LABOUR KILLS COMMUNITY SPIRIT (27/02/02)

In a national programme of categorisation of Parish Councils, the Countryside Agency have deemed the following parish councils as barely active: Ruishton; and West Hatch.

Conservative County Councillor for the North Curry division, Rod Watson, reacted furiously to the discovery that six of the parish Councils in his Division have been secretly labelled, ‘barely active’.

Rod Watson commented, ‘I know these councils well and am appalled that their efforts are considered as ‘barely active’. The councils comment on all planning applications placed in their parish areas. They are involved in Neighbourhood Watch schemes. They support and enhance village halls. Essentially, their role in local communities is vital.

‘These secret labels are entirely unconstructive and merely result in undermining the hard-working and UNPAID parish councillors and volunteers. The labelling was a secret affair and even with the publication of these results, the criteria for the decisions has still not been made public.’

He added, ‘This highly insensitive move comes amid growing concerns of the Government’s pointless red-tape for Parish Councils. To pigeon-hole every parish council in England into performance categories, without even consulting local communities is fruitless. With the dire state of this country’s public services, why is the Government searching for pointless jobs for their quangos? Do they seriously expect us to believe that a thriving parish council in a rural Somerset community is understood by distant Whitehall pen-pushers? Perhaps New Labour should look into their own cabinet and assess which areas are ‘barely active’, or perhaps they would like parish councillors to return the favour. I’m sure many would be found to be ‘sleeping’.’