on in the meeting and apologised to the council and the community for the trouble he had caused and extended the hand of friendship to the council. Still the council made no direct comment to the proprietors. Councillors would obviously prefer to wait for a reply to their letter.

In reference to –James Plaskitt's comments, Cllr Goodman appeared to question their authenticity by saying the council had received no comment from the MP themselves.

Several months after the saga began, residents were still keen to air their views in the public participation session.

In   summary,  Peter Crathorne, chairman of the Town Improvement Committee, called for councillors to set aside their personal differences and openly and calmly work for the best interests of the town.

One resident asked councillors if they were prepared to apologise to the town. She continued that if they were not their position was untenable because they had lost the confidence of the town.

Former High Bailiff of Henley, Douglas Bridgewater, commented this was not MI 5, it was the lowest form of local government and it should be transparent.

This comes after the council voted at the last meeting to continue a discussion on the purple shop in private session despite over 30 residents gathering expressly to hear what councillors had to say.

Another resident questioned whether there was more to the curtain shop events than he knew as it seemed to just be an opportunity to have a go at the council by other groups.

The e-mails received from Henley News On-line, edited by Cllr Bill Leech, encouraging residents to come to the council meetings were described as playground bullying by one resident. She said it was like going   round   shouting "fight, fight, fight".

"Humility carries more weight," was the comment from yet another resident. He continued that by not apologising the council was making a rod for its own back.

Next it was the council's turn. Cllr Goodman said the last meeting had gone into private session because one councillor had failed to disclose a prejudicial interest which would have been material to any discussion.

The councillor in question had been at a meeting with the curtain shop that day and had not disclosed it.

However, this does not match up with what residents witnessed at the meeting of 1st February. It was Cllr Roger Hubbocks who proposed further discussion on the purple shop be moved into private session as he felt the council had not had a chance to discuss it properly.

At Thursday's meeting Cllr Hubbocks, said the media had really gone to town on the parish council but all they had done was work within the procedures they had guidelines for.

Cllr George Matheou said the media was there to bring tourists to the town and anything else was immaterial.

Cllr Nick Haycock said he was delighted the curtain shop was there but planning rules had to be adhered to.

The last word was given, to Cllr Mrs Goodman. She said: "You have got to want to do this job. I want to do it and I will continue to do it."


Report by Philippa Mingins - Stratford Herald - Thursday 18th February 2010

Purple shop row: MP 'dismayed by parish council

THE parish council failed to apologise over its handling of the 'purple shop' saga when faced with a room full of angry Henley residents but maybe the hard-hitting words of the town's MP will have more sway.

Warwick and Leamington MP James Plaskitt has slammed Beaudesert and Henley Joint Parish Council for its ongoing fight with the proprietors of Bespoke Curtains and Blinds of Henley in High Street.

Mr Plaskitt said he was dismayed by the parish council's mishandling of the row over the colour of the shop's exterior and believes it is bad for the town’s image. He has criticised the argument, the alleged personal comments and the secrecy surrounding the issue. This last criticism follows the parish council's decision to continue a discussion on the shop in private session last week despite an attendance of some 30-plus residents eager to hear a resolution on the issue. Instead, the parish clerk, Jenny Walsh, read out a statement saying that the matter of the curtain shop was about the contravention of planning regulations and was nothing to do with wanting to "oust" the shop's proprietors out of the town.

Mr Plaskitt is calling on the parish council to bring the matter to a speedy conclusion to avoid further damage to the town's image

A special meeting is being held at the Baptist Church Hall at 7.15pm tonight (Thursday) to discuss media coverage of the issue. According to a source, this relates specifically to the reports in Henley News On-line and the Herald which, councillors believe, have shown them in an unfavourable light, However, residents who've attended council meetings and the proprietors of the curtain shop say those reports have been 100 per cent accurate.

The meeting is expected to commence in public but the source has warned that there is a possibility that yet again the public will be excluded from the main discussion if a majority of the councillors vote for a private session.  However, councillors may be warned that as they will be debating reports already in the public domain this procedure may not be allowed.

Mr Plaskitt told the Herald: "Personally, the frontage looks fine to me, but if some councillors want to make it a planning issue then they should take it before the district's planners and get it quickly resolved. As it is, all the innuendo and secrecy is just unpleasant and reflects poorly on the town."

