Members Register of Interests

I have been quiet for the past few weeks due in part to internet problems, a major garden project, nearing completion I'm pleased to say and a bit of ill health.

But something has been troubling my mind over the past few weeks also, “Members Register of Interests”, doesn't sound to interesting does it, but I do know that it has been troubling a lot of councillors and locally at least two I know of have decided to resign over it, with a further one refusing to complete the form, so what’s going on?  

The background, as a councillor you have to complete a form detailing how you earn any money, who you work for, any land you own or have an interest in, companies you hold shares in, companies you control, all good stuff. This form is then filed away in the clerks’ office and is available to anyone who wishes to see it. I have never heard of a councillor having a problem with this and indeed you can’t serve as a councillor after an election until the form is complete.

But, and it’s a big but, the rules have changed, under the Localism Act, the form has to be completed as before but must also include the same details for your partner, this seems to be the area that has raised most concerns with other councillors and I can understand their position. 

This really does raise a few concerns for councillors, myself included, firstly the current Mrs Pz01 is not very happy about this, is not a elected member of a council and derives no benefit from my being a councillor, I should also point out neither do I, in 12 years for my work as a councillor I have received £0 in expenses and £0 in any other way, I did receive a small allowance for my two years as Mayor.

This information then has to be published on the Town or Parish website (if the Town or Parish have one) along with being published on the appropriate unitary authorities’ site (in my case Cornwall Councils).

This is the area that raises the most concerns for me, firstly the current Mrs Pz01’s employer is not very keen at all on employees detailing who they work for on the internet and due to the very nature of the job neither is Mrs Pz01, I have been told that her name can be removed if the monitoring officer agrees, all very well if your name is Richards or Smith perhaps but it doesn't work too well with ours.

No, it’s the very act of publishing this information on the internet that I have a problem with, I'm very careful as to what information I publish on the internet, having spent many years working in IT I'm very aware of the risks, once its on the internet it is available for any casual observer anywhere in the world to access this information, whereas in the past if you genuinely felt that I or any other councillor had broken the rules you had to make the effort to go to the office and ask for the information, thus dissuading the casual observer.

In the spirit of we are all in this together I thought that I would look up my MP’s register of interests, I suggest you give it a try and remember many Town & Parish councils are dealing with sums of money that are less than a single MP’s allowances and expenses.  

In conclusion will I be complying with this? The honest truth is I don’t know, I’m not very happy with the way council work in Cornwall is going at this moment, dealing with Cornwall Council is like mud wrestling a tank full of eels and I'm not sure I want to continue, this may well be the stone.

Town Centre Crisis & Car Parking

Living in Penzance as I do I consider myself very lucky, despite all the stories to the contrary, I believe that we still have a vibrant town centre, (for many years I was a town centre shop manager) yes, I know that there are empty shops, currently running at about 10%, but you have to be aware that in more normal times 5%-8% of shops would be empty, this in the trade is known as churn, and without it there would be no turn over, with no new shops opening. No opportunities for changes in use. 

So why has the number of shops closing in Penance stirred up so many headlines, new shops that have opened mostly being ignored, with the doom mongers claiming the town centre is in “crisis”, lists of closed shops proudly displayed in shop windows, cries for the council to do something. It should be borne in mind that the largest number of stores that have closed, so far, have been those that are part of national chains; these chains are being hit very hard by the many thousands that are being put out of work across the country as a whole, the true effects of this have not yet truly reached us, but I fancy soon will.

We do not have the large employers, where the laying off of hundreds from one factory has huge knock on effects, our future vitality is being undermined in a much less obvious way, jobs slowly being moved or lost, Penwith staff to Camborne, NHS staff to Treliske, Inland Revenue to Redruth, Remploy factory closing, death by a thousand cuts.

This summer, which seems to have started at last as I write this, will be the break point for many in our high streets; if the number of visitors coming to our towns fall significantly then we could very well have a true crisis. It is my belief that the one single factor that will influence the number visiting and the time they stay is car parking charges.

