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.
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