No sign yet of a formal press release announcing the arrival of “Junket” Jan Ormondroyd to run Bristol City Council.
So we’ll just have to make do with the one that the council’s PR girl Simon Caplan did back in December.
Presumably in the spirit of co-operation and compromise it lists the views of all the political party leaders at the council.
So Labour leader Helen Holland says: “[Jan] will bring to Bristol the skills and experience needed to support councillors in our drive to make a real difference to the lives of local people – and promote our city regionally, nationally and internationally.”
While Lib Dem leader Stevie Comer says: “I am very pleased to be able to welcome Jan to Bristol.”
Tory leader Bunter Eddy meanwhile says: ” I believe we have made an excellent appointment that will be good for the city council and for Bristol as a whole.”
And Business West boss John Savage says: “” I am delighted at the new appointment. Business West looks forward to continuing good partnership working with Bristol City Council and we wish the new Chief Executive every success.”
Hang on a minute …
Did we just mention unelected multi-millionaire Business West boss, Merchant Venturer and SWRDA Board member John Savage?
And since when did he become entitled to equal billing alongside Bristol’s elected representatives? What’s going on here?
And where’s the Green Party’s view on all this? Why don’t they get a say?
Usually we’re told that, legally and constitutionally, the Green Party aren’t formally recognised as a political party for funding and administrative purposes by Bristol City Council because they only have one councillor and they need at least two to be treated as a party.
Now it appears this situation around funding and administration has been arbritarily interpreted by Simon Caplan and the city’s council officers to mean that the Greens are not entitled to a formal voice in general city council press releases.
This is despite there being absolutely no constitutional or legal reason whatsoever why the Green Party can’t appear in this kind of city council press release.
And why – if the Greens are being denied a voice because they only have one elected councillor – do Business West, with no elected representatives at all, get an official voice on a Bristol City Council platform?
Can we assume then that the views of unelected millionaire businessmen are more important than elected politicians down at the Council House?
“And why – if the Greens are being denied a voice because they only have one elected councillor – do Business West, with no elected representatives at all, get an official voice on a Bristol City Council platform?”
And Savage gets a seat on the board of the West of England Partnership alongside the “main” Party leaders, again at the expense of the Greens, who must have tens of thousands of voters across the sub-region. Something’s gone seriously wrong with the idea of local democracy.
its representative democracy, the problem is the elected don’t seem to be representing us!!!
in a nutshell, its just par for the course for the bcc, total muppets!!