Mr Piaskitt said he would offer proprietor Zak Miah any help he could. He added: "Residents seem to be understandably annoyed at the council's antics. Members should heed that and clear the matter up swiftly. A local business doesn't need this sort of hassle."

Concerns have been circulating the town that the parish council's opposition to the shop is racially motivated. Two residents have complained to Stratford District Council monitoring officer and asked that the District council's standards and ethics committee investigates possible breaches 01 the councillors' code of conduct by Cllr Carsina Goodman who has been the most outspoken in her opposition to the shop.

One of the complainants is former Henley High Bailiff John Latham. In his letter to the district council he said it was with dismay, disgust and desperation he had had to resort to making a formal complaint in the hope of getting some justice and democracy back into the goverance of the community.

Mr   Latham   referred specifically in his letter to the parish council's last meeting which he attended expecting Cllr Mr Goodman to receive some sort of disciplinary action or even suspension. He said that instead   the   council's response was "pathetic".

He explained that the parish clerk read out a statement ignoring the facts and suggesting the council was completely happy with what had gone on. A discussion then took place led by the chairman of the parish council, Cllr Mrs Goodman's husband, Cllr Les Goodman, in which it was agreed by a vote of three to two that the debate should be private.

Mr Latham states in his letter that surely Cllr Mrs Goodman should not have been allowed to vote on this motion but he points out that if she had not voted the casting vote would have been with her husband. "What has happened to democracy in Henley?" Mr Latham asks.


Report by Philippa Mingins - Stratford Herald - Thursday 11th February 2010

Media Coverage to be Debated by JPC

The Curtain Shop Media Coverage will be discussed at a Special Meeting of the JPC to be held on Thursday evening (11th) and not Wednesday evening as originally advertised.

The Special Meeting is expected to focus on the Media Coverage by the BBC, The Stratford Herald and Henley NEWS Online and is expected to commence in public. There is a possibility that the public will be excluded from the main discussion if a majority of the councillors vote for a private session as they did at their previous meeting. However, debating media reports which are already in the public domain may mean that this procedure cannot legally be used. 

The Agenda calls for a discussion. No resolutions or decisions can be made at this meeting because agenda item does not say "to agree action in response to a report by ..". These rules are clearly stated in "The Good Councillor's Guide" page 43.

The Guide also states that the agenda must be sent out 3 clear days (this is a term in law) before the day of the meeting. Clear Days do not include the day on which the agenda was sent out, in this case Friday 5th nor does it include the weekend days (following a court case) nor the day of the meeting. It is therefore fortunate that the hall was booked by another organisation on Wednesday (10th), because the earliest day this meeting could legally take place is Thursday (11th). The clerk must also sign the agenda but the copy sent to me was unsigned.

There will be an opportunity for members of the public to make 3 minute statements before the councillors' discussion commences.

What has been written and said recently about the JPC by the BBC, The Stratford Herald and Henley NEWS Online is no different to what is being written and said daily about life at Westminster. It is part of our democracy and freedom of expression is enshrined in the Humane Rights Act. 

The often quoted, "Don't blame the messenger, blame the message", may be appropriate here.

PC Clerk says "Don't Read Henley NEWS Online"

At the Council Meeting on 1st February 2010, the Clerk, Jenny Walsh pictured right, made some most forthright comments as the 'Responsible Officer' about the Henley websites.

It should also be remembered that the clerk has no executive authority to make policy decisions and is a servant of the Parish Council, principally responsible for administration and minute taking. It was totally inappropriate, judging by the derision shown from the floor to her very personal public attack on a Parish Councillor, who is also the Editor of HNOL.

Unfortunately there is no body, not even the JPC, to which residents can complain about her conduct. Public servants, at both national and local government level, are not supposed to make political comments and are expected at all times to remain impartial.

The Clerk's functions are:

Clerks provide the information and help needed to enable Parish Councillors to make decisions. They may manage projects, carry out research etc on behalf of the PC but only at the specific, minuted, request of the PC. Clerks often manage the finances of the PC but they have no power to spend unless authorised by the Councillors and that authorisation is minuted. The Clerk has a duty to advise Councillors if they are about to do anything illegal.

Clearly, the Clerk was acting illegally in that there was no specific, minuted request from the JPC for her research into the Henley websites and her making recommendations to the residents at a public meeting.

