from Grant Williams
DECEPTION CLAIM WRONG
Dear Sir, I am writing to correct the impression given by Mr George Hadley in his letter “Not informed of our rights” in the August 2007 edition of Vale Mail. The bill that Mr Hadley refers to is the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill, which began its Parliamentary progress in December 2006. The petition for a Parish Council for Castle Vale was presented in May 2005, some 19 months earlier. The Bill is not law, and does not become law until it has completed its Parliamentary stages and has received Royal Assent, and even then it may not come into force until some time later. Nobody could have advised residents of the rights that Mr Hadley refers to because at the time in question those rights did not exist. They still don’t. The campaign did not do anything that was unlawful. The new petition was devised and sent out in March & April 2005 making it clear that people signing the petition would be calling for the creation of both a Parish and also a Parish Council. The Local Government and Rating Act 1997 currently applies. The recent consultation carried out by Birmingham City Council should have been undertaken in the summer of 2005. Whilst the City Council can be given the benefit of the doubt in respect of the consultation on the electoral arrangements (there was some confusion created by the ODPM and the Electoral Commission with unclear guidance being given), the timeframe for the consultation on local opinion is clear. The current procedure is far from perfect. The new proposals are a much more even-handed and sensible approach. However, until they come into effect, the current process has to be followed. Nobody objects to a reasonable debate on the pros and cons of establishing a new Parish Council for the estate. Whilst I personally don’t agree that a Parish would be an unnecessary additional tier, I respect the validity of that point of view. Similarly, it is perfectly acceptable for someone to say that they feel the estate has sufficient services and don’t want any more thank you. It is a mark of a mature democracy that people can have diametrically opposed views and express them freely. However, the suggestions of deception and subterfuge made by Mr Hadley are unfounded, and I would hope that upon reflection he realises that his allegations are wrong and has the decency to withdraw them and apologise.
Yours sincerely,
Grant Williams BA (Hons), LLB (Hons), Dip M, MCIM.
Leave a Reply