Just in time!

Click to access 140630_Draft_Openness_Guide_-F.pdf

23 July 2014 (agenda not yet published so time not yet available – hmmm)
Oh, look, just after we’ve mentioned it the agenda appeared here:

Click to access 230714_council_agenda.pdf

Knowle, 6.30 p.m.

EDDC full Council to vote on curtailment of public right to speak at EDDC meetings –

EDDC’s Executive Board has already voted for the curtailment of the rights of the public to speak at its meeting but it needs the rubber stamp of the full Council which will meet on 23 July 2014.

It is not too late to get this decision reversed. Write to your local councillor asking how he or she is planning to vote and why, and turn up on the day to show your support in preventing the erosion of democracy in East Devon.

(Contact details for your local Councillor can be found here, Wards and Councillors. Simply scroll down the list to find the Councillor for your ward and click on the orange highlighted name to bring up the details.)

A motion challenging what the Independent Councillors see as a clampdown on free speech, is proposed by Cllr Claire Wright and seconded by Cllr Ben Ingham. Cllrs Roger Giles, Trevor Cope and Susie Bond have also signed up to it. Below is an extract from Cllr Wright’s blog on the issue:
“The motion will be debated at the full council meeting of Wednesday 23 July, which starts at 6.30 pm. It reads: “This council believes wholeheartedly in democracy and the fundamental right of its citizens to be fully represented by their elected members. This council also believes in the democratic process and commits to do everything within its power to enhance the role of the elected member.””

EDDC has recently sought to place a number of restrictions on the freedom of speech including: – 1) Recommendations to dramatically reduce public speaking at planning committee meetings. (Also to be decided on the 23rd). 2) Restrictions on public speaking at all committees. 3) An agreement that, “any motion not immediately relevant to the business of the council will be referred to a council committee first.”

Whilst everyone agrees the meetings can be long, especially when issues of public local concern are being discussed, if these restrictions are passed they will betray the key principles of Localism, designed to improve and encourage local authority engagement with the community. If EDDC wants to make meetings more time efficient, they could instead refrain from so much self-congratulation, nor raise issues of national policy over which they have no control; e.g. the recent half hour presentation and subsequent debate on the evils of illegal highs.

We very much hope you will take the time to contact your EDDC Councillor and urge them to vote against this reduction in the level of transparency, accountability and democracy at East Devon District Council. We also hope you will be able to show your support for those objecting by attending the meeting at the Knowle in Sidmouth on Wednesday, 23rd July.

Please feel free to pass this invitation onto your family, friends and neighbours, since this vote directly affects the rights of everyone living in the East Devon area.

Look forward to seeing you there!
Warmest regards,
Nicky King – (Hon) Secretary – East Devon Alliance.

EDDC now calls developers “Customers” and in many cases puts these “customer” interests ahead of those of the local electorate that they are supposed to be working for.

Now the EU is considering something similar, putting corporations ahead of citizens in a proposed law to provide compensation to corporations whenever a law has an adverse affect on them (called ISDS in TTIP). See

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/page/m/74c0440d/2d720dbc/4ab73af9/464437c5/2117595504/VEsD/

if you want to find out about this particular proposal.

However the point here is that democracy is under attack at all levels, including in our local councils.

Cllr Roger Giles has recently spoken out on Cllr Claire Wright’s blog about how the EDDC Monitoring officer has overturned a motion agreed by majority vote by Ottery St. Mary Town Council to publish the full details of one of her rulings in favour of a request from two minority dissenters on OSMTC to keep it secret.

EDDC and its Leadership needs to recognise that their role is to serve us, the citizens of East Devon, and that we have the right to know what is going on. That, after all, is presumably what Leader Diviani meant when he promised transparency in his nomination speech in 2011.