Page 39 - Phonebox Magazine April 2011

and that suggesting a cheaper alternative was merely MKC trying to ease its way into doing less and less work.
This was debated at length and the following is a just brief summary. Tony Evans felt that only option A was likely to be successful. Deidre Bethune suggested a compromise, planting mixed species and wild flowers in six inches of topsoil. Both Tony Evans and Mike Hughes wanted MKC to stick to the original agreement, option A, and commit to an early planting date in order to increase the chance of a successful outcome.
Rob Ward agreed to follow option A, with the work to be done ‘in weeks’ and certainly before the end of April.
Market costs
For each Thursday Market, the Council hires a skip and cleaning service to complete tidying up after the stallholders have left. This costs £322 per week which, put another way, represents 44% of each stall’s weekly rent. As the skip doesn’t get particularly full, the Council discussed whether it and the cleaning service provided were worth continuing with. No decision was made, though the issue will be explored further.
More doggy do
There’d been an incident during a Rugby match on Doff’s Field where a player had fallen into some dog poo, which caused his eye to swell up. This raised the issue of dog fouling in general, which continues to be a
problem on the Sports Fields. Although no decision was made, it’s likely that around ten additional signs will be placed around the Fields to ensure there’s no doubt that the practice is illegal.
Personnel Committee Chair
In February, Della Cheal stepped down from being Chair of the Personnel Committee. She was generally acknowledged to have been very good at this role, and Councillors were keen to fill the vacant position. As reported in last month’s Mercury, Colin Rodden had been selected for the post and then immediately deselected on a point of order. The issue was that he wasn’t a Committee Chair, Standing Order 16 stating that the ‘Personnel Committee [is] to be formed from Chairpersons of Committees but to include one female Councillor if possible’.
Councillors now considered whether the wording should be changed to ‘Personnel Committee to be formed from Chairpersons of Committees or suitably qualified Personnel Officer and to include one female Councillor if possible’. John Sharp did not like this at all, standing up and stating that, if this happened, “I’ll resign as of now. You are altering things to suit the Council. It’s corrupt.” Mike Hughes explained that the issue was being brought before Council for a decision, as per usual procedure. Deidre Bethune and Gill Edmonson also attempted to pour oil on troubled waters. However, all
this seemed to make little difference and John left the Council Chamber.
Ron Bull felt some sympathy with John, believing that Councillors setting the rules for the year then changing them arbitrarily part way through it was starting down a slippery slope. Mike Hughes declared himself “staggered” by John’s reaction. After further discussion, the Standing Order was not changed, the issue instead being deferred to the next annual meeting.
Blooming competitions
Councillors decided to enter Olney for the Tindal Cup, the only category in the Best Kept Village competition it can enter this time round, having won the Best Kept Town award last year. Then they decided, as last year, not to enter Olney for Britain in Bloom.
Conygere tree
As reported in last month’s Mercury, 6 Conygere was built close to a large tree which is now threatening to undermine the building’s foundations. The tree is on OTC’s land and, as the Council has now received a solicitor’s letter on the subject, it passed the issue to its own solicitors.
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 4th April in the Council Chamber in the Olney Centre. Members of the public are always welcome to attend and, if they wish, speak at the start of the meeting, or at any point that the mayor decides is appropriate.
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Phonebox Magazine 39