Burton Joyce Online

I was surprised to read on the Parish Council website today that at its meeting which is to take place next Tuesday the Council is going to declare formal opposition to Severn Trent Water’s current proposals on wind turbines.

How can the web-site writer be permitted to report what the Council will decide when the Council has not yet met to make any such decision?

Severn Trent Water has not yet submitted a planning application so how can the Parish Council make a decision about proposals that have not yet been submitted?

What is going on here, and why?

Am I right to be concerned that the Parish Council website writer spends so much time on promoting personal interests and causes on the site and yet cannot find time even to put up the Agenda and Minutes for the next Parish Council meeting in two days’ time?

Who is writing the web-site and who is monitoring its content?

Well said Bob2

My sources tell me that it is the Clerk and a designated councillor who create and post the content online in the BJPC Website

I am advised that the designated Councillor is, - surprise, surprise .. .. Cllr CLUFF which is why there appears to be a predominance of personal propaganda

Once again, my sources confirm that it - is the responsibility of each and every councillor to ensure the accuracy ( and substance ?) of the content posted on the BJPC Official website, by advising the Clerk of any inaccuraccies or problems they spot -

Talk about putting the “Cart before the Horse” any other organisation would have checks and balances in place for approving the content BEFORE posting online. - Why is it then that this sensible practice is not in the vocabulary of the BJPC ?

By the way did you see TV’s Panorama programme last night ( 30/11/09). The information on renewable energy and wind turbines was most enlightening and should be noted by our Parish Councillors

How about a balanced response to the BJPC's action against the POSSIBILITY of STW unspecified windturbines proposals

At the recent meeting in the BJ Village Hall - called for by the BJPC ( and at a cost to the Parish Council's budget), it was claimed ( at the most) 150 of the community turned out in attendance .

Now if ALL those in attendance were actually representing different households ( most unlikely as the majority attending appeared to be couples) - then the ANTI Windturbine voters can claim the support of less than 10% of the community households

Now that does put the whole issue in perspective

-“WATCH”notes

Not only has the BJPC already approved financing for the ANTI’s with £500 for publicity banners and leaflets , and allowi FREE use of the Poplars , they are now suggestions that another £500 for secretarial facilities and £150 for leaflets is now being considered. We must state that this is our interpretation of the situation as the ANTI’s subject, fighting fund and activities are not completely transparent even though the project is a yet to be submitted Planning application .

The ANTI Lobby state that 291 homes will be affected yet do not balance the fact that there are possibly 1500 homes NOT affected . They also state that the Village is behind their actions – Not proven there was only 150+ at the Village Hall meeting out of a possible population of 3500+

Bee Jay

Here is a summary of a really interesting item in draft BJPC minutes

10/152 Wind Turbine Proposals An update of the current situation was provided. Following a discussion on issues surrounding declarations of interest in respect of this matter, the Parish Clerk advised that where more than 50% of Councillors could technically be prohibited from voting because of a perceived prejudicial interest, individual members could make a request for dispensation to the Standards Committee. The Parish Clerk confirmed that she would obtain the necessary forms and circulate appropriately.

So this is the possible reasoning behind the hyper activity of the BJPC ANTI WIND TURBINE lobby - VESTED INTEREST - All this for a suggection which has YETl to be submitted for Planning permission ! !

Deepthroat

Why is it that the minutes of the Wind Turbine working Group are sent out direct by e mail rather than being published for the community at large to see?

I understood that the funding of this working group ( several £100's) is provided direct from the BJPC Coffers The same Coffers which funded the initial meeting in November £500 approx ( which incidentally the Councillor claimed had the unanimous support of the Village .- approx 150 votes in the village hall meeting ,out of a village population of approx 3600 ) How on earth can this be the unanimous decision of the village when the hall will only hold about 200 anyway, and there are approx 1800 families in Burton Joyce

Once again this illustrates our Parish Councillor's lack of understanding of the meaning of of their own policy of an Open and Transparent a policy which frequently appears to be convenient ignored

At the initial Village hall meeting in NOVEMBER the council's representatives (yes with vested interest) denied by their own and the meeting agenda to allow the publice the opportunity of a counter PRO arguments. The Councillor presenting the ANTI argument also, in my opinion "intimated/suggested" that STW had imminent plans to submit a Planning Application wsithin weeks and here we are in April with not a sign of it being lodged.

I also have noted that the BJPC has also approved <£500 to finance a ANTI report with an addition <£150 allocated for secretarial assistance

ALL THIS and we the community are not provided with a progress report of the working party

Why is it that there are hidden agendas within our Parish Council

Oh by the way - my congratualtions to our ex councillor who introduced and fronted the item within the BBC TV "Politics Show" An item to which our Parish Council declined the invitation and opportunity to respond to