After much delay, the Town Council has finally posted the 2011 annual report. So how did they solve the conundrum of the missing figures in 2010? by simply leaving out last year's figures completely!
Having exhausted the Town Council's processes, I wish to refer this case to yourselves.
A supporting document was omitted from a Council Meeting Agenda Pack lodged in the local library (and was not available for members of the public at the meeting).
I requested a copy and was advised that I could see it during the accounts inspection window at a later date. I considered this to be unsatisfactory as the inspection opportunity commenced on a date later than the response deadline and it would of course involve considerable inconvienience to myself, including loss of annual leave time.
I referred the matter for internal review and was advised that the review panel considered the document as draft and therefore not for public circulation (despite being presented at a full open Council meeting without exclusion of the public).
I attach your standard form and a screen scrape of the correspondence- it can also be found at http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/missing_agm_document_in_library#incoming-195035
Thank you,
Ian Grey
I have sent a maladministration complaint to Morley Town Council.
When Councillor Bradley died on September 30th, in law, this created a casual vacancy on the Council. It was then obliged to post up a notification, advising electors that there would be a co-option to fill the vacancy unless ten electors petitioned for a Poll. Had there been less than six months before the election, a petition would not have been possible and it would be optional whether the Town Council chose to co-opt someone or not.
However, Cllr Bradley died seven months and a few days before the May 2010 elections.
The statutory notice has to be displayed for 14 working days. This expired on Wednesday so the opportunity for voters to ask for a bye-election is no longer possible. The Council failed to comply with its legal obligations and has therefore acted unlawfully.
Statutes: LGA 1972 LGA 1972 SI2006/3305
The letter to the YEP was published yesterday with the above amusing caption. It isn't online so here is a snapshot-
As the Morley local paper continue to ignore anything not supportive of the ruling Junta, I have sent the following letter to the Yorkshire Evening Post.
When Morley Town Council published their 2009/2010 Annual report with a censored financial statement recently, I sat up and took notice. A balance sheet without a balance? Outrageous!
Local Governments are meant to be open and transparent- after all it is our money they are spending. They don't come cheap either- in the last six years Morleians have been forced to pay over a Million Pounds to run our Parish. (If you don't believe it involves force, try withholding your Council Tax.)
To refuse to print how much they spent last year and how much they had left is arrogance of the highest order. We hope they spend our hard earned money wisely but how can we know that if they won't tell us? The excuses used about "confidentially issues" were entirely unjustifiable and a smokescreen to conceal their incompetence, something that has backfired spectacularly.
Morley Town Council's actions are an insult to all precept payers of Morley. The Councillors who voted to accept the Annual Report should hang their heads in shame.
Ian Grey
(Former Morley Town Councillor 2004-2007)
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