I have received the email below from Gerry O'Donnel and thought it important to publish it in full.Dear All, 23rd May 2008
Tim Garbutt has used the back of my email to propose setting up his own 'Ramsgate Town Council'. He wanted a public meeting and a committee formed to 'sack the Charter Trustees, TDC etc etc.
I found Tim's proposals ludicrous and Ramsgate First rejects them utterly.Before advising those of you who had received my previous email of this fact I stopped off at Albion House on Friday 22nd May at 7.00pm to attend Tim's proposed meeting so that I could inform him personally of the contents of this email.
Though the meeting was advertised in the Gazette it appears that nobody at Albion House was informed and consequently Tim and a couple of other people were unable to gain admittance. I therefore informed him on the doorstep that his proposals were unacceptable and that all he was doing was possibly jeopardising the parish council.
There are some churls in TDC who are itching to scratch Ramsgate parish council and that Tim's intervention might give them ammunition.I have to say I like Tim Garbutt. There is no doubting his sincerity but his waywardness, especially in his hatred of TDC, often leads him to express thoughts that frighten off others.
I think Tim thinks that I am now some kind of Uncle Tom - betraying his own. He is wrong of course. Often is.It is quite obvious that Tim's views are shared by a few, a very few: less than a handful of people judging by the attendance on Friday and that in no way is he representative of the overwhelming majority of the people of Ramsgate.
I hope, therefore, not to hear some councillors suggest there is any linkage between Mr Garbutt and Ramsgate First or the good people of Ramsgate in their pursuit of their own parish/town council. There is none.
Gerry O'Donnell
All too late for Ramsgate then?
ReplyDeleteWhen will we get our Parish then?
Will all Ramsgate assets be sold off by TDC then?
Will we still a have a harbour then?
Still we will have a lot of polluted water then?
Malcolm
In my view Parish Councils are ok as a sounding board for local opinion, but on the whole, unfit to make decisions that affect financial, planning, or social matters in their local community.
ReplyDeleteFor reinforcement of this view , try reading a publication called 'Clerks Direct' Most of the problems that occour at Parish Councils are related to 'Councillors' who have too strong a personal view on individual matters, or by 'Councillors' who have a serious problem with being accountable to the Public. (all of the public).
In the past an elected Councillor stated that he would only represent the people who voted for him. Result, Disqualified from office. A councillor must represent ALL of his/her electorate regardless of race/view/religion.
Who's Tim Garbutt?
ReplyDeleteWe are starting our own political party called "First Ramsgate Party"
ReplyDeleteand would like to ask Tim Garbutt to join us.
(Former Ramsgate First Member)
I would assume that the elections for Ramsgate Town Council will happen in May (possibly June 2009 - at the same time as the European and County Council elections).
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing to be gained by trying to speed up the process ...... apart from spending a large and unnecessary amount of Ramsgate Residents' money!
The question of whether the Residents of Ramsgate want to keep the Mayoralty or not can be decided at the first meeting.
Annon 10:54, you are really giving a true picture of the whole concept of the Ramsgate First Movement as a democractic party. Firstly, there is this underlying feel I get that Ramsgate First cannot work together and stick to decisions, it is becoming like the revolutionary left breaking up into so many splinters they become inaffective. Why don't you join the Tories and show your true colours and do everyone a favour splitting them up in the process.
ReplyDeletealan
ReplyDeleteParish/Town Council election should NOT be held at the same time as any other election. The result is that people vote for district reasons in the parish and county. It all gets fudged.
Elections should be held at different times or not at all. YOU CAN'T PUT A PRICE TAG ON DEMOCRACY.
PK Ramsgate First supporter
I think the problem here is that unlike most parish councils the perceived aim of Ramsgate parish council is to be a mediator between the Thanet District Council and the people of Ramsgate.
ReplyDeleteLike it or not many people in Ramsgate are dissatisfied with TDC and feel that they don’t give Ramsgate a fair share of anything.
I am not really sure what a parish council can do, but get the feeling that at least they will be an elected body that TDC will have to some extent listen to.
I have published up the various bits of correspondence from Tim and Gerry Click here to read it
I gather that the cost of an election in Ramsgate is about £1 per elector about £60,000
Ramsgate is not that important as it won't have a Turner Centre where in Margate will.
ReplyDeleteJust face the facts Ramsgate will continue to be run mainly by Margate Councillors which is a good thing because it keeps the Labour party out of it.
Bobby