While we all wish Cllr Jeff Johnson better health, it's clear that he hasn't been well enough to function as a councillor since his election in May last year. The Local Government Act 1972 says "if a member of a local authority fails throughout a period of six consecutive months from the date of his last attendance to attend any meeting of the authority, he shall, unless the failure was due to some reason approved by the authority before the expiry of that period, cease to be a member of the authority".
Offering Cllr Johnson a blanket pass for the next four years so that he can keep his job and allowance may be technically legal, but it is a clear breach of the spirit of the law. The residents of Blackthorn and Rectory Farm deserve to be served by two councillors, not just one. It's also unfair to the other councillor, Keith Holland-Delamere, who has had to carry double the case load. This exceptional approval of absence is presumably being proposed to enable Reform to keep their overall majority of one vote following the loss of three Reform councillors in their first 10 months in office.
Constituents should be receiving a better service. If councillors can't perform their duties they should stand down.
While we all wish Cllr Jeff Johnson better health, it's clear that he hasn't been well enough to function as a councillor since his election in May last year. The Local Government Act 1972 says "if a member of a local authority fails throughout a period of six consecutive months from the date of his last attendance to attend any meeting of the authority, he shall, unless the failure was due to some reason approved by the authority before the expiry of that period, cease to be a member of the authority".
Offering Cllr Johnson a blanket pass for the next four years so that he can keep his job and allowance may be technically legal, but it is a clear breach of the spirit of the law. The residents of Blackthorn and Rectory Farm deserve to be served by two councillors, not just one. It's also unfair to the other councillor, Keith Holland-Delamere, who has had to carry double the case load. This exceptional approval of absence is presumably being proposed to enable Reform to keep their overall majority of one vote following the loss of three Reform councillors in their first 10 months in office.
It's all very shoddy.