Saturday 17 August 2013

Where was our Cllr Helen Irving?

The essential Cllr Helen Irving failed to attend the 'Dangerous Pots in the Park' meeting last Tuesday in Mill Dam Park. This was despite email notification and requests, and even one direct to her house. She is not only our SLDC representative but town councillor as well.  Cllr Colin Pickthall, our town Cllr,  sent his appologies, but made no written statement to Lawrence Conway, the chief executive, something that would have been very helpful at the time. By contrast our other local town councillor, Margaret Hornby who was approached only recently has informed herself very well and is being of great assistance in the future running of Mill Dam Park.

Did Lawrence Conway, someone she knows well, suggest that she stayed away? Is this the way that she represents her constituents. Is she up to the job of Town Mayor next year if she can't represent her constituents?

I understand that it was her enquiry to SLDC regarding pots having scratched her mother on the street and could harm young chilren that provoked the action of Lawrence Conway to remove the pots on the inside of the park without Health and Safety checks being made. Cllr Irving could have testified that she never raised the question of edges on pottery inside the park made by children and parents that had been put up with notification there early the previous year.

Does our representative not have an undertaking to represent all the users of the park in this dispute? How does the electorate feel about this?

Will they elect her again?

The next stage will be to challenge the whole process of classification of the pottery as dangerous and it's removal through the SLDC procedures. Complaints in writing will go to the chairman of the standards committee c/o Debbie Storr, monitoring officer, South Lakeland House, Lowther Street, Kendal LA9 4UQ or by downloading a complaint form from www.southlakeland.gov.uk . All this requires time and effort from this 78 year old who struggles to do so much already and is having to slow down in the rate he achieves things! Walks over Hoad are an essential part of keeping my mind and body fit.

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