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Boundary Changes – ‘Is Hedon Town Council letting its residents down’ asks Ward Councillor

October 11, 2011

Posted by Editor under Consultation, Debate, Hedon, Politics, South West Holderness

2 Comments

Councillor John Dennis

IN RESPONSE TO THE ARTICLE published yesterday Conservatives campaign against Boundary Changes John Dennis, Ward Councillor for South West Holderness, has hit out at a decision by Hedon Town Council to play no part in the consultation process that could see South West Holderness moved into the East Hull Parliamentary constituency.

According to Councillor Dennis, a meeting of the Hedon Town Council’s Finance & General Purposes Committee on the 22nd September, took the decision not to become involved in the consultation process. Councillor Dennis, who is also a Hedon Town Councillor, had asked for the matter to be discussed by the committee and had submitted his own thoughts on the issue.

In his comments Is Hedon Town Council letting its residents down? sent to the Hedon Blog and HU12 Councillor Dennis said:

“I e-mailed members with my thoughts before the meeting as I was unable to attend that evening due to being away on holiday. Upon my return I am told, to my absolute amazement, that Hedon Town Council has made a decision NOT to become involved in the consultation process! I think it my duty to make the residents of the town and the surrounding villages aware of this…

…I hope the Town Council’s decision to do absolutely nothing doesn’t come back to haunt us all in the future.”

Councillor Dennis believes that the issue is a community issue and not a political matter and if implemented could be the start of Hedon being ‘swallowed up by Hull‘. He accuses the Town Council of ‘sitting on the fence’ on the issue. He has called upon residents to make representations to Hedon Town Hall.

The letter by Councillor Dennis is reproduced here in full:

IS HEDON TOWN COUNCIL LETTING ITS RESIDENTS DOWN?

The proposal to include Hedon and the local villages within a “stretched” version of the East Hull Constituency is seriously flawed on several counts, which I set out in my previous comments to the Hedon Blog a few weeks ago.

I had asked for the matter to be discussed in committee on 22nd. September at the Hedon Town Council and I e-mailed members with my thoughts before the meeting as I was unable to attend that evening due to being away on holiday.

Upon my return I am told, to my absolute amazement, that Hedon Town Council has made a decision NOT to become involved in the consultation process!

I think it my duty to make the residents of the town and the surrounding villages aware of this.

This, to me, is not a party political matter, it is wholly a COMMUNITY issue; it’s about whether the residents of this Ward, which comprises entirely rural communities, would be disadvantaged by being lumped together with the entirely urban wards within the city of Hull; it’s about whether any member of parliament, of whatever political pursuasion, could ever do justice to the task of representing the people of S.W.Holderness, whilst juggling with the many and varied issues raised by the 60,000 residents of those wards within the city. I would put these questions no matter which political party a prospective M.P. for East Hull belonged to.

A further concern of mine, and to many people to whom I have spoken, is that this change may lead eventually to the ward being swallowed up by Hull just as Sutton was back in the 70′s. So much for nine hundred years of history and tradition that we Hedon people are rightly so proud of!

I make no apology for wishing to retain the constituency boundary as it presently exists. I believe that South West Holderness is, and should always be, in every sense, part of the greater area of Holderness. It is, and should remain truly rural.

As a newly elected Ward Member for the area this is all new territory to me. In the election campaign I promised “to protect, preserve and promote the interests” of the residents of the ward, and I believe that’s exactly what I am trying to do and what the vast majority of those residents would expect of me, and the rest of their elected representatives, both on the town and county councils. The feelings of many of the local people are being shown on your Hedon Blog Poll on this issue, which is running at about 4 to1 against the changes.

For our Town Council to be seen to be sitting on the fence on such a major issue ignoring 80 per cent of those people who voted for them, will appall those voters. I urge those residents to make representations to the Town Hall without delay. A response to this Blog item, a letter to the Town Clerk or an email through me will suffice.

The Town Council cannot re-visit their decision for 6 months unless new information comes to light. Perhaps demands from a significant number of the people who voted for them will count as ‘new information’. The consultation process ends in early December, so please act now and ask your family and friends to do so too.

It goes without saying that everyone concerned about these changes should submit their comments directly to the Boundary Commission, using the contact details provided by the Hedon Blog. I acknowledge of course that there may be some residents who think the boundary change will be to the advantage of the ward – their voices should be heard too.

I hope the Town Council’s decision to do absolutely nothing doesn’t come back to haunt us all in the future.

Ward Councillor for South West Holderness, John Dennis

For background of the Boundary Commission consultation and how to take part, click: Proposed Boundary Changes….

For Hedon Town Council, visit www.hedon.gov.uk

See: South West Holderness to join East Hull? Proposals in more detail.

Tags: Boundary Commission, Councillor John Dennis, Hedon Town Council

2 Responses to Boundary Changes – ‘Is Hedon Town Council letting its residents down’ asks Ward Councillor

Consultation week 8 « LocusOctober 31, 2011 at 3:24 pm

[...] bit further east, a surprising report from Hedon, where the town council has decided not to get involved in the boundary consultation, despite the [...]

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‘Is Hedon Town Council letting its residents down’ asks Ward Councillor | The Hedon BlogOctober 11, 2011 at 9:54 am

[...] Councillor John Dennis has submitted his views in response to an article published yesterday. His comments can be viewed in full at HU12, visit: Boundary Changes – “Is Hedon Town Council letting its residents down? [...]

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