http://www.councilbust.com/2010/02/02/conservative-leader-responds-to-claims-of-a-weakened-tory-presence/ Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:01:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://www.councilbust.com/2010/02/02/conservative-leader-responds-to-claims-of-a-weakened-tory-presence/comment-page-1/#comment-85 Howard Briggs Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:48:16 +0000 http://councilbust.com/?p=560#comment-85 Ian Gilbert displays a profound ignorance of the political balance on Southend Council in that there are 49 members of Southend Council not the 50 that he believes. I was involved in drawing up the convention and the Deputy Mayor can vote as he likes. Only the Mayor by convention has to vote with the controlling group as a quid pro quo for being given the job as a member of a minority political group. This was to give members who had served their time honourably an opportunity which they would otherwise not have achieved through the democratic process.Wake up and do your homework Ian Gilbert before you comment further. Ian Gilbert displays a profound ignorance of the political balance on Southend Council in that there are 49 members of Southend Council not the 50 that he believes. I was involved in drawing up the convention and the Deputy Mayor can vote as he likes. Only the Mayor by convention has to vote with the controlling group as a quid pro quo for being given the job as a member of a minority political group. This was to give members who had served their time honourably an opportunity which they would otherwise not have achieved through the democratic process.Wake up and do your homework Ian Gilbert before you comment further.

]]> http://www.councilbust.com/2010/02/02/conservative-leader-responds-to-claims-of-a-weakened-tory-presence/comment-page-1/#comment-84 Ian Gilbert Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:20:22 +0000 http://councilbust.com/?p=560#comment-84 Holdcoft is using creative accounting here. There are 25 Conservatives and 25 non-Conservatives. By convention the mayor is not part of a group, but convention also says that the deputy mayor (a conservative) doesn't vote either. In any case, one has to wonder why a councillor would rather pursue a weird personal vendetta than remain a member of the controlling group if he were genuinely supportive of the administration. Holdcoft is using creative accounting here. There are 25 Conservatives and 25 non-Conservatives. By convention the mayor is not part of a group, but convention also says that the deputy mayor (a conservative) doesn’t vote either. In any case, one has to wonder why a councillor would rather pursue a weird personal vendetta than remain a member of the controlling group if he were genuinely supportive of the administration.

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