|
|
Tedstone proposes big changes
23.09.09
|
by Simon McGeady, Inishowen Independent
BUNCRANA Mayor Lee Tedstone is pressing through a
series of procedural changes to Buncrana Town
Council meetings intended to make the local
authority more accountable to the general public.
The Fine Gael councillor wants to take the monthly
meetings out of the council chamber to a local hotel
to allow the public sit in on the meetings. He’s
also proposed a setting up a pseudo ‘cabinet’ with
different councillors given responsibility for
specific complaints ie housing.
In addition, Cllr Tedstone wants to see meetings
start an hour earlier, at 6.30pm, and reduce the
length of time it takes for a motion to be revisited
from six to three months.
“I was adamant in my election campaign that I would
make the council more accountable and as promised I
am now delivering this. Members of the public don’t
care about how the process works, only that they can
get their message through to the council chamber.
Councillors, myself included, will think twice about
the motion they prepared for the monthly meetings if
there are members of the public present.” |
Central to Cllr
Tedstone’s package of reforms is the idea that
members of the public should sit on sub-committees
with a single Town Councillor. Each sub-committee
would have responsibility for a different area of
policy, with the councillor in question raising the
publics concerns at the following month’s Town
Council meeting.
“This is intended to stream-line the monthly
meetings because there is a lot of ‘doubling up’ on
what councillors bring to these meetings each month.
If an individual councillor has a specific
portfolio, they will have a clear view of the issues
in their area of responsibility and it will be up to
them to drive that initiative forward.”
While the Mayor won support for holding |
 |
the next three monthly
meetings in the Inishowen Gateway Hotel, he faces
resistance to his ‘cabinet’ initiative, with some
councillors insisting it would increase, rather than
decrease bureaucracy, including Cllr Michelle
Bradley, who was the main dissenting voice.
“My only concern,” she said, “is that your plan
would departmentalise this council and we have
enough departments as it is. I am worried that it
would add another level of bureaucracy. If someone
has a problem with a pot-hole and I am not on the
roads sub-committee am I going to have to send that
person to another councillor?” Cllr’s Joe Doherty
also expressed reservations about Cllr Tedstone’s
plan, insisting it should be discussed in a workshop
before a decision taken. Cllr Tedstone remains
hopeful his motion will be approved. |
|