Car parking charges are in the control of the Tory led Cornwall Council, and what a cash cow they have found. In the year 2010 - 11 parking charges in Cornwall have raised Cornwall Council a surplus of £8,221,000. That’s a bit over £8 million and 2011 – 12 is set to be higher. To give some perspective to this, the Tory led Cornwall Council came seventh (7) on the list of 349 Authorities in England and Wales, only beaten by 6 London authorities and the city of Brighton & Hove, in the amount of surplus raised. West Devon is 210^th & Plymouth 215^th both raising a surplus of less than £500,000. Devon 283^rd raising £283,000. Figures are from an analysis of local authority accounts by the RAC Foundation.

So in one of the most rural areas of the country where a car is essential for most, where we have to attract visitors to our towns to survive, Cornwall Council with a policy of high parking charges is undermining every town centre and business in Cornwall.

So where is all this money being raised by Cornwall Council going?

Local authorities were warned by Mike Penning, the road safety minister, last year to stop treating motorists as an easy target to raise funds.

Town halls are supposed to use their powers to control parking to improve traffic flow and prevent gridlock on their streets.

They are prohibited from using these powers to bolster their income. 

Until Cornwall Council bring some sense to car parking charges, every town centre in Cornwall is under threat and then we will have a true crisis on our High Streets.

Later this year I will holiday in Brittany, two weeks, total cost of car parking £0.

Just some Railings

I’m not a member of the planning committee of Penzance Town Council so would normally leave the members of that committee to make decisions without the dubious benefit of my opinion. So what enticed me to walk the 5 miles into Penzance and back on a wet evening to attend a planning meeting?

Railings, that’s it a set of railings.

The town council received an email informing them that some railings  where to be  replaced in Newlyn (South Ward and my area) and that the plan was to install railings that matched some that had been replaced a little while ago, also that some narrowing of the carriageway was proposed .

Now you would think that this email would have been from Cornwall Council but you would be wrong, it was from the contractor, an international construction management organization, and it was the first we had heard about it. Very kind of the contractor to contact us, but what about Cornwall Council?

Well, you may be thinking its only some railings, what can be important about railings, as with most things its context, this part of Newlyn is a Conservation Area and the railings will run the entire length of the road alongside the harbour, this new set will run for approximately 200m joining up with the previous 200m of replaced railings, so in total nearly a quarter of a mile of railings, overlooking the harbour.

The earlier railings where installed with no consultation what so ever, leading to an outcry in the village, totally ignored by Cornwall Council, so what’s getting people upset.

Let’s start with the design of the railings, I have seen similar railings in Birmingham alongside the inner ring road, now I have no problem with Birmingham (well I do, but that’s another story) but this very urban environment alongside a dual carriageway is where these railing belong, not in Newlyn.

As stated before this part of Newlyn is within a conservation area, the road as it rises up overlooks the harbour affording views not only over Newlyn harbour but across the bay to Penzance and across to St Michael’s Mount, it’s also the main route for people making their way to Mousehole.

The railings already installed by Cornwall Council are very intrusive, right in your face and dominate the view, they are just not in keeping with the local landscape, the wrong materials for a maritime environment, urban in design in fact just wrong.

But perhaps even more importantly, Penzance is home to the world famous collection of Newlyn School paintings (Penlee House), people travel from far and wide to view these paintings and visit the sites where they where painted, and the harbour railings feature in many of these paintings, (Newlyn Fishwives, Old Newlyn Harbour etc). This is an area of great importance, its one of the things that brings visitors to the area, it’s our heritage so don’t go spoiling it, think about it.

So do the current railings need replacement?  Yes they do. Does it require some thought? Yes it does. So come on Cornwall Council, do your duty CONSULT.

The outcome of the meeting was that the planning committee objected to the railings and would write in the strongest terms to Cornwall Council over their failure to consult. 

Causewayhead Penzance- Probably the best Independent Trading Street in Cornwall

On Saturday as a Jubilee treat for the current Mrs Pz01, we popped into Penzance for a bit of retail and Causewayhead it was.