The Chairman, Cllr Les Goodman, should have stopped the clerk from making such a statement and by his omission to do this he was probably in violation of the Parish Councillors' Code of Conduct - "Bringing your authority or office into disrepute" (Para 5 of the code). The Stratford District Council Standards and Ethics Committee will be asked to rule on this matter.

Henley NEWS Online has been provided with the notes she used for her forthright statement.

The black marks are from the highlighter used by the clerk.

Response by the Editor of HNOL

In my opinion, the parish clerk's statement to the residents at the JPC meeting contained a number of serious and misleading inaccuracies.

1. Henley NEWS Online is not aware of any errors in any of its editions or on the Town website.
2. The JPC website cannot be regarded as an trusted source as it is so often out of date. It also omits important information such as the complaints procedure relating to its Councillors.
3. The links about Code of Conduct in the last edition of HNOL went directly to the Stratford District Council website, which is the responsible authority and is therefore accurate.
4. The polls in recent editions were requested by a respected member of our community to gauge public opinion. The results speak for themselves.
5. Henley NEWS Online has been advised of two separate complaints to the Monitoring Officer in respect of the conduct of one of the members of the JPC.
6. The Council Tax payers of Henley, who have paid for the video to which she refers, expect Henley's most popular websites to be first with local news. No request for an embargo was received from the JPC.
7. The Henley Tour video resides on YouTube. According to the YouTube licence no permission needs to be sought.

Following a Freedom of Information Act request last year, the clerk had to admit that she was unable to provide any information about the number of visitors to the JPC website.

At the time of writing the Agenda and Minutes Archives are not up to date. The last added docs are for 15th September 2008 and 1st June 2009 respectively.   The Forthcoming Events page only lists one event, which was on the 25th of last month.

The JPC's new Trademarked logo, adopted last year, does not appear on the website.

www.parishcouncil.net is a specialist provider of websites for parish councils. It only charges £150 for development and £100 for annual hosting. The JPC's website budget is circa £800 pa. The Chairman was recommended to investigate this site last year but it appears this substantial cost saving has not been implemented.

In February 2006 there was a poll on whether HNOL or the JPC should run the town website. The result was 88 to 1 in favour of HNOL. At that time the following letter from a resident was published:

I would like the JPC to know that I and many others support an independent Henley web presence not dominated by the JPC. The JPC does a good job in many other ways representing Henley's interests, but when it comes to a community website they need to humbly reflect on their reasons for wishing to be so controlling.

The people of Henley love the town, are passionate about its activities and people and are proud of the way that they are currently afforded access to free speech. We don't all agree with what each other says but we defend each other's right to say it! There will be no confidence in a JPC controlled website, although the JPC have of course a part to play (along with other town clubs and groups) in contributing to an Independent Henley web presence. There is a great fear that opinions which don't toe the party line will not be included, and that a JPC gloss will be applied to all controversial issues. Whether or not this is true, justice should always appear to be being done. A JPC dominated website is already an unpopular choice, a lost cause with precious little support.

The website is already fine! - don't fix what isn't broken. The JPC alternative is viewed as controlling, which won't earn you love or respect. To acquiesce to the feelings of the townspeople you represent, would not be seen as weakness but true strength... that is, you have the power to forge ahead with your original plan, have the courage not to use that power!

Thank you for listening.

A Resident of Henley-in-Arden

This letter could have been written today after the outburst by the clerk, but it was written 4 years ago in February 2006. Does nothing change!

Let's hope the JPC will admit before May 2012, the date of the next election, that it's time to accept the will of the residents. Also, let's hope the clerk does not continue with her unauthorised speeches.

Why a special edition?

On Monday night around 50 residents attended the JPC meeting to listen to the debate on the complaint about the behaviour of certain councillors in respect of the curtain shop. During the meeting the parish clerk read out a statement which she first said was on behalf of the Council but, when challenged, said it was a personal statement on behalf of a Councillor.

The Chairman, Cllr L Goodman, then held a vote on the motion to continue the debate in a private session from which the residents would be excluded. The motion to exclude the residents was passed, with the two councillors (Cllr C Goodman and Cllr C Milsom) who were involved in the incident voting for secrecy. If the councillors involved had not been been allowed to vote by the Chairman, the motion would have been lost and the discussion would have continued in public. 

