Threatened at Hughenden Parish Council when I try to safeguard public money

22 September 2021

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I have reproduced in full below an e-mail I sent to Paul Nicholls, the Chairman of Hughenden Parish Council after last weeks Full Council meeting. It was copied to other councillors and the Clerk.

You will see that I was threatened with being ejected from the council, shouted at and repeatedly interrupted when I asked questions. One of the councillors also alleged, out of the blue, that I had breached confidentiality.

These things are unpleasant but I will survive. This is just the standard treatment at HPC given to councillors (particularly women) who ask for information and explanations.

However, to me, the root of the issue is money. It is about safeguarding public money – your taxes and mine.

You see, I am expected, as a Hughenden parish councillor, to approve the expenditure of public money - substantial sums of money – without even knowing how much money or what it is to be spent on. This is what the Chairman expects, this is what the Clerk expects, and as far as I can see this is what all the other councillors expect.

I am also expected to accept that HPC’s Financial Regulations are being breached by the Council and say nothing. I am expected to accept this when I saw for myself some years ago that a breach of these same Regulations allowed the then Clerk to defraud the Council of £20,000.

If I do as expected, I will be negligent in safeguarding public money – not to mention breaching the councillors’ Code of Conduct.

So I will carry on asking for information and explanations about the Councils’ expenditure and use of public resources. And I assume I will continue to be threatened and shouted at.

Enjoy reading the e-mail but if, you lack time, I suggest you jump to paragraph 2.

E-mail to Cllr Nicholls on 17 September

“Dear Paul

I am responding to your e-mail of 15 September. You point out that the Council meeting the night before was tight for time and that time could have been used more effectively. I quite agree but not for the same reasons.

I will address the points you raise, point out the consequences of pursuing the direction you advocate and suggest a far more positive way to proceed.

You suggested three ways to make the meetings more effectively:-

1. To report inaccuracies to the draft minutes when they are circulated rather than waiting for the minutes.

I believe I was the only councillor to raise any amendments to the minutes. I should therefore point out that the draft minutes for the 13 July Full Council meeting were only circulated to councillors on Friday the 10 September, along with all the other papers for the meeting.

Due to other commitments, I could only start consideration of the agenda items on Monday morning and I looked first at items which were important and urgent such as the request to consider the emergency repairs to streetlights in Widmer End. I asked the Clerk for the report on the streetlights throughout that day but she refused. That took up a considerable amount of my time.

I also asked on the Monday for information about the resolution to amend Standing Orders but again the Clerk refused to provide the information before the meeting. That took up considerable amount of my time too.

I also spent some of my time on the Monday, unsuccessfully, trying to find out what Council was being asked to approve for the road traffic scheme in Widmer End.

As the Clerk refused to provide the information I requested before the meeting, I asked her on Tuesday morning if she would like to know what my remaining questions/concerns were or would she prefer me to raise them without notice.

I had no response.

At 15.38 that afternoon, you said, as Chairman, that you would like to know what points I would like to raise in advance. 40 minutes later, I sent you a list. In that list, I said 2 of my votes at the last meeting were recorded inaccurately in the draft minutes. Neither you nor the Clerk asked me for more detail.

So, as you can see, I did everything I could to inform you and the Clerk before the meeting about issues I wished to raise. If you did not know, then I suggest the failure is not down to me.

2. You say “it is the practice when Full Council receives recommendations from sub-committees/ working groups, not to re-visit all the work that led to the recommendation but to consider the recommendation in a Council-wide context. Thus, any discussion should be limited to issues about which the sub-committee may not have been aware, or there is significant impact such as across the wider Council and Parish.”

I have never wished to “re-visit all the work of sub-committees” but I do expect to understand the resolutions I am required to decide.

For example, I was expected on Tuesday to decide on a resolution that says “approve the release of reserve funds to pay for project at the Old Common, Great Kingshill”. In this case, the minimum I would expect to know is how much of the reserve funds are to be released and what is the project at the Old Common. The only reference was to “Previous resolution 19364”. Was I expected to find this resolution somewhere in past Council minutes in order to find out the basic information I needed? Or just rubber stamp?

