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