West Somerset Council corporate machine moves to squash hopes for new Williton Creative Centre

Hopes for a new Williton Creative Centre seem likely to be squashed this Wednesday 7th May 2008, when members are to be asked to change their minds about marketing the authority's existing chamber and reception building and return to the idea of demolishing it.

In this blog, I have many times discussed the need for a new approach by the West Somerset Council based on community values and ethics where people are put centre stage and their needs and aspirations catered for in a better way than they are at present.

The West Somerset Council is clearly not listening.

To make their feelings felt, the only way open to the public is to turn up and speak at the Council Meeting Wednesday 7th May 2008.

This is an old fashioned, inflexible method of communication.

It is mean spirited because it relies on excluding people from public debate knowing that many will be too nervous to stand up and speak in public. I've seen people trembling in the past as they have spoken. For them it was a dreadful and disgraceful ordeal.

It is inefficient because the public only get a short length of time to make their point and no debate is offered.

Public forums where Council policy can be forensically discussed and the people of West Somerset can have their say and where both West Somerset Council officers and West Somerset Council councillors will join in the discussion are a simple method solving the huge problem of poor communication in West Somerset.

Such forums would be easy to implement, low cost to administer and would give public wishes a reasonable voice.

Perhaps it is time for the Audit Commission to step in and bring to an end this absurd situation where the gulf between public sentiments and the West Somerset Council corporate machine now seems to have widened beyond repair.

Sadly, I have to conclude that perhaps the time has come for West Somerset Council to close down and hand the management of West Somerset over to another Council. There must be one somewhere that is more enlightened than this lot.

I remain sad, depressed, disgusted and completely fed up.

Bye for now

Rob