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Heckling At Town Council
(November 20, 2013)Warminster Town council have rejected the request from two Indpendent members that a former mayor be held back from being appointed to an influential position on a committee.
A row broke out at the meeting on Monday night as Cllr. Steve Dancey tried to hold the the council to account. The rules that govern the running of a council are that appointments should not be political.
"You are trying to justify the appointment of a man to a committee just six months after he was rejected by the electorate.," said Cllr. Dancey.
"How do you think that action is viewed by the people out there."
Councillor Dancey went on to demand that the Tories councillors accept that they had to declare that their support of former Mayor Nicklin was political.
"Now I would argue today that the appointment of Mr. Nicklin identified as the main Conservative contact in Warminster of the South Wilts Conservative association breaches our code of conduct in May." said Cllr. Dancey.
"This quite cl;early states that the appointment of a co-opted member should not be political."
Consevervative councillors one after another stood up to argue from prepared notes that bringing back the former Mayor was based on his history of serving the town.
As the heat rose at the meeting Cllr. Andrew Davis waved a sheet of paper about accusing Cllr. Dancey of trying to bullly him.,
In summing up Cllr. Dancey was heckled by Tony Nicklin from the public seats putting him off his stride.
The council voted to throw out asking the Town Development Committee to reconsider their decision to co-opt the former councillor.
After the meeting Cllr. Paul Macdonald said: "We attempted to bring a new fresh voice to the council on Monday and speak up for those who are genuinely concerned about the way the council was run for six years.
"I believe that we are right in making sure that this issue was debated in public rather than being allowed to fester in the background.
"The Tories had accepted the removal of one of the party political actions that happened on the Conservative run town council that we suggested quietly.
"It was the substitution of a councillor at a meeting that they cannot attend with another of a like mind to maintain their strength as it was not in the rule-book so it would have to be introduced.
"In this case it is in the rules to challenge the a co-option of an unelected member. No political, that is as I understand it, a poltical party or move that is politic, appointment can be made. Why did they not accept this?
"I also found the heckling of Councillor Dancey from the publc seats by the former mayor of this town in question most unbecoming."