Proposed cut in councillors could make a bad situation worse

The Shape and Health of our Local Democracy

Canterbury City Council is proposing to cut the number of local councillors in the district from 50 to 38.  The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) has just initiated a public consultation on whether to approve this proposal.  As residents, we need to consider the implications of such a drastic cut as they could be significant for the shape and health of our local democracy.  

The first question is:

what impact will a 25% decrease in Council size have on the way in which decisions are made?

The Council's submission to the Boundary Commission claims that the current 'Strong Leader and Executive system' is well embedded in our local democracy and that the number of councillors should be reduced accordingly.   However, many residents would disagree with both this assertion and this conclusion.  Far from being embedded in our local democracy, the Executive System is becoming the source of increasing political disquiet.

The Executive system was introduced in 2002 as a result of a change in national legislation.   It was supposed to speed up decision-making and improve accountability, but its unintended consequences have included the creation of a small political elite; a lack of in-depth debate before decisions are made; and the effective exclusion of many councillors from the decision-making process.

Under the Localism Act 2011, we are no longer obliged to keep the Executive system, but a sharp reduction in in the number of local councillors could make it more difficult for us to introduce an alternative model as these generally require a greater number of councillors.  We, therefore, need to ask the Boundary Commission to assess the requirements  of other decision-making models, such as the Cabinet Committee system operated by Kent County Council, as this may be something which we would want to introduce in the future.

The second question is:

what impact will a 25% decrease in Council size have on the ability of local councillors to represent the residents in their wards?

At present, each councillor represents on average 3,023 residents.  This is considerably higher than many other district councils.  If the number of councillors was reduced from the current 50 to 38, the average ward size would be 4,200.  If a further 780 new houses are built each year, in line with the objectives of the draft Local Plan, the ratio of residents to councillors will be considerably higher.  

Reducing the number of councillors to 38 is likely to reduce the ability of each councillor get to know their communities, listen to their concerns and represent their needs and interests.  Admittedly, some councillors currently do this much better than others, but it is the hallmark of any vibrant, healthy democracy.  A sharp reduction in the number of councillors is likely to decrease the capacity of existing councillors to fulfil this vital representational role.

The Electoral Review process provides us with the opportunity to have an active public debate on the shape and health of our local democracy.  We are unlikely to get a similar opportunity for at least another decade.  Let's not waste it! 

For more information, see: consultation.lgbce.org.uk  The deadline for the receipt of comments is: 6 August.

Comments should be sent to:

Email: reviews@lgbce.org.uk

Post: The Review Officer (Canterbury), LGBCE, Layden House, 76-78 Turnmill Street, London, EC1M 5LG

Sian Pettman, Canterbury

More of the same for Canterbury

Deputy returning officer Colin Carmichael announces the results

The city remains a sea of blue with a smattering of yellow, as all Canterbury councillors retained their seats in the county elections.

Despite big changes elsewhere, the Tories held onto four divisions, with Liberal Democrat Martin Vye clinching the fifth.

But there were nervous scenes at the count in the King's Hall in Herne Bay on Friday as UKIP won an unprecedented number of seats.

Tory Michael Northey held onto the Canterbury South East seat with a 1,385 vote majority. He said:

"I'm very happy and pleased. It's the result of a great deal of hard work. I've done my best to serve over the past and I'm very grateful for the vote of confidence."

Close behind Mr Northey was Liberal Democrat candidate Mike Sole, who secured 1,181 votes. He said he was "disappointed" but added:

"On a city council level, the Lib Dems are very strong. We're getting closer and closer at county level each time."

Meanwhile, victorious Tory Graham Gibbens said his stance on two local issues helped him win. He polled 1,207 votes for Canterbury North East, beating Labour's Michael Bland, with 768 votes, into second. Mr Gibbens said:

"Elections are always nerve-racking and I do feel relieved now. It was a pleasing result and I think people appreciated my views on Westgate Towers and Kingsmead field."

In Canterbury West, Tory John Simmonds received 1,067 votes to retain his seat, beating David De Boick from UKIP's 633 votes. He said:

"I'm ecstatic and delighted that people have supported me. It'll be an interesting administration. I look forward to holding newly elected councillors to account and making sure they deliver on their promises."

Mr De Boick said despite missing out on the seat, he was "very pleased" with the result.

Elsewhere, in Herne and Sturry, Alan Marsh became the only Conservative left standing in Herne Bay after UKIP took the rest of the seats. He polled 41% of the votes with 1,452, beating UKIP's Sarah Larkins into second place with 1,086.

