Despite an earlier proposal to the Standards Board being turned down, having sought to change the Constitution that would have kept councillors in their seats rather than on their feet when speaking, Tory Mayor, Mary Foryszewski, asked councillors to, “Please be seated.”
So instead of muffled speech, as they moved away from their microphone, they could sit and actually be heard clearly by Jo public. Go, Mary, go! You sock it to ‘em Mary – and make your own commonsense rules because nobody else will!
When the Standards Board met Cllr Michael This-Just-Isn’t-Goodenough, (Con Wonersh) claimed it was disrespectful to the Mayor to remain seated and long-held council protocols and traditions should be upheld.
Trouble is, Councillor Not-Goodenough is a bit like Speaker Bercow in that he sways with the wind – not the wind of change, you understand, but the winds of what suits him as he postures and pontificates of days of old – when councillors weren’t so bold! On this occasion, he wasn’t swayed by the argument put forward by others that the webcast chopped members’ heads off, and they could not be head succinctly by the public.
Heard? Who wants to be heard? If you’re actually heard saying something you might be held to account and God forbid that ever happens at ‘Your Waverley’!
Other Good news too on the openness and transparency front:
Electronic voting – so everyone can see how your councillor voted. Plus a table showing the votes… and questions from the public will be allowed at The Executive and Full Council meetings. And… wait for it… wait for it… the public may even get answers!
Democracy and transparency reforms are on the way to ‘Your Waverley,’
Here’s an example. Green Yes – Red No- and Yellow ABSTAINED.
What a load of Rubbish – I am absolutely convinced Mary F wouldn’t give a Monkey’s *** about respect for her position by councillors standing – She will get that based on what she does – not some old fashioned Protocol – It would be nice for Jo public to be able to see and hear councillors when they speak – Then again it would just be nice to have webcasts that don’t constantly buffer, freeze or just focus on a Screen when Councillors are speaking – Come on Waverley get into the 21st Century!
Denise The recordings show that the webstreams rarely buffer or freeze. Whilst I admit that WBC web cams are a bit klunky they do seem to work. I think buffering is more likely at your end.
I agree – the office of Mayor will get respect based on her actions not on her label. The bar was set pretty low by the previous incumbent so lets see what our current mayor achieves.
Well – if they are buffering and freezing at Denis’s end, then they are doing the same at our end in Farnham. However, we must admit, in recent weeks/months/ things have been much better.
Hey Blah Blah … Much nicer to know who you are ……Do you not have a name? or do you not want to be accountable for your comments?
I have Fibre to the Home so I am afraid I think you are wrong if you watch the Webcasts once they are posted they are OK it is watching LIVE that is the issue and alas I like to watch them Live…. and they are rubbish.. I do not know who is in charge of I.T at Waverley – But I am afraid I do not think they are doing a good job.
The Planning website is shocking – You look at a particular Document then go “back” and you have to start from the top all over again – at least the old one used to let you go through them sequentially – It is time consuming especially as I think Developers have twigged this and deliberately post multiple documents for example Design & Access – in the hope that we will all give up the will to Live to look at them all. I now always start at the bottom and work my way up.
As for the Mayor – I have to admit I am BIASED I go to Mary’s Dog school and she loves my dog – so Ignore anything I say about her as I think she is amazing.
I am – if nothing else- Honest!!
Best
Denise
That’s great – we like to hear a dog lover sticking up for a dog lover. We don’t know Mary- but from what we see of her here at the Waverley Web she couldn’t give a toss about protocols. If Cllr Good Goodridge wants to stand up, not be heard and get his head chopped off by the webcast, then great so be it.
As for the Planning Portal – who is responsible for desigining that one. Or, is it a ploy so residents find it so difficult to find the information – they just give up trying?
but not the WW or Denise Wordsworth.