Work for free

I had given advance notice to the council that I wished to speak on the subject of the proposed development at Brentwood, Leyburn, and I had put a motion forward for the agenda – however, that motion was not put on the agenda.

It is convention that a normal council meeting deals with statutory items during the meeting and not in the form of a “Question and Answer” session which is held at the expense of councillors’ speaking time. The council must be seen to be unbiased and fair to all parties.

Further, it has always been the convention that councillors are separated from the public. It has also been the case that the developer should sit as a member of the public and have the same privileges as any member of the public.

The Standing Orders of Leyburn Town Council say that at the beginning of a meeting there shall be Public Representation and each speaker may speak for no more than three minutes – that is to say: be brief and to the point, and do not make a presentation out of it.

When a presentation was made, I therefore raised a Point of Order, properly and politely.

Instead of hearing the Point of Order, which is the rule, I was shouted at and barracked, and, later on, sabotaged by the chair, who was supported by some councillors who have no experience in local government.

It is noteworthy that the clerk did not give procedural advice.

I leave it to your readers to come to their own judgement; I have 20 years of experience in these matters.

On Thursday, November 26, I delivered a formal objection to the development, which included a petition signed by 150 objectors.

The considerable amount of work undertaken by me in formulating the objection was done free of charge and, as a councillor, I work for the electorate, not Leyburn Town Council.

Cllr Bernard Borman, Leyburn