Vote goes against the council

HENLEY officially has no confidence in its parish council.

Residents headed to the polls on Tuesday (May 25) to have their say on whether or not they had faith in Beaudesert and Henley Joint Parish Council.

They were asked to cast a yes or no vote on the question: "Do you agree that confidence has been lost in the leadership and management of Beaudesert and Henley Joint Parish Council and that all existing councillors should resign immediately and that there should be an election for a new parish council as soon as possible?"

Out of the 221 residents who turned out, 117 voted yes.

The referendum was called amidst claims councillors were not listening to the concerns of residents.

Residents felt their opinions were ignored over the possible installation of CCTV cameras in Henley and the allotment committee also disbanded, claiming poor working relations with the parish council.

And things really came to a head when the council objected to the purple frontage of Bespoke Curtains and Blinds in High Street.

The council was even accused of racism against the shop's Asian owner, which councillors rejected saying they were only concerned with the conservation of the town.

Henley Reform Association told the Stratford Observer: "The result is a powerful indicator that there is significant dissatisfaction with the way the parish council is being run. It will be very interesting to see the council response having lost this vote of confidence.

"On the face of it, doing nothing would not seem to be an option. The councillors should do what honour dictates and resign immediately."

The result of the poll is not legally binding on the parish council who are yet to comment on the result.

The Stratford Observer - Thursday 27th May 2010

Henley public to speak out on council

CONFIDENCE in councillors will be called into question in Henley next week.

A referendum will see residents have their say on whether or not they have faith in Beaudesert and Henley Joint Parish Council. It will be held on Tuesday (May 25) between 4pm and 9pm at the Memorial Hall in Station Road.

Residents can cast a yes or no vote on the question: "Do you agree that confidence has been lost in the leadership and management of Beaudesert and Henley Joint Parish Council and that all existing councillors should resign immediately and that there should be an election for a new parish council as soon as possible?"

The radical move comes amid claims councillors are not listening to the concerns of residents.

Residents felt their opinions were ignored over the possible installation of CCTV cameras in

Henley, and the allotment committee also disbanded, claiming poor working relations with the parish council.

And things really came to a head when the council objected to the purple frontage of Bespoke Curtains and Blinds in High Street. The council was even accused of racism against the shop's Asian owner, which councillors rejected saying they were only concerned with the conservation of the town.

Resident Peter Crathorne, who was among those who backed the referendum, said: "The parish council has failed to respond to the heartfelt criticism of their actions by a wide range of respected and prominent people in the town and this referendum is born out of the frustration created by this failure to recognise the value of wide consultation about the issues.

"The results of the referendum are not legally binding but the parish council will tarnish its reputation further if it does not heed the result."

It is possible for any resident to call for a referendum at a town meeting under the provision of the Local Government Act 1972 as long as they have the backing of at least nine other electors. Ten residents showed their support for a referendum for the Henley ward. Only six electors supported it in neighbouring Beaudesert.

It was later claimed that several Beaudesert residents had not been allowed entry to the Baptist Church Hall due to concerns the hall had reached its capacity.

Nevertheless it will only be Henley residents who go to the polls on Tuesday.

However, the poll is not legally binding on the parish council.

The Stratford Observer - Thursday 20th May 2010

Henley electors vote one day on their confidence in their parish council. . .

A TOWN poll for Henley will take place next Tuesday after more than ten residents voted that confidence had been lost in the joint parish council at the annual town assembly on 19th April.

The question to be put to the vote is: "Do you agree that confidence has been lost in the leadership and management of the joint parish council and that all existing councillors should resign immediately and that there should be an election for a new parish council as soon as possible?"

Only Henley residents will be able to vote as there was not enough support for a poll in Beaudesert.

The poll was proposed by Peter Crathorne, co-founder of The Reform Association, which aims to "restore democracy in Henley" along with John Latham and Cllr Bill Leech.

In an open letter to residents Mr Crathorne said the poll would allow those who believe the joint parish council is doing a fine job to give their view in equal measure to those who believe the process of the local democracy is in a state of disrepute.

Mr Crathorne said: "This proposal is borne out of the frustration created by this failure to recognise the value of wide consultation about the issues. Those of us who support this proposition understand that there is a cost attached. We are also aware that it cannot be legally binding upon the joint parish council. However, if in this poll the town indicated their desire for a new beginning and this was ignored, the present parish council would do irreparable harm to their already tarnished reputation."

He added: "This proposition is not a personal attack on any individual parish council member; they are respected for the time they give to the community. It is a comment on the council as a whole and the fact that they have taken this town on a journey which has heaped public criticism from within itself, from the surrounding districts and in the local press. The poll is like a set of traffic Sights saying to all stop, consider, should we not be taking another route?"

As it stands the next election for parish councillors is not due for another two years, in May 2012.

The poll will take place between 4pm and 9pm in the memorial hall on Station Road. Results are expected to be declared about 30 minutes after the close of the polling station.

.  .   .then two days later, for a councillor

HENLEY electors- are set to cast their votes in a by-election next Thursday to fill a Henley seat in Beaudesert and Henley Joint Parish Council left vacant following the sudden resignation of Sheila Dalman in March.

Ms Dalman resigned during the parish council meeting on 15^th March when she said she could not work with Cllr Bill Leech who, she said, was working to the detriment of the council.

The three candidates standing in the election are: Graham Hindley, of High Street, John Latham, of Riverside Gardens, and Gordon Trinder, of Arden Close.

