The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Holbeach parish councillors were called into a ‘mediation’ meeting with the district council last week as bids to stop infighting continued.
A number of reports of infighting and concerns over some of the council’s practices have been raised in the past year
Last November, South Holland District Council told The Voice that it had received 13 complaints about Holbeach Parish Council in the months beforehand.
And the district council invited the parish into a meeting recently.
Newly appointed parish council clerk Jan Hearsay said: “The meeting that was referred to was organised by SHDC as a result of the standards complaints.
“Our members’ mediation meeting was successful.”
At last week’s meeting of the parish council, chairman Coun Graham Rudkin described the mediation as “really upsetting”.
“We need to work together as it can’t go on like this.”
This was as Coun Sophie Hutchinson raised the issue looking for a “constructive discussion of how to improve the council” but stating that she felt challenges were still being faced.
She particularly highlighted comments sent in emails including where one councillor had accused another of “hiding behind do-gooding.”
Coun Rudkin called for the discussion to go into closed sessions without giving a legal reason as to why.
That was eventually voted through, but beforehand Coun Hutchinson said: “We’re not going to move forward unless we can be open and honest and improve as a council.
“Comments are being made that are upsetting and if you can’t have a discussion in front of the public when can you? We’ve been through this numerous times and it can’t keep happening.”
Discussions were mentioned in the meeting about changing some of the structures in the council to make it more efficient.
The council has been consulting with Lincolnshire Association of Local Councils to ensure its set up meets guidelines with that authority also putting on training sessions for councillors.
It follows concerns that the council has had to make cost-cutting measures while currently spending over £600 a month on HR.
As The Voice has reported previously, a member of the public used the council’s Annual General Meeting to ask where blacked out payments of £13,491.66 and £13,508.34 went to in December, but the council declined to answer citing section 40 of the Freedom of Information Act. That refers to ‘personal data’.
