Dear Editor,
At the Full Cheshire East Council meeting the Labour/Independent Administration’s Leader, Cllr Sam Corcoran (pictured), insisted that we hurtle headlong into our new decision making Committee system without having the necessary rule book, our new Constitution, in place.
In his typically autocratic style he moved that the Council goes forward into our new way of working, in just a few weeks time, without this vital document being completed.
Cllr Corcoran wanted the incomplete version adopted in time for the next Full Council Meeting which will also be Annual Council.
I was present at the recent meeting of the Constitution Committee, where the draft Constitution was discussed.
Alarmingly one Independent Councillor had a note of 91 errors or alterations that he wanted to bring forward.
It was accepted that this was not a finished document.
It was agreed to defer a referral of this draft Constitution document to Full Council today until it had been discussed again at the Constitution Committee’s next meeting.
Astoundingly at today’s Full Council meeting that same Independent Councillor did not even mention his misgivings and voted, with Cllr Corcoran and his followers, for the Council to ignore the findings of the Constitution Committee and overrule its recommendation.
Only the Conservative Group and one other member raised objections and voted against going blindly forward without an agreed and finalised Constitution.
Sadly, more and more often, we are seeing evidence of the Council’s Labour Leader making ill considered decisions and not taking the advice of his Committees.
I fear that democracy in Cheshire East, under his leadership, has well and truly been kicked into touch.
Yours,
Cllr Margaret Simon
Cheshire East Councillor for
Wistaston Ward
It’s a bit rich a Conservative councillor complaining about local democracy when her party in Parliament has been chipping away at Parliamentary sovereignty and is now pushing through a bill to make peaceful protest illegal if it doesn’t have the permission of the government.
I remember MPs of all parties, and those of the opposition in particular, attempting to thwart the will of the people, and therefore democracy, not so long ago. Thankfully, they were unsuccessful, and we are all soon to be vaccinated as a result.