Questions from Councillor Ashley Fox to Councillor Rosalie Walker, Cabinet Member for Culture and Healthy Communities.
Q1. Does the Cabinet Member agree with me that the Council should always consult with local residents before agreeing to the sale or lease of precious green space?
Q2 Does the Cabinet Member agree with me that the Council's recent sale of parts of the embankment of the Bristol-Bath Railway Path threatens to damage the character of one of the country's finest cycling routes in an Authority now designated a "Cycling City"?
Q3 Does the Cabinet Member agree with me that the apparent informal and unrecorded manner in which this property sale was transacted could leave the Council open to accusations of impropriety or favouritism?
Questions from Councillor Ashley Fox to Councillor John Bees, Cabinet Member for Transformation & Resources at the next meeting of Full Council, Tuesday, 2nd December 2008
Q1. Does the Cabinet Member agree with me that all decisions and meetings relating to the sale or disposal of land held by the Council should be open, properly recorded and fully transparent?
Q2 Does the Cabinet Member agree with me that the apparent manner in which the recent sale of parts of the embankment of the Bristol-Bath Railway Path was transacted warrants further investigation?
Q3. Does the Cabinet Member agree with me that it is important to ascertain the reason for conducting aspects of this transaction without a formal record or minutes taken at key meetings held?
Q4. Will the Cabinet Member undertake to remind all Officers engaged in the disposal of Council-owned assets of the importance of the principle of Integrity (within the Code of Conduct for Employees) that "holders of public office must not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might influence them in the performance of their official duties"?
Up to now the so-called local media were refusing to publish this story, although we know for a fact that there was interest in it. That didn't surprise anyone because the two individuals involved have very high public profiles, are well connected and wield considerable influence.
But thankfully one Conservative councillor, Ashley Fox, has recognised that there are issues of fundamental importance here which must be addressed. It is difficult to see how the media can continue to keep the lid on this story when a respected local councillor has tabled questions to the Full Council meeting due in two and a half weeks time.
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6 comments:
It's turning into another bad judgement call for Post editor Mike Norton isn't it?
Was it less than a year ago he completely misjudged the public mood on BRT and the Railway Path?
Now he appears to have spiked a story with one of his own columnists at the centre of it that might well explode!
Anonymous, I deleted your comment because of a word you used. Here's your comment with the offending word removed.
"good one chris! shame it's a ... tory"
It is indeed a shame that no Labour, Lib-Dem or even Green councillor appeared to have the courage to take a stand on this, so we must be thankful that there was at least one Tory councillor willing to do so.
As far a I'm concerned the basic decency of a person is more important than their political persuasion, so I'm happy to acknowledge the crucial contribution of some Conservatives (James Barlow too) in getting this issue addressed.
Am I getting pompous in my old age?
I don't care what party they're in. After all, the three big parties are pretty much the same nowadays, aren't they?
Like you say, Chris, the personal integrity of each individual is far more important than whatever party they're in.
Three cheers Ashley Fox!
Slagging councillors and other politicians on the basis of their party membership, as opposed to what they do, has contributed to the awful state our local and national politics is now in.
Sadly, some people seem to blindly vote on the basis of a party tag alone, rather than voting on a politicians actions and integrity.
The important thing is that they are accountable and hold officers accountable.
I'd like to add my thanks to Cllr Ashley Fox for his excellent questions and to James Barlow for his efforts on this too. I largely agree with comments made about party politics - a rigid party political approach, based mostly on the three big parties, in part of the problem.
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