Quote:
Originally Posted by Judith Addison
I don't know how the resident who felt himself slighted by Councillor Pritchard actually saw the Facebook post. He wrote to the Monitoring Officer (the Council's Executive Director - Legal & Democratic Services - No. 4 in the Council Officers' hierarchy) but she dismissed the complaint, saying that Councillor Pritchard had acted in a personal capacity. The matter was raised at the Council's A.G.M. on 16th May, which I was chairing as the just-appointed Mayor. In summing up I said that I thought Facebook was an excellent method of communication and that as Councillors we should be willing to engage with citizens who wished to communicate with us in this way, rather than using traditional channels such as attending an Area Council meeting. I did say, however, that the dividing line between a Councillor's personal and public life is very fine, and that it's a very woolly area. I said I thought the public had a right to expect certain standards of behaviour from Councillors. In the past the test in such matters was often, "How would it appear to the man/woman in the street? Would they think it acceptable?" I think as Councillors we need to be extremely careful!
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Very wise words Judith, a councilor has never been in the public eye like they are today, and as you say its a fine line between private and public life, but councilors have the right to a private life, its just that the general public don't think so, wonder what the most stupid time you have been contacted by a member of the GP about council work