The UKIP vote amounted to almost a third of the total votes cast, with 17% for Labour, six% for the Green Party and five% for the Liberal Democrats.

There was a sigh of relief from Martin Vye, who remains the district's only Liberal Democrat county councillor after securing 1,555 votes to take the Canterbury South West division. Mr Vye said:

"I'm very pleased indeed that the electors of the division have placed their trust in me. I will endeavour to make sure their trust isn't misplaced. UKIP came as a great surprise to me. Voters weren't talking about UKIP on the doorstep but clearly, there is a feeling that ordinary people aren't being listened to. We have to address that."

Voter turn out was just 28.5% across the district.

Overall, the Tories retained their majority on the council, the composition of which is now: Conservative 45 (-29), UKIP 17 (+17), Labour 13 (+11), Lib Dem 7 (no change), Green 1 (+1), Residents Association 1 (+1), Independent 0 (-1).

thisiskent 10th May 2013

Local Plan - Canterbury south

View fullsize

Click it to big it.​

View fullsize

Click it to big it.​

Serco retains £40m contract to empty bins in Canterbury

SERCO has retained the £40 million contract to empty the bins of Whitstable, Herne Bay and Canterbury. The city council announced the decision on Tuesday.

It followed a controversial three-way pitch where councillors were forbidden to know which firm was bidding. Among them was Veolia which attracted many protests because of its connections with Israel. The new contract starts on April 1.

Councillors made the decision based on price and quality but could not release details until a ten-day "standstill" period to allow failed bidders the chance to appeal.

The new contract will include fortnightly doorstep collections of glass for the first time and a return to weekly collections of food waste.

Serco was Bidder 2 and came in with the lowest price of £39,289,911. The most expensive was almost £45.5 million. Decisions on the type and size of wheelie bins or boxes will now take place.

Head of Neighbourhood Services Larissa Laing said:

"All three companies put in very competent bids. We would like to thank the two unsuccessful companies for their interest. This is one of our most high profile contracts providing essential services to residents. The tender process has allowed us to create a high quality service while achieving excellent value for money for taxpayers. We now have a lot of work to do on getting the new waste collection system ready."

Council spokesman Rob Davies said:

"The tender was based on a price to quality ratio of 60 per cent/40 per cent. While we understand the concerns that were raised, we have been clear throughout this process that allegations about Veolia's activities in Palestine could not be a factor in determining who won the contract."

Other contracts still to be awarded include grounds maintenance, public toilets, building maintenance and office cleaning. Serco continues to hold the contract for these until the end of March. But councillors have taken the decision to split them into four smaller contracts from April 1.

Canterbury Times

Historic Westgate Towers Museum to reopen

Amazing views of the city from the top of Canterbury’s historic Westgate Towers Museum will once again be on offer when it reopens to the public for the summer on Friday 4 May. The city council has been very keen to reopen the attraction to continue the work of local businessman and entrepreneur Charles Lambie following his death in January. Discussions have taken place with the executors of his estate to allow it to happen.

The museum will be open every day between 10am and 5pm until September. Entry prices will be in line with those at the council’s other museums in the city, with children and Residents Card holders going free. Any existing tickets with a six month expiry bought under Mr Lambie’s guardianship will be honoured.

The City Gaol Café, which Mr Lambie created as part of his redevelopment of the building, is not included in the reopening. Executive member for culture, Cllr Ann Taylor, said:

“There was a collective shock in the city when the news came of Charles Lambie’s death, but we hoped it would be possible to carry on his wonderful work with the Westgate Towers Museum, because it is one of our most historic buildings. I’d like to thank the executors of Charles’ estate for their help with getting the museum open. It means our residents and visitors have another great attraction available to them again.”

A decision on what might happen in the long term will be taken in the autumn, once the council has assessed how successful the summer opening has been.

For more information on the Westgate Towers Museum and other museums in the district, go to the dedicated museums website . The council has also created a special joint ticket offering entry to the Westgate Towers Museum, Canterbury Heritage Museum and Canterbury Roman Museum for £12.

http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm?objectid=7577

Herne Bay's political future

The boundaries of the electoral wards are being redrawn, in the hope of making the constituencies more uniform in size. As a by-product of the exercise, we'll end up with slightly fewer MPs. Our beloved Roger Gale will find that his consituency has been cut in two: here's what they have in mind for Herne Bay end:

 and here's what will happen at the Margate end:

Curiously, Canterbury will include Faversham:

Here's what the Boundary Commission for England have to say for themselves:

The 2013 Review of Parliamentary constituency boundaries will introduce substantial changes. It will reduce the number of constituencies in England from 533 to 502 and make sure that each constituency has a similar number of registered electors.