Iv’ heard it all over the past few years as a councillor, Penzance is dead, there are no shops and it’s a mess, why don’t you do something.

Well something has been going on and a lot of it in Causewayhead, it’s new automatic bollard is now in place (more about this later), as part of the “Cornishman” Go to Town campaign, traders, councillors, members of the public and members of the Penzance Community Flora Group all turned up on a Sunday morning and gave it a bit of a spring clean, read more about this here…..Go To Town

So the street has had a weed, street furniture painted and flower beds filled, but what about the shops, well how many shops do you think are in Causewayhead?

Take a guess …. 40, 50

You’re wrong in fact there are over 90, yes 90 and the vast majority are Independent   

90 Independent shops, most towns would be pleased to see this number in their town let alone one street. Soon the revived Charter Market will be back at the top of the street so even more reason to visit.

So back to our shopping trip, the sun was shining and Causewayhead was busy, but for a change busy with people, no cars, no vans just people and it was great. Talking to the traders the much maligned bollard was the reason, cars no longer use the street as a short cut,  no delivery vehicles on a Saturday, just room to walk and enjoy and enjoy it we did, the whole street looked a picture, fruit and flowers outside shops, shop doorways with plants either side, after a haircut, new earrings for Mrs Pz01 and a few other bits and pieces we sat down in the excellent Waves and had a coffee.

So next time you want to take a pop at Penzance, take a walk up Causewayhead and

look around.

So congratulations to The Causewayhead Traders Association, Penzance Community Flora Group and all those who helped make Causewayhead - Probably the best Independent Trading Street in Cornwall

Ps. I notice that the old Threshers is being refurbished new tenants moving in soon.

Torch Relay

Bunting

The story of the Penzance Bunting, it was decided not to put the Bunting up in Market Jew Street, Penzance too early as we had some fears that it could well get damaged before the day.

So late yesterday afternoon the team were out getting the bunting strung,  but few people would have had the chance to see this effort as at 4 am this morning some young men decided to rip the whole lot down again.

Unfortunately for them the CCTV was working and their antics were caught. As were they a few hours later by local Police Officers.

By 8 am the team were back out again re-erecting the bunting. Fingers crossed for tonight.

Newlyn Coombe

Yesterday morning I waked down the Coombe and into Penzance and all was right with the world, in the afternoon I walked back and in my absence “Health & Safety” for the Olympic Torch Relay had passed that way. For those not familiar with Newlyn Coombe it’s a fairly narrow road in Newlyn (the site of “The Newlyn Meadery”), bounded on one side without a pavement are a range of fish merchants and other business, on the other a narrow pavement with a guard rail stopping you falling into the raging torrent that’s the Coombe.

In the time I had spent in Penzance a row of crash barriers had appeared stretching for about 200 yards connected to the existing guardrails by cable ties, the feet of the crash barriers now took up over half the pavement, I cautiously made my way up the Coombe but having tripped over the protruding legs a few times decided the road was safer. But do not fear the works had not finished as returning down the Coombe in the evening this new trip hazard had been recognised and cured by giving every crash barrier its very own cone. No wonder  “Health & Safety” gets a bad name. 

Found a hazard that was not really there, made a trip hazard, cone for the trip hazard, people now in the road.

Penzance Mayor Choosing

Penzance Mayor Choosing

The recent Mayor choosing in Penzance this year has raised a few questions after I and one other councillor voted against the election of the Mayor. This is the first time this has happened for a good many years and was not a decision which I took lightly. Prior to this formal meeting of the council, a meeting is held where all nominations for the post of Mayor are debated and a vote taken. This year, two nominations were received, so the nomination’s are put to a vote, the outcome of the vote was tied at 10 – 10, the vote was taken a further two times with the same outcome, there is no casting vote. This impasse was only overcome when one of the nominees stood down. The mayor elect is then formally voted into office at the Annual Meeting of the Town Council.

