Monday, October 09, 2006
09/10/2006 Members Attendance Figures 2005/2006
9th October 2006
Salisbury District Council will shortly be publishing Members' Attendance Figures 2005/2006. Cllr Paul Sample commented:
“These figures only look at one aspect of the life of a Councillor and should not be taken out of context. They don’t take account of the work done by Councillors attending outside bodies on behalf of the Council. Neither does it reflect the fact that some members, particularly in rural areas, attend lots of parish and town council meetings.
"The role of members with heavy casework loads, working in more deprived areas of the District, is also not reflected. I comment on this issue in an article for the IDeA: (www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=73327) In addition, there are Councillors who serve on other Authorities, like the Police Authority, Fire Authority and County Council who lead busy lives.
"Some of us also lead hectic lives in community organisations, action groups and charities. Most of us already put our work on the Council before our home or business life. Mere attendance at Council meetings proves nothing.
"I’ve seen Councillors turn up at lots of meetings, and never say a word about anything on the agenda. I’ve even seen one Councillor, who shall remain nameless, who turned up at every meeting and then went to sleep.
"Certainly, in the 16 years I’ve spent on the Council, I’ve seen a decline in attendance by members of all groups. That has a lot to do, I’m sure, with the new Cabinet system, which gives all of the power to a tiny minority of 9 Councillors, and deprives the rest other 80% of any real say in the running of the District.
"For me, the key issue is not how many meetings you turn up at – but how well you use your time as a Councillor to fight for the local people who sent you there. Attending Council meetings are an important part of that, but they are not the only measure.
"Take my case, if I turn up at a meeting and speak out, as I invariably do, about some of the things that the ruling group want to do, I get howled down, heckled and told to pipe down by the chairman. If I don’t turn up at a meeting, the opposition asks where I am. Either way, I can’t win.
"Ultimately, if these figures prove anything at all, it is that you can prove – or disprove – anything you want to with statistics.”
Salisbury District Council will shortly be publishing Members' Attendance Figures 2005/2006. Cllr Paul Sample commented:
“These figures only look at one aspect of the life of a Councillor and should not be taken out of context. They don’t take account of the work done by Councillors attending outside bodies on behalf of the Council. Neither does it reflect the fact that some members, particularly in rural areas, attend lots of parish and town council meetings.
"The role of members with heavy casework loads, working in more deprived areas of the District, is also not reflected. I comment on this issue in an article for the IDeA: (www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=73327) In addition, there are Councillors who serve on other Authorities, like the Police Authority, Fire Authority and County Council who lead busy lives.
"Some of us also lead hectic lives in community organisations, action groups and charities. Most of us already put our work on the Council before our home or business life. Mere attendance at Council meetings proves nothing.
"I’ve seen Councillors turn up at lots of meetings, and never say a word about anything on the agenda. I’ve even seen one Councillor, who shall remain nameless, who turned up at every meeting and then went to sleep.
"Certainly, in the 16 years I’ve spent on the Council, I’ve seen a decline in attendance by members of all groups. That has a lot to do, I’m sure, with the new Cabinet system, which gives all of the power to a tiny minority of 9 Councillors, and deprives the rest other 80% of any real say in the running of the District.
"For me, the key issue is not how many meetings you turn up at – but how well you use your time as a Councillor to fight for the local people who sent you there. Attending Council meetings are an important part of that, but they are not the only measure.
"Take my case, if I turn up at a meeting and speak out, as I invariably do, about some of the things that the ruling group want to do, I get howled down, heckled and told to pipe down by the chairman. If I don’t turn up at a meeting, the opposition asks where I am. Either way, I can’t win.
"Ultimately, if these figures prove anything at all, it is that you can prove – or disprove – anything you want to with statistics.”
