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Meeting snowed off despite chairman's qualms - lack of respect
(January 15, 2010)AN important local meeting was abandoned this week against the
wishes of its chairman in order that a press announcement could be
straightforward.
"I told them at 11am yesterday that I wanted the area board
meeting to go ahead," said Cllr. Andrew Davis when challenged by Paul
Macdonald last night (Thursday).
"At three o'clock I got a phone call to say that as all other
county meetings even including staff meetings at County Hall had been
called off I could not go ahead.
"They said they did not want to complicate the press announcement with a list of those that were on and those that were off.
"It came across as a command!"
Cllr. Davis expressed further misgivings including concerns that
the clock was running down on important local contributions that needed
to be given as part of the 'current timetable'.
"I am also concerned that meetings will try to cram too much in."
However, the councillor explained he is now trying to piggyback an
area board meeting onto a health forum that is to be held shortly.
"Councillor Davis has been seriously undermined by a lack of respect," claimed former councillor Paul Macdonald.
"Councillors who chair meetings should always take advice but it is their decision to take.
"And to abandon the meeting relying on ineffective publicity and
have no one on hand at the meeting place to apologise shows a further
lack of respect to the public who made the effort."