Honestly, with an ex parish councillor who is a district councillor and ex-chair of the EDDC Planning Committee (not to mention wife of the current Chair of Colyton Parish Council) you really would think they would have some expertise with a Neighbourhood Plan. On second thoughts … scrub that!

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THE development of Colyton Parish Neighbourhood Plan has got off to a rocky start with resignations and claims that the parish council, which is leading the project, has acted in a “threatening, aggressive and hostile” manner towards volunteers.

After a slow start on the plan, issues came to a head at last Monday’s council meeting, where volunteers complained that they had been accused of “having a shindig at the parish council’s expense” after suggesting that wine and nibbles would be available at a neighbourhood plan meeting.

Last year, Colyton Parish Council agreed to develop a neighbourhood plan, which will shape how the parish is developed in future years, and asked for volunteers to come forward to work on the project. Separate committees were set up in Colyton and Colyford, consisting of both councillors and volunteers, to deal with the individual issues which faced the two communities, as well as an overarching steering group to bring representatives from the two committees together.

The steering group met for the first time earlier this month, where it was agreed that an informal meeting would be held on February 24th for the two committees to get to know one another and potentially form working parties, and it was suggested that wine and nibbles would be available.

Parish clerk Liz Berry disagreed with the format of the meeting, saying that the council could not pay for wine and nibbles and that any neighbourhood plan meeting should follow official guidelines, which resulted in a number of emails being circulated between the clerk and volunteers.

Former Mayor of Colyford and chairman of the neighbourhood plan’s Colyford committee, Howard West, spoke in the public forum of last week’s parish council meeting, saying he was “offended” by comments made in the emails, which he described as “the last straw”.

The next day he announced his resignation from the neighbourhood plan committee, claiming that he and his wife had been threatened by a member of the parish council. But parish council chairman Andrew Parr claimed that Mr West had been fighting a “turf war” between Colyton and Colyford and said he now hoped to be able to move forward with the plan.

Frustrating

Speaking at the parish council meeting before his resignation, Mr West said: “Today, as far as I’m concerned, was the last straw. I have had 13 emails today and I’m quite offended that we’re being accused of having a ‘shindig’ at the parish council’s expense.

“It is so frustrating; everything we’re trying to do for the neighbourhood plan is for the good of the parish and we never had any intention of asking the parish council to fund what the parish clerk calls a ‘shindig’, which is isn’t, it’s a meeting of all the people involved in the two committees of the neighbourhood plan to get to know one another.

“Does the parish council really want us to do a neighbourhood plan, because every time we try to move forward we get pushed back a step? I’ve spent nearly all day today trying to deal with this problem and it’s not just me, a lot of other people are quite upset about the way we have been treated… we can’t just let it carry on like this.”

Fellow Colyford resident Diane Nason commented: “I second that. I went to a steering group meeting last week and I was quite apprehensive about it because what has been coming from the council has, it seems to me, been quite aggressive, hostile.”

Mrs Berry said: “Having got the message that there would be an informal meeting of the two committees potentially to form working groups, obviously decisions would be made at the meeting.

“Anything to do with the neighbourhood plan has to be a community engagement exercise, open to public, have an agenda, be minuted, and as a council we can’t fund a get together where there’s wine and nibbles, and I’ve been told by the chairman that the public would not be allowed to go to it. It’s not a meeting to form working groups, you can’t make decisions.

“As the responsible financial officer for the council’s money, which is indeed public money, we can’t fund a shindig, a party, a get together – call it what you like. We can fund a meeting that makes decisions. You don’t need wine and peanuts.”

Councillor Huntley Evans, who sits on the neighbourhood plan steering group, said: “Let’s not undo the good work that we did last week. In all innocence it was suggested that the two committees get together, mostly with the idea that, for the vast majority of things which affect this community, the two committees would be able to work as one.

“I propose that we carry on with our meeting of the two committees; we don’t need wine or nibbles, perhaps we’ll have a cup of tea or cake, and we’ll carry on as planned.”

Mrs Berry asked if the meeting would be open to the public. Councillor Evans said it would be, and that an agenda could be published in advance.

“That’s the way I suggest we go forward and diffuse this rather unnecessary spat,” he added.

Mr West added: “That’s exactly what it was all about but all these emails that were flying around today were totally uncalled for.”

Mrs Nason commented: “It’s not just today, it’s been the same for some time. There are other people involved in neighbourhood plans in other areas and they’re very happy groups but I have to say, if this is a neighbourhood plan there’s not been very much neighbourly about it. I’m getting quite upset about it.”

Later in the meeting Councillor Evans gave a full report on the steering group meeting held earlier this month. Members made no further comments on the matter, prompting Councillor Paul Dean to ask if the council was going to address concerns raised during the public forum.

“What’s the council’s views on what has been said? People are upset and we either need to allay their fears or not. We can’t just say, ‘OK, they’ve said their piece and we’re not even going to listen, discuss it or anything’,” he said.

Mrs Berry then explained the situation again, adding that there was “no way” that public money could be spent on drinks and nibbles. She said that after questioning the meeting she received a “flurry of emails” saying it was just a “get to know you” event.

“Working in working groups you’ll get to know each other,” she continued.
“If you’re having a meeting it has to be properly advertised, it has to have an agenda and minutes. If you’re going to make decisions then it all has to be open and transparent, open to the public.”

Councillor Evans said he would ensure that the meeting on February 24th was publicised.

Speaking to Pulman’s View later that week, Mr West announced that he was resigning from the neighbourhood plan committee and standing down from “involvement in all Colyford village affairs”. He reported that he and his wife Anne had been “accused of splitting the village in two”, had received verbal threats from a parish councillor, and another member of the Colyford committee had received similar threats and had also since resigned.

In his letter of resignation, Mr West said: “After attending the Colyton Parish Council meeting last night, and making an impassioned plea in public question time for the parish council to let us all get on with the neighbourhood plan, I came away totally demoralised and feeling intimidated by the parish council once more.

Mr West went on to explain the situation regarding the planned “social get together” and expressed disappointment that Councillor Evans was “forced to concede that it would not be a social evening”.

He added: “Councillor Evans cannot and should not be allowed or encouraged to arbitrarily alter what was agreed at the steering group meeting. This can only be democratically done at the next steering group meeting. “I therefore feel that there is no further point in me continuing as your elected chairman, and I resign with immediate effect. The treatment yesterday was in addition to the verbal threats given to my wife Anne and I a few weeks ago by a councillor. This has been followed by a resignation of a member of our Colyford neighbourhood plan ommittee, who has received similar threats also from a councillor.

“The continuous intimation from the parish council, its parish clerk and some councillors is totally unnecessary and should stop immediately. I do feel that I have let you all down, but enough is enough, let someone else have a go.

“I will now stand down from involvement in all Colyford village affairs and leave it to others, especially as Anne and I are accused of splitting the village of Colyford in two! Those who are against what we are trying to achieve have won. Let them get on with it! We have worked hard over the last 10 years or so with the sole aim of improving things in Colyford and the surrounding area.”