Opposition will not be brooked, it seems. After the EDDC Leadership’s recent allegations against both Save Our Sidmouth and the East Devon Alliance, it is the Independent Councillors who are now being targeted. Tory Whip, Councillor Phil Twiss has caused a stir with a letter published in the Sidmouth Herald last week (29th November), attacking them all. At tonight’s Full Council meeting, Chief Executive Mark Williams revealed that a formal complaint against Councillor Twiss, on this matter, has been received by the Monitoring Officer. The CEO claimed it would therefore “not be appropriate” for Chairman, Graham Godbeer, to answer the following question put by a member of the public:
“Would you please dissociate yourself from the comments made by Councillor Phillip Twiss in a letter to the Sidmouth Herald last Friday?
Writing as Conservative Whip EDDC, he said that Independent members of this council are invariably concerned with a single issue and “hold back progress and disadvantage their communities by paying little attention to other matters”.
He went on to insult Councillor Roger Giles, implying that he rarely did anything “tangible and beneficial for his local community”.
Councillor Wragg was recently reprimanded for criticising a council officer in a letter to the press. Are there any grounds for a reprimand when Councillor Twiss’s letter denigrates a whole group of his fellow councillors?”
With the Chairman left powerless to answer, the questioner left the Chamber in disgust. The Monitoring Officer’s verdict will no doubt be carefully monitored.
The text of Councillor Twiss’s letter is here: http://sidmouthindependentnews.wordpress.com/2013/11/29/have-whip-but-dont-ever-use-it
The attacks on SOS and EDA are archived at these links:
https://saveoursidmouth.com/2013/10/14/save-our-sidmouth-group-rejects-diviani-allegations/
http://sidmouthindependentnews.wordpress.com/2013/10/09/east-devon-alliance-responds-to-attack-by-paul-diviani/
Save Our Sidmouth 