Council resignations follow row
THREE members of Bearsted Parish Council have quit. JonHughes, hiswife Fabienne
and former chairman Paul Young all tendered their resig- nations at the end of last month’smeeting, atwhich a fel- low member’s wife, Wendy Li- cence, was asked to take the minutes. The trio were among five members of the councilwho ob- jected to Mrs Licence acting as temporary clerk, pointing out it was she who had raised a code of conduct complaint against five members of the council, four of whom were later cleared. Both Mrs Licence’s husband,
Geoff, and son, Tim, are mem- bers of the parish council, which was recently told to tighten up its procedures by the borough standards committee that investigated the complaint. Before the meeting got under-
way, resident and former coun- cillor Les Ethridge congratulated Cllr and Mrs Licence on their ac- tions and said he hoped the council would now act on the findings of the Standards Com- mittee andmove forward. He said: “I am sure many resi-
dents of Bearsted will joinme in expressing a great debt of grati- tude toWendy and Geoff Licence
for bringing to our attention the failings of Bearsted Parish Coun- cil over the past year. “With additional powers and responsibilities being given to parish and town councils fol- lowing royal assent of the local- ism act, it is becoming increasingly important that councillors and clerks are better informed and are provided with the tools and knowledge to help them undertake their roles as ef- ficiently and effectively as they can.” He added: “It has taken a long
time to reach this stage.We can only thank the smallmajority of the council that have made this possible.” However, all three members
who resigned cited the code of conduct complaint as a key fac- tor in their decision. Paul Young, who resigned as chairman of the council in May,
said the investigation had caused a great deal of stress and damage to his professional rep- utation, while criticism from fellow members and an alleged “whispering campaign” around the village had sought to under- mine his authority and reputa- tion because he advocated change. He said: “There is an overrid-
ing air of resistance to change from a number of councillors and a failure to look forward, while continual filibustering and resistance to the clerk’s re- turn to work plan means this issue has still not been re- solved.” His sentiments were echoed by
Cllr Fabienne Hughes, who said: “Too many people on and off the parish council have been trigger- happy to criticise. My under- standing of a parish council is that it should not be political,
Mergers could be reconsidered THE recent rash of resignations could cause the council to once more consider the possibility of merging with Thurnham Parish Council. Before resigning, Cllr Paul Young said: “It makes per- fect sense demographically for Madginford to go in with Downswood, and Bearsted and Thurnham to combine. If some- thing like KIG were ever to come up again, both parishes have the interests of that area’s community at heart.” The chairman agreed thematter could be considered on a fu- ture agenda.
Music on the Green brings Jubilee joy
MORE than 5,000 people at- tended Bearsted’s Jubilee week- end events. Jubilee Music on The Green
was a sell-out, with music and entertainment providing some- thing for all ages. Thurnham Infant School
choir performed their Jubilee song and, despite the inclement weather, an interdenomina- tional service took place on Sunday morning. A raffle in aid of the Heart of
Kent Hospice raised £950 and feedback about the weekend was excellent, the parish coun- cil heard. It was a council requirement
that the numbers were con- trolled, so entry was ticket only. More than £20,000 of tickets were sold, fully covering the
council’s contribution to the cost and providing a surplus which could be put towards fu- ture activities, event manager Cllr Barbara Dunford said. She added: “The attention to health, safety and security obvi- ously paid off. There were no incidents and the police have confirmed that not one com- plaint was made. There was no traffic congestion and the Green was cleared of people and litter by 9.30pm on Saturday and 8.30pm on Sunday. “Although a few people felt the
with no private agenda andwork- ing to better the place we live in. “I would like to remind old councillors and new councillors who protect the taxpayers’ money that a vast amount of the taxpayers’ money was spent to no benefit to this parish by one councillor’s family.” Cllr Jon Hughes, who has
been on the council almost 10 years, claimed “falsehoods and malicious lies” had been ped- dled and he was considering taking legal action against some of the claims. He added: “I no longer feel
proud towork with many of my colleagues. “To serve on this council takes
time and commitment. I have seen councillors offer to deal with a project only to return the excuse ‘I forgot’ or ‘I have been working’. I firmly believe this council needs to modernise and deal with the 21st century.” Council chairman Cllr Richard Ash defended his deci- sion to ask Mrs Licence to take the minutes of the meeting and said: “I desperately needed someone to take the minutes of themeeting following the resig- nation of the clerk and to pro- duce the minutes and agendas. The paperwork of the parish is very important.”
Music, fun, flags and laughter were the order of the day at the Jubilee Music on the Green celebrations in Bearsted
fencing and security level was intrusive, most understood the need for it and many parents said they felt it was a much safer en- vironment for their children.” Cllr Dunford thanked every-
one who helped, particularly Steve Moore and his colleagues at the Lion of Kent who pro- vided sponsorship as well as physical help. “They worked tirelessly be-
fore and during the events and deserve a big thank you from the council and the commu- nity,” said Cllr Dunford
24 East
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