Councillor has ignored emails
I CONTACTED my local councillor by email on November 19.
Having received no reply, I tried again on December 24. Allowing for Christmas, I expected a reply, even if just an acknowledgment of my enquiry.
On January 11, I contacted the customer feedback department of the city council to ask if councillors are obliged to answer queries from their constituents.
I know city council officers have to reply to an email inquiry within 24 hours.
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I was informed that: "City councillors do not have the same obligations as an employee of the city council. There (sic) requirement is to comply with the city council's Members' Code of Conduct."
Having read this, there is nowhere in the document that says a councillor is obliged to represent his constituents, even though the city council website quite clearly states: "Councillors are a vital part of local democracy. They represent people at grass roots level and form an important link between individual residents of the city and the council that is responsible for delivering their services.
"Each ward councillor can be contacted by people living in the ward to discuss issues relating to them. The councillor can then take up issues directly with council departments on their behalf."
Judging by the criticism of the council of late, councillors have become so remote from the people they represent, that they cannot be bothered to even answer a simple inquiry.
It will be interesting come election time to see if my local councillor comes canvassing for my vote.
BEV KNIGHT
Stoke-on-Trent
Comments
by gray100
Monday, February 04 2013, 10:17AM
“I would doubt very much if this counselor comes knocking on your door. They seem to think that its their God given right to represent you and anyway in this city dress a Mannequin up and put a red Rosette on the chest and it would get voted in as a counselor and probably do a better job than some of them. You only have to look what they all think of you when it comes to the building of the new civic building none of them give a dam what people who they are supposed to represent think or want. The people I am afraid come a very poor second or even third. But then you all get what you deserve in life because all of you keep on voting in the same old people that ask you to bend over and take it without question.”