Attendance

In my personal view, elected town councillors have a duty to attend the AGM, with the only reason for non-attendance being serious illness, bereavement etc.

The AGM is the key format where members of the public can hold elected councillors to account or to raise specific questions to them.

Therefore, I was somewhat flabbergasted to have Independent town councillor Neville Harris sitting in the audience, as a Didcot resident rather than alongside other councillors. He also raised issues as a member of the public.

With the greatest respect to Neville, he chose to stand as a town councillor and, as such, he should comply with expected public standards such as attending the town council AGM and sit alongside his councillor colleagues.

By councillor Harris taking the stance that he did at the AGM it meant that the electorate were denied the opportunity to raise issues to him in his role of councillor.

Sue Such

Didcot