No place for party politics (From Basingstoke Gazette)

No place for party politics

10:51am Friday 26th February 2010 in

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Sir.–I felt compelled to write in respect of the fiasco surrounding the election of the Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council for 2010 to 2011.

I served as the Mayor for Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council in 2006-2007, I was given this opportunity in recognition of the 17 years I served as a councillor.

The custom and practice for our borough council is that the longest standing councillor in rotation has the opportunity to serve as mayor in recognition of that service and raise their view of the profile of the borough but also monies for their chosen charity.

Because each mayor has ensured they take the apolitical role seriously, the custom and practice works to the benefit of the borough as it is specifically not dependant on the politics of the individual or the whim of any party leader. It ensures councillors from all parties, and independent councillors, have the same opportunity to have their service recognised and valued.

If this custom and practice is allowed to be overridden by any individual party or party leader then the reality would be just 31 councillors would be able to decide who could be mayor in Basingstoke and Deane Borough where approximately 150,000 people live.

The custom and practice of the mayor being appointed by acclamation based on service of the individual councillor should not be devalued by party politics.

–Mr Tony Jones, JP, Gannet Close, Kempshott, Basingstoke.

Sir.–I refer to your article “I could be Mayor” and, in particular, the comments attributed to Keith Chapman, for whom I have a lot of respect.

Yes, Cllr Chapman, you could be mayor – but should you be in the present circumstances?

You could, of course, wait for another 12 months and take your turn, as you should, based on your years of service to the borough, especially as you have already enjoyed the honour of being mayor in 1992/93. Remember, you were content then with the system of accession – a system incidentally which you have always supported and espoused to others.

Please don’t allow yourself to be used in this way and debase the well-established and trusted arrangement of confirming the mayor based on service rather than personal selection and political bias.

Do you really welcome the possible debacle and embarrassment of a mayor-making meeting when either you or Councillor Heath will be confirmed as mayor? One set of family and friends, either yours or Cllr Heath’s, together with one set of either’s charity nominees, will be humiliated on the evening.

You are a principled person Cllr Chapman. Are you really happy to put Cllr Heath and his family through this hurtful embarrassing process?

Please think again about your decision on this and don’t be seduced by those who are using you to undermine Cllr Heath.

Whilst writing, I also wish to express my criticism of the current mayor, Cllr Gurden, who has in my view acted quite badly over this matter.

He should have supported his deputy mayor without qualification which would have stopped this unseemly process before it even started.

–Joyce Lambert, Baynard Close, Basingstoke.

Sir.–To date I have been reluctant to enter the debate over the Cllr Phil Heath and the Mayoralty.

However, as a former councillor, I feel I must make my views known to your readers.

For nearly eight years, I did battle with Cllr Heath in the council chamber and committee room. As I strongly disagreed with his political views (still do), I regularly attacked him to which he gave as good as he got. Despite our verbal duels, I never once considered (nor he in return) reporting him to the standards committee or its predecessor. I came to the conclusion that we were grown-ups and elected to express our views without fear.

The point that worries me in this whole sorry business, that is doing so much damage to the borough’s reputation, is that Cllr Heath was reported to the standards committee for speaking up for his electorate and asked questions why the snow had not been cleared, and the bins not emptied.

In my opinion, this in turn has been used by his political enemies in the Conservative group to try and ‘gerrymander’ the historical mayoral seniority process to prevent him becoming mayor out of personal and political spite.

According to historical precedent, Cllr Philip Heath is the rightful next mayor and no ‘gerrymandering’ or use of the standards committee as a ‘Star Chamber’ should prevent him. I would never have believed that I would support Cllr Heath for any position, but I do now.

–Colin Regan Labour Councillor for South Ham 1996-2004, Paddock Road, South Ham, Basingstoke