During the cost of living crisis, newly resigned town councillor Ethan Jones is upset at the £1,000 spent by the town council on the buffet during the mayor's inaugural civic Sunday. He has a point but is it a fair one?
In true Private Eye 'Lookalikes' style, David Brent and, right, Ethan Jones. Again, parodying Private Eye, 'Are they related? I think we should be told'
The $64,000 question is this: does the £1,000 represent good value? This ceremonial occasion has been part and parcel of the town council for years, possibly many, many years. In the context of inviting other dignitaries to Rhuthun/Ruthin for such a formal occasion and the fact that the funding helps support local businesses then this is a small amount to pay. Then there's the anticipation that there will be return invitations. The mayor can hardly attend other such occasions when she isn't having her own. But the real issue here is that the mayor, deputy mayor and all the town councillors are volunteers who give up time at least twice a month and usually a lot more in order to undertake their duties. They have no salary. They don't receive an honorarium or allowance. In this context, £1,000 as a public 'thank you' for potentially 15 councillors is a small amount to pay.
In his 15 months in office, we wonder what contribution Jones made to the town and town council.
If his resignation triggers a by-election then this will cost the tax payer about six times as much as the civic Sunday. This, given the May 2022 change of council, you could argue, is unnecessary and unplanned expenditure (at least the civic Sunday is planned and budgeted for). £6,000 was the cost of the election during Jones's own victory, a by-election triggered after Jones and his supporters specifically forced such an event. Here, we're not saying that that particular by-election was wrong. Indeed, we support the democratic principles that the people rather than by co-option the town council should decide their councillors. But with the right to be a town councillor comes the responsibility not to force unnecessary expenditure by dropping out so soon after a new council was formed in May 2022.
So, when you weigh up the £1,000 for the civic Sunday and the prospect of over £6,000 for a by-election, I just wonder who during the cost of living crisis is costing the council and all of us more.
And, the town council will continue, with or without Jones. He'll be forgotten If not completely) soon enough. which is a shame: he's young and that at least was refreshing.
Update: given that the local election wasn't so long ago, the town council decided to co-opt rather than call a by-election.