MUSICAL CHAIRS AT WITNEY

But the real stitch-up happened when the new Council got round to deciding on membership of its committees. Obviously the Conservatives chair and dominate all the committees but these pesky opposition folk have to be given some kind of say so there is an incredibly arcane and virtually unintelligible method of allocating how many places the non-Conservatives get on each committee. It depends on the number of seats the parties won in the election. Committee places are only given to political groups. There are only two groups - the Lib Dems and the so-called Independents (who are mostly a group of Tories who stomped out of the official party organisation during a constituency bust-up a few years back). You are not allowed to be a "group" if you are a single representative so Eve Coles (pictured left) - the only Labour member in West Oxfordshire - was invited to join the Independents. She accepted since it was her only chance of getting on a committee. (Charles Cottrell Dormer of the Independent Group is a pretty staunch Democrat and strongly defends the invitation to Eve despite challenges from the official Tories) In fact in the last Council Eve was allocated one of two Independent places on the Environment Committee which she was very pleased about. Environmental matters are her main concern these days and she threw herself into everything to do with recycling, waste, litter, advertising signage, air quality, HGVs and of course public toilets. She was looking forward to carrying on with the work. It is difficult to imagine anyone in the District who cares or knows more about environmental matters than Eve. She is both passionate and expert and any council would have to be plain daft not to want to utilise both those qualities. So guess what has happened Eve has been manoeuvred off the Environment Committee. Because the Independent Group lost a seat in the recent election their entitlement to committee places in total was reduced by three. In order to maintain their representation on the Planning and Development Control committees the Independents chose to give up both their seats on Environment so Eve was dumped. Its difficult to understand why they did not retain one Environment seat and cut down by one elsewhere. Difficult to believe that there was not some skullduggery involved. The rules say.. "All of the Committees are required to be appointed in accordance with the rules relating to political balance". This is clearly not the case on the Environment Committee where there is no Independent member. Did I hear somebody shout "Fix". This is all small-minded, unseemly and a great pity. We had been looking forward to putting the election behind us, burying the party hatchets and re-establishing co-operative relationships in approaching Chippy issues. It looks as if that will have to wait a while!

But here's a surprise. Newly installed on the Environment Committee is Chippy's very own Councillor Townley (pictured right) - who nobody up to now would have taken for a keen Green. Dave must have been getting to him. Chunky is also promoted to be Vice-Chairman of the Economic Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Congratulations Chunky. Good for Chippy and good for the burgeoning political career of Councillor Townley! Surely a Tory star in the making.

JOBS SHARE OUT AT WITNEY CONTINUES

And what's going on with the Chipping Norton Partnership exactly  The first WODC representative on this body three years ago was the all-powerful Economics Supremo Mary Neale.  She was then succeeded by the very influential long-standing Cabinet member Tony Walker. There is only supposed to be ONE representative - but TWO are now proposed. Our very own Tory District Councillors Chunky Townley and Mike Howes. What does this mean Is there to be a duel at dawn on the Common to decide who is appointed Either way its fairly clear that the Cabinet top brass at WODC are losing interest in Chipping Norton. I am amazed to see Chunky allowing himself to get embroiled in this Partnership nonsense - particularly after all the things he has said about it. Probably Hilary has been leaning on him again. Mike Howes is already on the Steering Committee so why didn't they propose Eve Coles Come on folks - now you are having a laugh. The Partnership is to be an exclusive Tory preserve from now on. Wait for the Tory town councillors to muscle in  as well. Watch out Rob. Hilary has got you firmly in her sights.

Of all the 69 appointments there is at least one which is incredibly important. The West Oxon representative on the Joint Oxfordshire Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee. This committee is the nearest thing to an effective  patients watchdog over local healthcare facilities that exists. Its potential for influence - given a strong Chairman and good members - is enormous. As the Radcliffe re-organisation and the fight for the Horton continue, and the fate of Community Hopspitals in Oxfordshire is settled, the role of this committee will be crucial. It is great news that Chunky Townley has been appointed as the single West Oxfordshire representative on the committee. I call that a really inspired choice. Congratulations to him. He will do a superb job. He has been a terrific Leader of the Hospital Action Group in Chippy - experience that will now stand him in good stead.  If Chunky carries on being his own man he will be able to count on wide and solid support in the town. His down to earth plain speaking will win him lots of friends on a wider scale as well. The Oxford City LibDems will find out that not all Oxfordshire Tories are the same smarmy, smooth-tongued double dealers they have become used to! Sock it to them Chunky!

VENDETTA AGAINST EVE - ROUND 2

This month the Lib Dem member of the Environment Committee (Liz Bickley) could not attend so the LibDem Leader Stuart Brooks asked if  Eve Coles could substitute for her - given Eve's previous experience on the committee. There is a general rule (clause 4) in the WODC constitution which says that substitutes should come from the same political group. However Stuart knew that this clause did not apply to "non-political" committees like Planning sub-Committees so he carefully checked the Constitution and found (clause 22) a clear itemised list of the clauses and rules  which apply specifically to Scrutiny Committees. The general rule about substitutions (clause 4) is not included on this list. So Stuart very reasonably assumed that it was OK for members from a different group to substitute on Scrutiny Committees just like on Planning Committees. Indeed it seems quite clear that the Constitution has been very carefully framed to allow this. Understandable since - after all  - Scrutiny is supposed to be a non-politicised activity and should pretty obviously involve people who know most about the topic being scrutinised - not just party hacks.

Oh no! says the Chief Executive. I agree that Rule 4 is not mentioned but it should have been and the next time we get round to amending the Constitution we will make sure it is. Meantime sorry - Eve Coles cannot substitute.

Stuart has replied: " I will abide by your decision but am not convinced by your reasoning. I believe there are sound reasons for the omission of a reference to clause 4 in clause 22.  Firstly, I believe that a group should select the best available substitute - one who could usefully contribute to the meeting irrespective of political persuasion. Secondly, I firmly believe that the scrutiny process cannot be effective if it is politicised. If decisions are based upon a party whip - a natural consequence of maintaining political balance at all costs - then irrespective of any discussion at the meeting, any vote is a foregone conclusion. In the present situation this means that any cabinet decision will be unquestioned. What then is the purpose of having scrutiny meetings"

It is quite amazing what legalistic nit-picking is being deployed in this spiteful political vendetta against Eve. It just shows how much WODC respect Chippy's democratic choice of councillor.

Won't the WODC Cabinet ever learn

THIRD TIME LUCKY

The Cabinet received and considered the report of the Chief Executive regarding the appointment of a representative to the Chipping Norton Town Partnership. Miss Hunt advised that, in the absence of any other nominations, Mr Howes had indicated that he would be prepared to relinquish his appointment to the Partnership by the Rotary Club and accept the Councils nomination, enabling the club to put forward an alternative representative. Mr Hoare thanked Mr Howes for his assistance in this respect and both he and Mrs Biles expressed their disappointment at the fact that Mrs Coles had felt unable to accept the Councils nomination.

The Editor comments: Talk about a poisoned chalice. This job has already been turned down by the other two District Councillors Chunky Townley and Eve Coles. Mike is up for re-election in six months time in a contest he is unlikely to win so its not exactly a long-term appointment. Mike did not represent the Rotary Club. He represented Town Charities. If I was in the Lions, the British Legion or the Masons or whatever - I would wonder about just how this is all being fixed up.