Rumbling On

A new mayor but the platinum jubilee is still a sore point for some on the town council.

The first business meeting of the new town council and already there are tensions. Ethan Jones puts forward a notice of motion that all town councils are recorded, kept for a month and are available to the public if they request it. This is because of the machinations on social media and accusations about the platinum jubilee celebrations (or not). Presumably, he wishes to have an accurate record.

Christine Ellis supports the motion. So far, so fair. But she lends weight to the motion not because of Jones but because she feels he misrepresents the views of others while on the BBC tv. Like Jones, Ellis has little town council experience but she is right when she says that it is not a political council. Or, rather, it is perhaps more accurate for her to say that this had not previously been a political council. During the previous year, politics is creeping in more and more. 

Things then get a little heated. Jones tries to come back to defend himself against Ellis but is told by the clerk in no uncertain terms that this is now taken offline. 

The resolution is neither supported nor defeated. Instead, the clerk is asked to seek a legal view. 

With only 11 town councillors and some of them new or less experienced, it was noticeable that Jabez Oakes spoke a lot more frequently than previously. He's come on considerably.