I READ the letter from Mid Devon District Councillor Keable, published in the Crediton Courier, concerning the Government proposals for Devolution. If implemented, these proposals will probably mean the end of local representation of the people through local and contactable Councillors.

The words that really caught my eye were “I would like to know what readers think – Please speak up loudly, whatever your view.”

I find this to be rather hypocritical when one considers the actions of his Mid Devon Council administration which held an Extraordinary Council Meeting on January 8, 2025 to discuss the white paper and did not allow Public Question Time at the meeting.

Public Question Time has always been an item on the agenda at Extraordinary Meetings of Mid Devon Council, so it was strange that it should have been removed for this meeting which was called to discuss the future of Local Councils.

Some members of the public asked that Public Question Time be put onto the agenda but were told the Council Constitution did not allow it – when in fact it did.

Despite appeals, the only offer was that the public could ask questions at the meeting – but only if they were sent to the Chairman in advance of the meeting, and he had personally approved the content. Only one person did this.

On the night of the meeting the Vice Chair did allow questions from one member of the public who had submitted questions in advance and was in the room.

He attempted to ask an additional question which led to intervention by the Vice Chair to stop him and when he persisted it appeared that Officers tried to turn off his microphone, disconnected all of the microphones, which led to a complete crash of the system which delayed the business of the meeting. This was later explained as a “technical fault”.

Other members of the public had registered to ask questions but had not submitted them in advance and they were not called to speak.

They were online but a “block” had been placed on their cameras and microphones and this has never been experienced before. This had also been done to members of the press.

I for one was intending to ask some questions on cost but most of my remarks were to be supportive of the position of the Leader and his document. I did not think his political attack on the Conservative Administration at Devon County Council in any way assisted the recommendations being put forward.

The following day Devon County Council discussed devolution and their agenda included a separate item to allow public participation and questions.

The Leader of Mid Devon District Council is frequently using terms such as transparency, openness and a wish to include the public. Councillor Keable writes that he seeks public views so what happened to public inclusion at the meeting on January 8, 2025.

Councillors set policies and then the officers do the work to implemented them so did the Cabinet set the policy to let the public ask questions only if they had been submitted in advance so that they could be “vetted”?

If they did not set the policy then the Chief Executive, who sets the agenda, was responsible for leaving it off and the subsequent exchanges between members of the public and officers were under his jurisdiction.

I had not communicated with the Director of Legal, People and Governance (Monitoring Officer) but at 1854 hours on January 7, 2025 I received an email from her on my personal email addressing me as “Dear member of the public”. Rather impersonal, some consider it rude, and it set out her position with regard to the interpretation of the Constitution on Public Question Time at Extraordinary Meetings.

She quoted selected sections of the Constitution and at the end stated” “The Constitution does not give a right to public questions at extraordinary meetings. I note the comment regarding precedent in previous extraordinary meetings however, I advise based on the current version of the constitution. This is MDDC position as we will not be changing this.”

Members of the public have been back over the years and the earliest copy of the Constitution found was in 2015.

A number of later copies have also been examined. The wording being relied upon by the Director (Monitoring Officer) has not changed in any of the previous versions. Until now there has always been a Public Question time at Extraordinary Meetings These have been included on agenda under her watch and that of the current Chief Executive.

What, or more importantly, who has moved the goalposts. I have not forgotten how this officer tried to alter the Constitution to restrict public involvement in Council Business in the past.

Do the current administration really want to know what the public think or is it all about trying to score party political points?

Barry G J Warren

Cherry Close

Willand