Councillors question point of Devon committee that haven't discussed anything for three years
Councillors on the South Hams Locality Committee say they "never have anything on the agenda"
Questions over what the purpose of a council committee who have barely met in the past three years were raised when they did finally meet last Friday.
The South Hams Locality Committee – which consists of the seven county councillors for the region plus two district and one parish councillor – briefly met on Friday for a meeting that lasted just over five minutes.
The meeting saw a new chairman and vice-chairman elected, as well as the approval of the minutes of their last meeting which took place in November 2019.
That meeting also only saw the election of chairman and vice-chairman and the approval of the minutes, with the last time any item was on the agenda for debate being April 20, 2018, when an update was given on how councils were working to identify suitable provision and sites for gypsy and travellers groups – in a meeting that lasted 15 minutes.
It left Cllrs Jacqi Hodgson and Cllr Jonathan Hawkins to ask what the point of the committee was given that they never meet and never have anything on the agenda.
Cllr Hawkins asked: “We never sit, so what is going on with this?”
Cllr Hodgson added: “What is the purpose of the committee? I only think twice since I was elected we have had a meeting with anything on it, so I just want to know what the purpose of it is.”
Committee chairman Cllr Roger Croad then added to the confusion when he said that it was ‘a way of imparting any change or changes to whatever’, before committee clerk Fiona Rutley attempted to explain the purpose.
She said that it was an ‘information board’ and a chance to talk to district representatives, and for members to put on items that they feel are relevant, adding that Teignbridge’s locality often meet to have an update on the railway resilience programme for the Dawlish line, but that a lot of the locality committees rarely meet.
Cllr Hodgson then asked if for the next meeting, theTotnes Rural Area Youth Engagement Project, which delivers supported youth activities in rural parishes in Dartington, Rattery, Harbertonford, Marldon, Buckfastleigh and Staverton, could be invited to do a brief presentation on their work, why they have been successful, and to enable other parishes to look at the model.
The committee unanimously agreed to approve the minutes of the previous meeting, as well as elected Cllr Croad as the chairman.