"The public are very much a secondary consideration"

Where previously councils could only do things the law said they could, they are now free to do anything they want provided they don’t break the law.

We see the effects with the council working in partnerships with industry and commerce, acting as funders for investment projects around the UK, and generally doing things differently.

We’ll soon be getting an elected Mayor for Cheshire and Warrington which will bring more funding from central government to spend on things the people of Cheshire and Warrington need.

Greater autonomy should mean greater public oversight and scrutiny. Sadly for a town that has ambitions to be a city Warrington is falling short.

Let me cite one example.

When the full council meets every month there is hardly sufficient room in the Town Hall for the councillors and the space left for the public is limited to a derisory handful of seats. Sight lines are abysmal and it’s by no means clear who speaks.

At controversial planning committee meetings it’s not unusual for the public to be banished to an ante room with an audio feed only.

The meeting that discussed the future of the libraries was a case in point and recently we had the debacle of the aborted Appleton/ Grappenhall Heys housing development meeting for lack of space.

In short the Town Hall is not fit for purpose. When I suggested to one councillor last year that this isn’t good enough the answer was: ‘We’ve always done it this way, it’s an historic building and we’re all very attached to it.”

The public are very much a secondary consideration whereas in an elected democracy they should of course be the prime consideration.

We’ve seen what happens elsewhere when people feel they are ignored by ruling elites and the council would do well to reflect on that.

When asked why the council won’t address this and move council meetings to a building fit for purpose, one where the public can attend in comfort I’m told ‘the public will never wear the cost of such a move’.

May I suggest that in this age of greater local democracy and accountability it can’t afford not to.

I urge the council to use some lateral thinking and come up with a solution.

Borrowing money at low interest rates for capital projects seems to be the strategy du jour so let’s perhaps start there and acquire or develop a purpose- built space for a modern public/ council interface that democracy deserves.

One with high tech facilities whereby council meetings could be streamed via a web cast for a wider public audience.

It happens in councils much smaller than Warrington. Should we expect less?

RICHARD BUTTREY

Stockton Heat