Just last week, as the #daftarrest case concerning a citizen who has been subjected to the most outrageous intimidation including the litigation she has been forced to endure, came to an end, Eric Pickles reissued the following two documents:
Town hall doors unlocked to social media and bloggers
Citizen journalists and bloggers should be let in to public council meetings
Letter from Bob Neill to local authority leaders: access to meetings pdf
Trying to tell the Judge something? At the same time local councils? I do hope so.
I imagine, the same rules apply to parish council meetings!
Rotherham Politics 
Page not found on the second link RP, broken link?
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Hope it’s fixed now, seems to be.
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It works for me thanks!
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yes it’s working now, thanks 🙂
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I can forsee many unhappy bunnies at RMBC once this legislation comes into force. Just imagine, the public will have the right to know and scrutinse what is being said ‘on their behalf’. It is a pity this legislation is to late to prevent the citizens of Anston and Dinnington being excluded when the wrong headed planning decision to build on our greenbelt was made without reference to our concerns.
Councillor Beck will now have to justify his existence.
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Dear Colin
Maybe I am very wrong, in which case I humbly apologise, but:
The only new legislation referred to in any of the 3 links in Rik’s piece was the “The Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 (the 2012 Regulations)” which was at that time due to come into force on 10 September 2012. Not unsurprisingly therefore it is in force now. See: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/2089/made
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If the public were excluded when the Planning application was discussed by Anston P.C.and the decision made to approve it, it is now obvious that the decision was made illegally. Therefore, the planning consent MUST now be reversed until the application has been discussed in an open forum and properly debated.
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you are absolutely right it came into force last year there was supposed to be a period of “catch up” to allow councils to put things in place. The problem with this is that the dinosaurs in our area don’t appear to have caught up. It may raise its head on Monday at Anston.
Dave Smith
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Dave
Any idea how long the “catch up” period might be?
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A timely intervention by Pickles.
I do hope that Rotten Borough Council is not using legal officer’s time on reviewing the content of blogs with a view of closing the site down or instigating legal action just because the truth often hurts.
It would also be disappointing to learn that police time was being wasted by vexatious complaints from Elected Members because their feelings had been hurt.
Thankfully none of this will be happening in Rotherham as it is such a well run council.
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Hi jim Fletcher,
I dont understand which planning application you refer to, for all their faults, all planning applications that are put before Anston Parish Council, are discussed in “open session”. If its the Green Belt issue you are refering to, the decisions to OBJECT to building on the Green Belt was likewise done in “open session”. By all means be critical of the Parish Council, but it must be true.
Keep blogging, the people who represent us must be accountable to the people who elect them. If it means Filming the process, what is there to hide.
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Sorry, the inference from other bloggers was that the decision had been made in a closed session meeting. This is obviously wrong.
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The period was to the end of the year. The public were not excluded from the meeting of Anston Parish Council when the brethren s application was discussed, if this is the building on green belt you refer to. The spectacle was disgusting with all the councillors being forced, by a question from the ubiquitous Mr Lewis, into admitting that they had all been tapped up by the Brethren. Strange people these Brethren they were there last Monday and stayed to the last obviously eagerly awaiting the arrival of the police. Ah how the milk of christian human kindness flows.
Dave Smith
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“The period was to the end of the year.”
which year ??? 🙂
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Sorry mate last year 2012.
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