The post you are reporting:
When it comes to petitions - in the case of a submission in a consultation process, petitions are not really up to much, individual submissions are far more powerful. However, the petition currently in progress serves a direct purpose in and of itself in that on reaching a given number of signatures a meeting is triggered. Despite the frequent protestations of openness and accountability by our District Council, it is nigh impossible for us, the electorate, to actually hold them to account. Yes, as individuals, we are welcome to write to or visit the offices, officers and councillors, but as individuals our communications are not public and/or we don't have the right supplementary questions to hand to obtain answers that are fully satisfactory and at scrutiny meetings, public input is quite restrictive; for example some, even within the Council, have given the impression that investment and development plans in the area known as the DTIZ date back only a few years, Ray has highlighted that he is aware of matters raised in this regard much earlier and, talking with my Mum last night, there are even unrealised plans for this area that pre-date my birth. So, information regarding plans and expenditure to date are, at best, publicly obscure - they need to be made clear in the most public way possible. Then we come to accountability - hmm - through the ballot box on the council leadership and cabinet is, for most of us, near impossible - safe seats (for one tribal colour or another) and all that sort of stuff more or less ensures that direct accountability to the constituents of the District for the main decision makers in the council is, at best, difficult to achieve.
From a personal point of view then, and to achieve both visibility and accountability for what has (or has not) been delivered to date, I strongly support this petition and really hope that the DDC will not just wait it out until the trigger number of signatures is reached, but will take the earliest chance to embrace the opportunity to not only be seen to be, but actually be straight with us all in a multi-party open forum.
Roger, I appreciate your candour and your point of view, but there are a great many Dovorians, both in and out of town, who share in Alan's point of view and additionally feel neither informed or enfranchised in regard to key developments within their home town. Fulfillment of this petition could be a turning point to the mutual benefit of constituents and council.
