I READ with interest press coverage on the ‘fracas’ at the town hall. I am even more surprised to see Councillor Brookes repeating his statement made at the meeting that somehow Jerry Latham, I and others are ‘muddying the waters’ and somehow jeopardising a potential deal between public services and others to co-operate in partnership with the East Staffordshire Borough Council (ESBC) working from the town hall, he clearly added at the meeting that it did not include the town council in a ‘rant’ he said we would have no input.
At the meeting Jerry Latham stated and I confirmed our understanding of a meeting with the leader of the ESBC and the chief executive that the ESBC will be working in partnership with public services to deliver co-located services in partnership with Uttoxeter Town Council. Far from excluding the town council it embraces it and opens up many exciting possibilities to reinvigorate the town hall building and it’s council.
Either Councillor Brookes is making deliberately misleading statements or he does not know the facts — either way it is incompetent.
At the time Councillor Brookes remade his statement to the press he would have had ample time to check with the ESBC as to the actual facts but unfortunately that does not suit Councillor Brookes own political agenda of having a building totally controlled by the ESBC leading to the demise of the town council.
It’s all rather sad for us in Uttoxeter as he does not even live in the town, perhaps he should consider leaving the town to be run by the townspeople and he can get on heading off to Burton.
There he can see if he can’t sort out the planning mess that is the Maltings car park and get Taylor Wimpey to give pedestrian access under the town hall arch to the Smithfield Road car park.
People were struggling to find space in the Maltings on Wednesday but one that did had their car run into by a lorry delivering to the Taylor Wimpey car compound.
Councillor Martin Blencowe