image credit: Westham Community news
Reports of a packed meeting at Westham Village Hall last night (Monday 19 November) of Westham Parish Council, saw frustrations from the parishioners that their questions were ignored about the local pond.
Questions have emerged about the de-silting exercise undertaken by the council, with some residents arguing that the job has ‘only been half done’. There are now also questions about the basis on which decision making has been made.
At the beginning of the monthly meeting, held on Monday 15 October 2018, Westham Parish Council suspended standing orders and voted to spend up to £60,000 to de-silt and remove the silt from Westham Village pond.
A local company has been on site de-silting the pond for a period of a week.
Any decision about the de-silting exercise, whether made by council or in a sub-committee needs to be disclosed to the parish, the basis on which the decision has been made as well as the councillors who made that decision.
Parishioners now wait to see what has been minuted in this regard.
One local Westham campaigner told the Pevensey Bay Journal this morning (November 20) “they just ignored what we said, the meeting was over by 8:30pm a bit as if they just wanted to get through the meeting.
“They took the questions from the public at the start of the meeting and everyone thought they would be able to ask questions about the pond later in the meeting, but when things came to that part, they just talked and we had to listen”.
Local resident, Christian Belcher, who attended the meeting, commented on the Bay Life Facebook newsfeed (20 November), “unfortunately certain councillors don’t want to even just listen to local knowledge, including a parishioner that has lived by the pond at the inlet end for over 30 years. Why do they appear so negative about having a nice pond feature for the village?”.
Helen Brown commented,”I am sorry about the meeting. Very disappointed in the Committee as a whole. They managed to damn all the questions. They don’t like being questioned at all”.
Behind questions over what is widely perceived as the mis-management of the village pond over a number years, are some deep seated problems with the management, operation and communications of Westham Parish Council with the parish, which the Pevensey Bay Journal has described as dysfunctional.
The Journal (19 November) said, “behind the arguments about de-silting Westham Village pond are some big questions about the barriers that have been built up by Westham Parish Council with regard to the management of their affairs with the people of Westham.
“The Journal has described the parish council as dysfunctional and the newspaper is to reveal aspects of the work of the council which we believe will call into question whether the body can continue in the current form.
“Behind the affairs of Westham Parish Council in our view also, are some serious questions about the role of the chair of the Council, Keith Stevens, and Alison Stevens, the parish clerk.
“These questions will be put to the parties concerned, as well as Wealden Council”.
One parishioner in Westham this morning is known to be investigating the basis on which a parish meeting could be called.
There are clear procedures through which a parish can invoke a parish meeting that calls for a parish council to resign.
Westham Parish Council has not made any recent public comment about the state of affairs with regard to Westham Village pond.
On their website they invite parishioners to download their ‘pond report’ dated August 2018.
Parishioners can download ‘an update’ report, which is headed Summer 2018.
Residents are invited to look at the Draft Management Plan and let the Chairman know their comments by 12th November 2018.
Minutes of the meeting last night (19 November), are yet to be published.
