The councillor, the travellers and that explosive remark
Posted by Ellee on Jan 24, 2007 in Uncategorized | 19 comments
I’ve sat in many council meetings and had a job staying awake. However, my ears always pricked up at South Cambridgeshire Council when Deborah Roberts and Robin Page stood up because I knew I could expect a good quote.
And Coun Roberts really let rip in expressing her anger and frustrations at the escalating travellers row in Cottenham, which attracted extensive national media interest at the time.
She told a meeting that she felt the council would “never get rid of the bastards” and added: “If I had cancer, I’d strap a big bomb around myself and go in tomorrow.”
As a result, she was investigated by the Standards Board for England which concluded that no disciplinary action was needed. But since then, contrite Cabinet members have taken part in cultural awareness training and a tour of traveller sites. They have attended two workshops on traveller issues – the last one included presentations by travellers. Coun Roberts has apologised, btw.
They have indeed eaten humble pie by the bucket load for that “heat of the moment” unwise comment, but was any similar concern shown for the terrible experiences of the law abiding Cottenham residents who lived in fear at the time?
I shall conclude by telling you this amusing “Laurel and Hardy” moment involving Coun Roberts when in 2005 the results were announced of a closely-fought leadership election. As her supporters cheered she began her acceptance speech, but just 20 words in she was interrupted by the council chairman, who told her there had been a mistake and she had lost by one vote. I bet she wished the ground could have opened up.
With Coun Roberts, you always wonder what she will say next. Do you know any colourful councillors like her? Do you feel they should have had to attend cultural awareness training for travellers? I wonder what councillors really think of the Standards Board.
Update: 25 January, travellers call for Coun Roberts to be sacked.
That’s clever post 18, I like that. It made me laugh, anyway.
Very unlikely, Joe. Although I think I would give Lammy a run for his money and take Lib Dem votes…
Justin, I heard your name touted as possible Conservative candidate at Tottenham in 2009/10. Can you confirm/deny said rumour?
Justin, Oh yes, of course I know Stephen Frost, but I’ve never called him Frosty. it has now clicked.
And last night Tottenham humiliatingly drew with Arsenal after being 2-0 up – the air was blue in my house!
What happened last night? Was there a football match on whilst I was at the opera?
You don’t know Stephen Frost?
Justin, I left the CEN a while ago, afraid I don’t know Frosty.
It’s sad about Cambridge CA, when you consider how we used to rule the roost there, there are no Conservaitve councillors on the city council at all at the moment.
I think I have commented on your blog before because I mentioned how my husband and sons support Tottenham, they were devastated with last nights results.
I lived and stood in Cherry Hinton as my partner went back to Cambridge to take up Medicine. We now live in London where I am a constituency chairman (www.tottenhamconservatives.com).
Spend many hours in Hardwick with Frosty – is he still there? Always had a lot of truck getting letters and press releases used in the CEN. Cambridge CA barely exists – such a shame! I could go on and on – clearly had too much coffee today, but I don’t want to bore your readers. Justin
Tejus, thanks for the link.
Nich and Ian, thanks for comments on the standards board. The question is, who are they answerable to for their standards?
Joe, I wonder if you are thinking of the story Christopher Booker wrote about in the Sunday Telegraph. In fact, it related to councillors outside Cambridge who wanted to protest about Prescott’s plan to develop in the area and they were refused to speak on it, even though they were residents themselves, as it was felt it would mean a conflict of interest. So much for freedom of speech and democracy.
Justin, I don’t think anyone can ever forget Deborah Roberts having met her. I know Daphne too. I do live in Cambs, what about you? Sorry to hear about your close shave, do you plan to restand.
I remember Deborah Roberts from my time in Cambridge. Did you know that she used to be a Conservative? She normally votes with us and there have been attempts to get her back into the fold. Think she’ll re-join us when the “Matron” (Cllr. Daphne Spink) retires? Ellee, you from Cambs? I stood and lost there in 2003 – by 51 votes )-:
ellee.. you’ve been linked
I heard a story- which may or may not be true- that some councillors elected on a specific issue somwhere against proposed development, I think it was an airport were prohibited on speaking in the debate as they had ‘prejudicial interest’, as in presumably being elected to oppose said airport. Can anyone confirm this story, or is it a chinese whisper?
I’m a Councillor and I regard the Standards Board as well meaning in principle but seriously misguided in everything else.
The stuff about being elected on a particular platform being a prejudicial interest is a nonsense.
See stuff like http://www.libdems.org.uk/parliament/parliamentaryreport.html?id=5067&navPage=parliamentary.html
I can’t comment further whilst in office.
I do think the way the standards board is run is awful, however, there is a need for something like it to exist, but under completely different rules.
A Conservative was suspended locally for speaking at a council meeting on his own planning application when he was advised not to by officers. In that case, when the council was brought in to disrepute, you could see why action had to be taken by the SBE.
However, there are plenty of examples where people have been taken before the standards board for something that an MP would not even get told off for.
I was actually thinking more in terms of the principles involved. Democratically elected repersentatives should only be accountable for their activities as public representatives- as opposed to their actions as private citizens- to their own electorates.
This Prescott imposition of a Standards Board has no place in a true democracy- Can you imagine any American State imposing one?
In disciplining this admittedly slightly eccentric woman they are disciplining activities which were theoretically carried out in the name of people who voted for her.
What would be the case if she had articulated some other offensive view, but in this instance it was in response to a signed petition from a village in her ward- all of whom supported this offensive view?
Would it be right then for a undemocratically elected board to discipline her?
Joe, I believe remarks made in a council chamber are only protected by qualified privilege rather than absolute privilege, which is allowed in a court of law, hence the Standards Board.
http://www.cyberlibel.com/munpress.html
What she said was quite evidently appalling.
But it does raise an intersting concern.
As an elected reprsentative, speaking in the council chamber, does that not, under any decent theory of representative democracy, make her remarks priveleged by virtue of being uttered, albeit probably wrongly, in the name of her constituents.
The only people proper to judge her on this issue are her voters. They can discipline her if they want to in the next elections.
A prepared to speak; good.
As with Bob Piper, the question is a bit of colour v responsibility. I don’t know the answer.