Prayers at Council Meetings?

A fellow Councillor has recently raised the issue of holding a prayer before commencement of a Town Council meeting.

Some may have seen the resultant local press coverage. It claimed "heated" debate and "deadlock" and tried to sensationalise what was a very polite, although robust discussion. This is unhelpful in building a positive perception of the Council and how well it works as a team.

Are they "Intimidating"
In calling for a halt to prayers the Councillor said he found them to be 'intimidating'.

Now that is wholly a personal opinion to which anyone is entitled, and whether you agree or not, in a society of tolerance his views should be respected.
He also pointed out that a High Court judgement has ruled that prayers were not to be part of Council Meetings; but is holding one immediately before the gavel falls acceptable?

Divisive?
I don't feel comfortable with this subject, not on any religious grounds, but because it has a high risk of being a divisive issue that polarises; and that cannot be good for harmonious working.

Emotive issue
I kept silent in the first discussion at the Council table because I considered it to be entirely a private and personal matter, but it clearly does go deeper. The final vote was split showing it to be emotive and needing further thought: with 3 for, 3 against, and 5 abstaining.
Hence it was deferred for a later decision.

One argument that resonated with me was that a pre-meeting message could focus minds on the purpose of the Council in serving the local community.

This point of focusing minds before a meeting starts is a certainly a good one. We may have had hard days at work or just rushed to the meeting after tea with the kids to feed, and so on...
A reminder of the role of Councillors can only, in my opinion, be beneficial – a reminder that decisions are for the community and not for ourselves is important.

Is the word the problem?
So perhaps it is that word 'prayer' that is the real problem as it implies being more than just a message; a prayer being 'a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or another deity', while "Amen" with its meaning of 'so be it' strengthens the religious overtones that my colleague objects so much to.

Meanwhile words like 'contemplation' or  'reflection' lead towards the 'bowed-head' syndrome, so perhaps they should be avoided too. Conversely words like 'celebration' may result in whoops of joyful enthusiasm and the waving of arms, again maybe not appropriate. Isn't our language wonderful.
So do we need a neutral balance – something everyone can relate to?

A reminder? – A 'Declaration of Purpose'?
To this end, I would personally support a non-religious opening to the meeting, reminding us of our duties – and simply call it something like a 'Declaration of Purpose', avoiding that word 'prayer' and others with similar overtones.

Then let's move on and get on with serving our town and its people.

It will be interesting to see how this issue unfolds, though I am sure any resolution will be made amicably and in good spirit.

That is how Whitchurch works :-)

That Precept rise

How the Town Council finances itself and the services it provides has been a steep learning curve for me in a first year as a Councillor. What is most important is that it is fair and that the Town Council is accountable to local residents.

Local finance
The precept is an amount raised locally within the Whitchurch Parish and I learned that for several years it has remained static, even falling one year. It helps pay towards services such as street lighting, footpaths, play areas, some local grants, and the administration of allotments and the cemetery.

Uncomfortable
When next year's 2015/16 draft budget was presented I found myself learning something which caused me to feel quite uncomfortable. For several years the Town Council has been regularly using its reserves. I had not been prepared for the results of this. Contingency funds are necessary, being required for unforeseen or emergency needs – costs to the Town Hall following HSBCs unpopular decision to leave the town being one example; last year's flooding being another.

It was obvious that unless this drain on the accounts was addressed the Council could find itself with very severe problems as it would have lost its back up. The situation has also been made worse as local services by Basingstoke & Deane Borough and Hampshire County Councils are being drastically cut, placing even more pressure on the Town Council.

Need to be pro-active
At the first budget meeting I initially abstained but made the request that I could only support an increase if the Town Council looked into raising funds through initiating a more pro-active strategy on raising income. Perhaps it could be more commercial in its outlook and investigate alternative ways of funding its activities - weddings in the Town Hall anyone?

Rise necessary
It became clear that for this year, in order to just stand still, a rise is necessary, which has been agreed. This works out at an increase of £13.29 a year for a Band D property, or just over 25 pence a week. In pure percentage terms there is no doubt it looks bad – up 32% – and of course the press has inevitably picked that up as a headline figure. However, for just four pints of beer a year, the reserves are not being further depleted, and on the plus side this is the first increase for a number of years.

The previous administrations had good reasons for using the contingency funds and I respect the decisions they made, but I hope a different approach and especially with the support of the local community and businesses, any possible future increases can be less of an impact.

I still feel slightly uncomfortable, but a one-off rise of £13.29 should put the Council on a good footing for the future.

All my personal opinion of course. PLEASE let me know if you disagree.

Now let's see how much Basingstoke and Hampshire want from us.

Letter to MP - Active Travel

Today I wrote to my MP about an amendment to the Infrastructure Bill, and how it should support active travel.

_____________________________

Dear Sir George,

I hope you will be able to support the APPCG amendment to the Infrastructure Bill on Monday afternoon, so that funding for cycling can be increased through a Cycling & Walking Investment Strategy.

Our infrastructure for cycling really is not fit for purpose, with any work made on a piecemeal basis and usually at standards far below which are either safe or useable. A long-term vision to provide adequate funding is badly required, along with a clear statement of the level of funds to be allocated.

As you are aware in Whitchurch we have some serious issues with cycle provision and the dangers and risks of using the present roads is high. The B3400 between Whitchurch and Overton, along with any routes to schools and workplaces are of high need of investment. With the increased housing and traffic being planned, provision for walking and cycling becomes even more important.

Right: 
There is still no safe route along the B3400.

Each morning when my son and daughter leave home to cycle to work in Andover and Overton on these inadequate roads it is more than worrying. Only earlier this week a young driver was left fighting for their life after another crash on the B3400. Should cyclists have to use these same roads? No; provision should be safe and segregated.

Meanwhile the roads in Whitchurch are congested and overflowing, with drivers using pavements regularly while others try and walk or cycle their children to school. There is little adequate safe provision, even for these short journeys.

Left: No safety on pavements.

Similar situations are present throughout the county and the country, with the UK falling far behind our continental neighbours in support for sustainable and active travel.

As a keen cyclist yourself I know you recognise these issues, so I call on you to support the Amendment and speak in favour of its acceptance.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Best wishes,

John

John Buckley

Whitchurch Bicycle Users Group
Hampshire Cycle Training
Whitchurch Cycling

More information and how to contact your MP are here:
AMENDMENT TO INFRASTRUCTURE BILL