Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Moss
And here he is. To put everything in perspective, here is the exact wording of my motion last night:
This Council agrees as a matter of urgency to request that Cabinet hold a ballot of Market Hall Traders and that each business within Accrington Market Hall will be given one vote as to whether 6-day trading continues beyond January 2011 and that no members of Hyndburn Borough Council or its employees will be able to take part in the ballot. Ballot papers will need to be returned to the Market Hall Superintendent for a recorded vote at close of business on 31st January 2011 to be witnessed by one Conservative member, one Labour member and one Independent member. The details of the recorded vote will remain confidential and the outcome of the vote will be this Council’s recommendation to be implemented by Cabinet at its meeting on 8th February 2011.
A list of signatures from the Market Hall traders and their preferences regarding 6-day trading was handed to me just prior to the meeting and explicitly showed that 6 traders are firmly against 6 day trading, 5 are in favour of it, 16 would like it to be optional and 1 trader did not sign. This was copied to every councillor in the chamber although the Mayor withdrew it as evidence on the basis that it was not legally admissible following advice from the officers
In contrast, Cllr Hayworth gave a similar presentation with variant figures and the 'suggestion' that the majority of traders wanted 6 day trading. She conceded that 6 day trading wasn't working but 5-and-a-half days would now be pushed instead. I was accused of single-handedly causing all the friction in the Market Hall over 6-day trading and not letting it drop by continually mentioning it on my website, later revealed to be....Accyweb! Cllr Haworth asked the Labour group to stop going on about the Market Hall at council meetings and put the matter to bed.
My summing up was that I was trying to put it to bed in a democratic way, allowing the traders the unequivocal chance to say once and for all how they feel about 6 day trading officially and end the argument. I pointed out the similar situation brewing in Blackburn and that every councillor wants the Market Hall to succeed, not a £2.5m empty monument to council ignorance in 12 months' time. I did point out that a vote against the motion would be voting against a democratic vote for the traders but this went largely unheeded.
There were 14 votes in favour, 16 votes against and three abstentions.
Viva democracy in Hyndburn.
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Well Ken you can't get fairer than that really, like yourself I have said that was the only way forward, now its solely down to those it affects and no body else