Why do we want your views?

The final shape of the new constituency boundaries will be informed by consultation. We encourage you to comment, whether in support of or objection to our initial proposals – we will consider all representations fairly and may revise the constituency boundaries as a result.

How can I get involved?

You can have your say in one of two ways: in writing (either by using the online form, by emailing us at reviews@bcommengland.x.gsi.gov.uk or by writing to the Boundary Commission for England); or by attending a public hearing in your region.

All representations will be published on this website in spring 2012 for further comment. Any revisions will be published in autumn 2012 and may be subject to a further consultation before we make our final recommendations by 1 October 2013. You can find more details about the conduct of the 2013 Review by reading A guide to the 2013 Review.

Liberating labyrinth

This is rather lovely: in the midst of fear and pain, people finding comfort and consolation in a simple but convoluted path.

I'm no fan of religion (but a great fan of the few hospices I have spent time in) and although this labyrinth was instigated by a reverend and inspired by a cathedral, it seems that this pattern of bricks has a power, and fills a need, that transcends our modern and formal interpretations of the divine.

You can donate to the Pilgrim's Hospice here.

Reverend Lizzie Hopthrow

One day, in the late 1990s, I saw a labyrinth on the floor of a transept in Canterbury Cathedral and was bowled over by its spiritual resonance. I started reading about labyrinths and I ended up going to see the one in Chartres Cathedral. I’m the chaplain at the Pilgrims Hospice in Canterbury, and the power of that sacred space made me think that maybe this was something we could do to help hospice patients.

We began by having patients make small labyrinths out of clay. I watched a man walk up to one, reach out his hand, and say, “Wow”. I thought, what’s going on there? It’s just a bit of pottery and a shape. But somehow it calmed patients down, and eventually they said, “We want a labyrinth we can walk.”

First we made a fabric labyrinth out of silk. I was amazed by the emotions that hit people when they walked it. One man wept for 30 minutes. He said that his wife had been ill for 18 months and this was the first time he’d been able to express any feelings about it. Some patients would watch others walking and burst into tears. It was shocking.

After seeing how the fabric labyrinth helped patients, I wanted to build a permanent one. We got funding from the Department of Health to build a therapeutic labyrinth garden, which opened in July 2008. It’s the first hospice labyrinth in the UK. And people can wander in and walk it; it’s there for the community. The labyrinth is an ancient pattern - a spiral with one path that leads to the centre and then out again. Most people think of the Minotaur story when they hear about the labyrinth, but that isn’t particularly helpful. The difference between a maze and labyrinth is very important - in a labyrinth you can’t get lost.

There is evidence of labyrinths in many faiths and cultures. They appear in Islam and ancient Christianity; it’s like a spiritual imprint in the human fabric that pops up all over the world. I can’t say where it originated - I don’t know if there’s anybody who can. That’s the mystery of it. But I have done a lot of research to figure out how the labyrinth works. What happens as we go into a spiral walk of this kind is that we slip from the left side of our brain, which is always analysing and worrying, into the right-hand side - the intuitive, imaginative, creative part of ourselves. You can take something that you need to let go of into the labyrinth, and at the centre you can experience peace. For many, it’s a meditation. It makes them calmer.

Sometimes people go into the labyrinth with a question and they’ll come out with an answer. Other times they might have had an outpouring of grief, but it’s like lancing a boil. Once you let the poison out, you feel better. You can’t prove it scientifically - the evidence I have is from my own observations. On one occasion, there was a gentleman on the ward who was dying. He wanted to walk the labyrinth, but he was too ill. So I walked for him. His family was with him, and they all wept together. For me, that’s evidence. I can’t explain it, but I see it happen so often that I’m convinced that it’s real.

Working in a hospice, I think we have more emotional experiences than in other contexts. But there is always loss and grief in life. If you lose your handbag, think of how much of yourself is in it - that’s a loss. The labyrinth, in any situation, is a powerful tool for healing those emotions inside us that are hurting us.

Now I give workshops on the labyrinth at conferences and schools. To begin, I usually ask participants if they’ve walked a maze. Many have. They say the experience was stressful - they couldn’t find their way out. Then I show them a picture of a labyrinth. There’s only one path, and you won’t get lost. I think of it as a metaphor for people’s lives. The maze imprisons you, because you can’t get out. The labyrinth liberates you.

FT Magazine 8th May 2010 Sonia Van Gilder Cooke