Letter: Will Selection Committee Consider Parish Council Attendance?

Published on: 10 Feb, 2018
Updated on: 10 Feb, 2018

From Fiona Curtis

In response to: Senior Tories Successfully Appeal Against Deselection – Now They Must Apply Again

There is no indication as to why the two councillors were put forward for deselection, but when considering the case for Cllr Michael Illman, the Conservative selection panel might like to consider the number of times Cllr Illman has attended parish council meetings in the ward he represents (Shalford).

Over the years 2016 and 2017 he attended the grand total of three meetings out of a possible 44. Shalford ward is made up of three parishes, namely Shalford, Artington and Compton.

Over a two year period, Cllr Illman attended one parish council meeting at Compton and two at Artington (leaving one of those after 20 minutes) but did not attend a single meeting at Shalford. Cllr Rooth (who represents Pilgrims) attended two meetings, almost as many as his colleague, despite the fact that Shalford is not his patch.

As the former chair of one of the parish councils which was left without proper representation or official updates, I am aware that meetings sometimes coincide with GBC or other duties and that some councillors take their responsibilities to the residents they represent more seriously than others. But just three out of 44? Is this an all-time (low) record?

Cllr Illman was invited to comment.