The by-election comes, after months of controversy for the joint parish council and two days after a vote on whether all the councillors should resign. This by-election is only the second time in nine years the election of a Henley parish councillor has had to go to the ballot, the first being the by-election just last month for the Beaudesert ward when resident Sue Osborne beat veteran councillor George Atkinson by just eight votes.

The vote will take place between 7am and 10pm on Thursday in the Memorial Hall on Station Road.

Results are expected to be declared about 30 minutes after the close of the polling station. The poll will not involve the electors of the parish of Beaudesert.
Report by Rebekah Smith - Stratford Herald - Thursday 20th May 2010   

‘Lock-out’ at annual assembly sparks call for compensation

A RESIDENT called for compensation for the voters shut out of last month's annual town assembly in Henley, at Monday night's annual meeting of Beaudesert and Henley Joint Parish Council.

At least eight residents were unable to attend the assembly at the Baptist Church hall on 19th April.

Malcolm Coulter, of High Street, said during public participation session of the parish council meeting on Monday: "I understand that compensation of £750 is being considered for voters locked out from polling stations at the general election.

Is the joint parish council or chairmen of the  town assembly either past or present going to take the same course of action for voters locked out of the town assembly, and if not, what is their reason? Could I have an immediate answer please?"

Cllr Les Goodman, who was unanimously re-elected as council chairman, said: "You certainly cannot have an immediate answer."

The council reiterated that the decision was made as 100 residents were already inside, filling the hall to its capacity, and to admit, any more would have breached health and safety regulations.

Cllr Hadley said: "When the hall was full to capacity, we shut the door. There were six or eight people who could not get in, but they were not locked out, we shut the door. The alternative was to cancel the meeting. In view of the high feeling in the room at the time, Chris Milsom and I would have been under more criticism than when we made the decision to carry on in the best interests of both parishes at the time."

Cllr George Matheou said: "The assembly was not an election, it was the annual assembly."

Cllr Milsom said: "We could not be in the position of breaking health and safety and fire rules, which pre vented more than 100 people in. We had a choice and made that choice. Had we made that call to adjourn, we could well have ended up with a riot on our hands."

Chairman Cllr Goodman advised Mr Coulter to write to the two chairmen of the assembly.

The council also discussed the parish council's representation on the Henley News Online website.

Last week, Cllr Matheou said he would be drawing a line under the issue of Henley Town Improvement Committee's £3,000 grant, after suggesting a deferment.

But on Monday night, he brought the issue up again, complaining about an article posted on the website suggesting that the payment of the grant should be "frozen."

He said: "I know I drew a line under this at the last meeting, but this is incorrect reporting using my name. What I want to do is to reach an agreement. Either Bill [Cllr Leech, who runs the website], you copy me into the circulation list and I can clear my name of nonsense or you agree to receive a reply from me without changes."

Cllr Leech said that under the Data Protection Act he could not release addresses but people could respond to articles.   Cllr   Matheou replied: "Life's too short for this. Do you accept or not that I did not say about freezing the grant?"

Cllr Leech replied that it was all down to interpretation. A large proportion of people in the town were under the impression the grant was frozen, he said.

Cllr Goodman intervened and said that the grant had been deferred, to which Cllr Leech retorted: "Therefore, the two are similar."

The chairman said councillors were concerned about the way the council was represented on the website. Reports should be correct and not someone's personal blog.

Vice-chairman Cllr Roger Hubbocks said there should be a procedure in place where things came via the council's clerk: Much if what had been published in Henley Online News had been incorrect and the council had not had the opportunity to correct it."

Cllr Leech responded that he did give the councillors a chance to take a look at Henley News Online on Mondays or Tuesdays before the fortnightly publication on Thursdays. "I very rarely write things personally about the parish council," he said.

"What appears in Henley News Online about the parish council is usually written by the Stratford Herald and it's reprinted with their approval, or it is written by a named member of the community.

Very little put in is written by me. I welcome a dialogue with the parish council in how to get over this long running problem."

Report by Susan Evans - Stratford Herald - Thursday 13th May 2010  

Town improvement committee gets its £3,000

HENLEY Town Improvement Committee (TIC) is to receive a £3,000 grant despite fears that parish councillors would refuse to make the payment after the TIC chairman supported calls for a town poll, writes Rebekah Smith.

Beaudesert and Henley Joint Parish Council controversially refused to pay the grant at its meeting on 12th April, deferring the decision to 26th April, after it was revealed TIC chairman Peter Crathorne had added his name to support for a town poll calling for the election of a new parish council.

The decision was reversed at last week's meeting when Cllr George Matheou, who suggested the deferment, said: "I have to confess to you that at the last parish council meeting I was badly let down as a trustee and supporter of the TIC but I'm not going to say anything else about this. I'm going to draw a line and move forward." He added: "I have spoken to the chair of the TIC and today I'm going to recommend to you we release the first £3,000 of the grant to the TIC."

A vote was taken arid the council voted all in favour of making the payment.

The town poll for Henley, requested by more than ten residents at the annual assembly on 19th April, will be held on Tuesday 25th May. Meanwhile, 11 residents from the Beaudesert parish, which did not receive enough support for a town poll, have written to Cllr Chris Milsom, chair of the parish assembly, saying they think the assembly was invalid as electors were prevented from entering the hall and there was evidence some residents felt too intimidated to vote. The residents ask that the assembly be declared void and another called within one month, which would be cheaper than a judicial review, the costs of which the council would have to meet.

Report by Rebekah Smith - Stratford Herald - Thursday 6th May 2010