Independent Whitby… continued
Quick update to the independent Whitby post below (which seems to be arousing some strong views judging by the comments – GOOD!).
Read the following update and leave your comments:
http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/Assembly-web-poll-suggests-39go.5254405.jp#4016015
Have Your Say and Cast Your Votes, please.
One Response to “Independent Whitby… continued”
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My name is Nigel Ward. I am a 61-yr-old composer/filmmaker. I have made 2 feature films in Whitby, with no budget, but with huge community involvement. This led to the founding, in March this year, of “WHITBY IN SHORTS”, originally a monthly screening of locally-made films, now a 9-day annual International Short-Film Festival – a Community Interest Company committed to distribution of profits to the local film/drama/visual arts community.
I then proposed a radical plan to have the Whitby Endeavour Wharf Cargo Shed, a derelict Scarborough Borough Council port building, asset-transferred to Whitby, for redevelopment as a cinema/theatre/film-TV studio and entertainment complex, including a Historic Ships’ Maritime Museum. This proposal meets present government guidelines regarding the importance of vibrant town-centres and has been widely welcomed by politicians and third-sector nabobs. Asset-transfers are hot stuff, and the DTA has a pot of cash for a ‘showcase’ example, and has already ear-marked the Yorkshire Coast as the preferred location.
Whitby Town Council is unable to help because their credibility is zero due to 35 years of Whitby grievances against SBC’s negligence of Whitby infrastructure. I discovered, with difficulty, that WTC consists of 38% co-opted (ie: un-mandated) Councillors. I find this appalling. If the House of Commons were 38% co-opted (ie: internally appointed) there would be civil war!
So I have utilised certain lawful provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 to call a Parish Poll – a referendum – asking the electorate of Whitby if they would like a Local Authority independent of SBC. At the Town Assembly, the motion was carried almost unanimously, with the added item asking if the people of Whitby would like the co-opted Councillors to resign to precipitate an Election that could return a fully-mandated Council. That is democracy.
Following the meeting, I was approached by a Mr Turner, who tells me that in other towns around the country, similar community initiatives are making similar attemptes to re-organise local government from the grass roots up.
My own plans call for a new local authority comprising the triangle define roughly by Boggle Hole/Robin Hood’s bay (in the south), Commondale (in the west) and Staithes (in the north). – essentially the Esk Valley catchment – with Whitby the ‘county town’ of this coherent geographical region.
Recent meetings with many local politicians lead me to believe that the overwhelming community demand for this kind of re-organisation is polarising the politicos into two groups – reactionary and radical. Curiously, the most reactionary are the unelected.
I believe that, for many reasons economic and political, there are changes afoot in the entire western world (and beyond) at present. My opinion is that more localised government can take advantage of the positive contribution people are now ready to give to their communities – but not to their political representatives (especially those co-opted/appointed).
A month or two from now, this will be manifesting itself all over the country. It is a force for change, and for the better. Please exercise your right to choose the people and the system you want to run Whitby and its beautiful Esk Valley.