For example, we were expected to authorise “the ‘wet pour’ fix to the Roundabout at Templewood”. Was I expected to find out what a wet pour fix was on the internet and work out for myself why the Council might use it at Templewood,, as well as any financial implications? Or just nod it through with absolutely no idea what I was authorising?

I was expected to approve changes to Standing Orders but somehow work out which changes from a copy of the original and the revised versions. When I pointed out before the meeting that a special motion, approved by a majority of councillors, had to be put down before the meeting, I got no response.

I was expected to approve expenditure of thousands of pounds on streetlights but was refused a copy of the consultants’ report even though I was concerned some of the lights did not belong to the Council.

I was expected to approve an alternative scheme from Transport of Bucks for traffic management through Widmer End but without any information as to what that scheme was. Again, was I expected to nod it through without any idea of what that scheme was after years of work by residents of Widmer End fighting for effective mitigation measures?

I could go on. In short, what is now clear is what is expected of me is to rubber stamp recommendations, some involving significant sums of public money and without any information or understanding.

If I do this, I would be negligent in safeguarding public money and in representing the residents of Widmer End. I would also breach the Code of Conduct for councillors which requires me, amongst other things, to exercise my independent judgement on the best possible evidence. Nor could I account for my decisions as I am required to do as a councillor.

3. Finally, you said you would “expect Councilors to treat each other and the officers with respect and follow the direction from the Chair. I appreciate that there are new Councilors who are settling in but from now on if there is any repetition of what was experienced last night I will use my authority under the Standing Orders to keep the meeting moving forward.”

The Council meeting on 14 September was the second Council meeting at which you threatened to eject me from Council meetings merely for asking for information I needed to understand the decisions I was being asked to take. This is including asking questions about expenditure of substantial public money. As I said, this was information I needed to safeguard public money, represent residents and comply with the councillors’ Code of Practice.

During the last meeting, I was constantly being interrupted, shouted at and told to move on to other items even when major legal and financial issues were unanswered.

One councillor alleged I had previously breached confidentiality after the July Council meeting. I have responded to that separately.

When I asked for some very basic financial information I was told it was on the internet and I hadn’t done my homework for the meeting.

The meeting had to be curtailed but I have to point out that it was up to you as the chairman to review the agenda, identify urgent and important items, put them at the top of the agenda, deferring non-urgent and/or less important issues to a further meeting. You made no attempt to do this.

I also have to point out that I am the only woman councillor attending meetings. I am elderly and am not completely fit and healthy. To be threatened with physical ejection from meetings, continually interrupted and shouted out is intimidating. To be threatened and shouted at for problems caused by poor Chairmanship, poor governance, and the failure to provide adequate information is not only intimidating but bullying.

The following could help sort out some of the problems:-

1. Prioritising the workload of the council and staff, having a clear set of objectives with clear deadlines;

2. Preparing a schedule for Council meetings so we all know what is going to be considered and when;

3. Complying with Standing Orders in that all resolutions should be put down as a motion to the Clerk by a councillor. The Clerk should ensure the resolution sets out exactly what is to be decided, particularly on finance;

4. The responsible councillor should then ensure that adequate information is provided to fellow councillors on their resolution and, if fellow councillors have questions, provide more information before the meeting;

5. Minutes should be prepared and circulated within 10 working days of a meeting; and

6. Financial information required by Council by HPC’s Financial Regulations should be provided but only this information until specifically requested; a lot of information is being provided which is not required.

These few changes would ensure councillors were adequately informed; staff were relieved of work and most meetings could be staffed by one Clerk; and meetings could proceed more efficiently.

A copy of this e-mail will be made publicly available.

Kind Regards

Linda

Councillor for Widmer End and Four Ashes

Hughenden Parish Council"

This is the only response I have received.

E-mail from Cllr Capey on 17 September

“Dear Linda,

Re: point 1.

I raised an amendment. Minor perhaps but renders your comment inaccurate.”