Most of the residents left in disgust having expected that such an important issue would be debated in public. It has been reported to Henley NEWS On-line that 2 complaints have so far been sent to the Straford District Council's Monitoring Officer for consideration by the Standards and Ethics Committee. One of these complaints is reproduced below.

MP Says Curtain Shop Row is Bad for the Town

Warwick & Leamington MP James Plaskitt – whose constituency includes Henley-in-Arden – told Henley NEWS On-line, he was dismayed by the Parish Council’s mishandling of the curtain shop row in the town. He was critical of the on-going argument, of the alleged personal comments, and of the secrecy surrounding the issue. He is calling on the parish council to bring the matter to a speedy conclusion to avoid further damage to the town’s image.

Mr Plaskitt said, “Personally, the frontage looks fine to me, but if some parish councillors want to make it a planning issue, then they should take it before the district’s planners and get it quickly resolved. As it is, all the innuendo and secrecy is just unpleasant and reflects poorly on the town.”

Mr Plaskitt says he will offer proprietor Zak Miah any help he can.

Mr Plaskitt added, “Residents seem to be understandably annoyed at the council’s antics. Members should heed that and clear the matter up swiftly. A local business doesn’t need this sort of hassle.” 

Council shuts down further debate on 'purple shop'

FRUSTRATED Henley residents left a meeting of the parish council en masse on Monday night after councillors effectively drew the curtains on any discussion on the town's controversial "purple shop." 

Some 30 residents turned out to the meeting of Beaudesert and Henley Joint Parish Council on Monday evening, drawn in by the promised discussion on Bespoke Curtains and Blinds of Henley. The 'purple shop' has been a hot topic of conversation in the town ever since the Herald ran an article stating that the proprietors of the shop felt "ousted out of the town" by the parish council.

Some residents have even gone so far as to say they believe the parish council's behaviour to be racially motivated especially after Cllr Carsina Goodman declared to shop proprietor Zak Miah that it was her town and he was not welcome here.

The parish council meetings usually attract a maximum of three or four members of the public.

All week, Henley News On-line has been running a poll on whether residents approve of the parish council's conduct over the curtain shop. The poll attracted well over 100 voters with only one vote in favour of the parish council's behaviour. Those who voted were also allowed to leave a comment on the website and the majority have been incensed by the behaviour of the councillors.

However, if the residents who turned up to the meeting on Monday evening were expecting a full and frank discussion on the shop, or in some cases, according to comments posted on Henley News On-line, an apology, they were sorely disappointed as councillors voted for the discussion to continue in private session.

What the residents were given was a statement read out by parish clerk Jenny Walsh, but even that proved a source of confusion and provoked several mutterings about its inadequacy from the assembled residents.

Initially, Ms Walsh declared this was the council's statement in response to residents' questions at the last meeting. However, on being called up by Cllr Bill Leech over the statement which he said should have been circulated three days prior to the meeting if it was to represent all the councillors views, Ms Walsh then declared this was a personal statement from one councillor, which residents could only assume was Cllr Carsina Goodman who has been at the centre of residents' discontent.

In short, the statement read that the matter of the curtain shop was about the contravention of planning regulations and was therefore nothing to do with being "ousted out of the town."

It continued that when Cllr Mrs Goodman said it was her town this referred to the fact she had been born and bred in Henley and at this point she had been talking as a private resident.

Refuted

The statement added that the claim Cllr Mrs Goodman had said that Mr Miah was not welcome in the town has been refuted by Cllr Mrs Goodman and Cllr Chris Milsom, who was also at the meeting where the comment was allegedly made.

During the public participation section of the meeting two residents rose to Cllr Mrs Goodman's defence.

One said that Cllr Mrs Goodman had done more for the town than others and had worked tirelessly and relentlessly for many hours outside of council meetings to help residents with their problems.

Another resident seemed to be speaking for the majority of the assembled residents, judging by the cheers that his comments received, when he said he had been so ashamed to read what Cllr Mrs Goodman had said. He asked councillors what they were going to do to address the ill feeling and bad image generated by her actions. He continued that there was no point spending money on the town's tourism and trade if all Cllr Mrs Goodman was going to do was "kick them out when she doesn't approve."

Cllr Roger Hubbocks called for any discussion of the curtain shop to continue in private session. The vote was carried by three votes totwo. At this point around two-thirds of the residents who had turned out for the meeting got up and left. 

Report by Philippa Mingins - Stratford Herald - Thursday 4th February 2010