Still time for Great Coates villagers to have say about parish council
GREAT Coates residents have until Friday, November 2, to make written representations to the panel carrying out a review of their parish council.
As reported, the review was triggered by a petition from residents calling for the parish council to be abolished.
The petitioners are angry that the parish council is pressing ahead with plans to build a new village hall – even though 80 per cent of residents polled in a referendum voted against it.
Villagers will also get the chance to have their say at a series of public meetings taking place in early November – although those wishing to speak will have to contact NELC by Monday, October 29.
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The meetings will take place on:
Monday, November 5, from 9am to 1pm at St Nicolas’ Church, Great Coates.
Tuesday, November 6, at 7.30pm at St Nicolas’ Church, Great Coates.
Friday, November 9, from 9am to 1pm at Grimsby Town Hall.
The issue has caused much debate in the pages of the Grimsby Telegraph among readers.
One has written to ask: “What is happening in Great Coates?
“We have a village council who wants to take out a loan of £300,000 to build a non-brick village hall despite a referendum overwhelmingly against the loan.
“Due to the length of time this review is taking to implement, the council has had time to obtain the loan and have instructed the contractors to commence the work.
“Should the governance review find against the council and it is disbanded after the work has started, what then?”
The select committee conducting the review will present its recommendations to the policy, performance and resources scrutiny panel on November 29, with a decision being taken by full council on December 13.
Residents wishing to speak at one of the three public meetings should contact Nerys Davies on 01472 325902 by 5pm on Monday, October 29, or e-mail scrutiny@nelincs.gov.uk
Comments
by jack_knife
Sunday, October 28 2012, 7:51PM
“There's a simple solution, get rid of the Parish Councillors and become one your-selves, then lets see how good YOU are. You all had the chance to become a PC, so why didn't you take it?
Oh no, 'we' can't do that, 'we' then can't complain, can 'we'.
Get the hall built, then lets see how many of the objectors use it.”
by kittycloe
Friday, October 26 2012, 4:24PM
“Strange all this comes up after the VC went for the loan, any one know who the builder of the hall is?”
by Malcolm_Ex
Friday, October 26 2012, 11:58AM
“The whole episode stinks to high heaven. Is it not the case that the Parish Council are there to serve the people of Great Coates? They keep repeating that the referendums were not legally binding? So what? You have ignored the wishes of the overwhelming majority of voters in your Parish. The argument that not everybody voted is irrelevant. The turn out was very high for a local referendum and the Parish Council should abide by the results.
I sincerely hope that the review will, at the very least, ask serious questions about the undemocratic and self serving nature of the Parish Council. Personally, I would like to see it disbanded. If the wishes of the vast majority of residents can be ignored, then what is the point of the council?”
by labourladie
Friday, October 26 2012, 11:41AM
“Lets get this right. "A parish council refuses to back down against an overwhelming vote of it's parishioners on a decision to spend vast sums of money on a village hall that hardly anybody wants other that the parish councillors themselves" Hmm. Something certainly adrift here then, but, are these councillors Lib Dems? Or a good proportion of them? If so then this will be the answer. Minority control freaks. Power at any cost as long as they get their own way. Ain't that right Nick?”