LPC Councillor resignation
Surprise resignation
At the end of the April 2009 meeting of Lydford Parish Council a councillor resigned (according to the minutes). There is no reason given in the minutes of that meeting although the May edition of the Parish Magazine blames "persistent personal insults". There is no indication of the nature of these insults or where they came from. Neither is there any indication as to why it was necessary to resign so suddenly and without any prior notice.
Support from individuals
The May 2009 LPC minutes record that seventeen members of the public attended that meeting. In Section 56.1 it is recorded "A number of the parishioners attending indicated that they had come to the meeting to express their support for the Parish Council ...". This is understandable as anyone casually reading the item in the Parish Magazine might feel that the councillor concerned has been badly treated
Return to top of pageInsults and worse
It would be nice to think that nobody in Lydford would be subjected to insults by another resident of this parish. This website does not condone personal attacks on anyone and a good deal of effort goes into making sure that items published adhere to the stated aims (see the home page for details).
The problem for the parish councillors is that they themselves have used questionable tactics* in dealing with dissent. Shouting, unfounded accusation, aggressive cross-questioning and even verbal abuse have been used by councillors (see section misinformation for example). Councillors are, of course, supposed to set an example and to show leadership. This type of behaviour does not actually solve anything. It does nothing to help heal rifts or to build a better community. Faced with tactics like those from councillors it is perhaps understandable that an ordinary parishioner might reply in a forthright manner.
Return to top of pageSupport your parish council
The article in the May parish magazine called for support for the parish council. That is fine but support has to be a two way process. A good place for parish councillors to start, if they are genuinely interested in healing rifts and gaining more support, is to review their own behaviour towards parishioners who happen to express views that differ from the councillors own. More tolerance and respect for the views of others might help a great deal.
* The comment on questionable tactics relates only to councillors not to parish clerks who have behaved in a perfectly reasonable manner.
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