The role of Mayor is a complex one, on one hand you are the public face of the town attending public functions on behalf of the town, representing the town at civic ceremonies, meeting and supporting other groups within the town and further a field, this very public role is an important element of the job.  On the other hand, the mayor is the chairman of the council, chairing full town council meetings, as mayor you are also a member of all the councils committees.

The supporters of the mayor elect have stated in the press that it was his turn, this is a phrase I have not heard before in my twelve years as a councillor, certainly regarding mayor choosing, the mayor is not chosen on the basis of turn and never has been, I have also read that the role had become too political, again from an unnamed source, strange then that the elected mayor is a member of a political party and the other nomination very much an independent.

So how do I judge who should be mayor, firstly I look at their ability to carryout the required roles of the mayor, basing this on what I have seen of that person acting as a councillor over their time as an elected member.  I do not care if I agree or disagree with them politically. Normally they would have been the chair of one of the committee’s, how have they conducted themselves in this role? Have they done well.  What working groups have they volunteered to be members of, what has been their contribution? Is this a person who I feel will represent the town well and finally I look for that indefinable extra that would make them a mayor.

In the past I have not always been in total agreement with those elected to be mayor, but on balance have felt that it could just be me and have been happy to vote for them at the Annual Meeting, sadly on this occasion I could not, I looked at all the factors detailed above, considered my own prejudices and after much thought decided that I could not support their election. I will continue to work as a councillor and continue to offer support to those holding office and hope and trust I'm proved wrong.

Fence Sitting or Pre Determination

As a local councillor, the other day I was accused (among many other things) as sitting on the fence. A very common complaint made against Councillors, so why is it that Councillors are very careful about getting behind a local campaign group, wishing to build or not to build, this or that, here or there.

Well the simple answer is that they are banned from doing so, by law.

Many from outside Councils I’m sure are now asking what!

Councillors currently are governed by a set of rules set out in the Local Government Act 2000 and Local Authorities (Model Code of Conduct) Order 2007, which members and councillors must abide by.

Within these documents is a section about what is called Pre Determination.

This in part, is what it says:-

“Predetermination is where a councillor’s mind is closed to the merits of any arguments which differ from their own about a particular issue on which they are making a decision, such as an application for planning permission. The councillor makes a decision on the issue without taking them all into account.

If councillors are involved in making a decision they should avoid giving the appearance that they have conclusively decided how they will vote at the meeting, such that nothing will change their mind. This impression can be created in a number of different ways such as quotes given in the press, and what they have said at meetings or written in correspondence.

Rarely will membership of an organisation on its own, such as a national charity, amount to apparent bias. This is unless the organisation has a particular vested interest in the outcome of a specific decision that a councillor is involved in making, or the decision is quasi-judicial in nature.”

Some extreme but true examples:

·        Members of South Cambridgeshire District Council were warned that they may be disqualified from discussing a proposed new site for a mobile phone mast if they themselves used a mobile phone, and could not comment on a proposed new park and ride scheme if they owned a car.

·        Candidates standing for election to Reigate and Banstead Council were warned against discussing a controversial decision to close a local swimming pool and sell the land for housing, because to express a view would exclude them from voting on the issue if elected.

·        An independent councillor on Rushmoor Borough Council was prevented from voting at full council on a proposal to turn the Farnborough Aerodrome into an executive jet centre, because he had expressed his opposition to the plans during his election campaign.

·        Councillors on North Shropshire District Council were discouraged from expressing their views on plans to introduce parking charges in three local market towns until a final decision was taken, for fear that to comment before the vote could leave the council open to legal challenge. This was despite the plans to introduce parking charges provoking lively debate among local residents.

So before having a go at your local councillor, for what sounds like a luke warm endorsement for your campaign, remember he or she has to play the game by the rules or be banned from playing.

The good news.

Local Government Minister Grant Shapps has stated that :-

“The Localism Bill will change the law to allow councillors to campaign on local issues and champion the needs of their residents - ending widespread and long-standing uncertainty among councillors, leaving them free to better represent their communities.”