Full Council - 1st & 9th March

[Gayle]

Originally Posted by garinda

http://www.accringtonweb.com/forum/f...tml#post864560

Perhaps you and Mystic Marlene should team up, and get a caravan on Blackpool Prom.

With your abilities to decide why a group of people have stopped to see what the hell was going on, you should prove very popular.

Ok, perhaps I did say 400 - oops, but in my defence that was after the Observer had used that number.

If there was a large group of people standing around watching the dancing then I think it's fair to assume that they were watching the dancing.

[Less]

Originally Posted by Gayle

Ok, perhaps I did say 400 - oops, but in my defence that was after the Observer had used that number.

If there was a large group of people standing around watching the dancing then I think it's fair to assume that they were watching the dancing.

Perhaps they were rudely interupted whilst out shopping?
All they wanted to do was walk from one side of Broadway to the other, but had their path blocked by organised spontaneity?

[garinda]

Originally Posted by Gayle

Ok, perhaps I did say 400 - oops, but in my defence that was after the Observer had used that number.

If there was a large group of people standing around watching the dancing then I think it's fair to assume that they were watching the dancing.

How do you know they were 'about 400 people in the town centre that came in specifically for the dancing', and not folk going about their normal Saturday shop?

People weren't asked. I was there.

Must be a wonderful gift, being psychic.

Any tips for lottery numbers for this weekend, for those who play?

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by Gayle

There is a censor/clicker thing on the market door, I believe, that counts people going in.

I know about that because I have to limbo underneath it when I am FORCED to use the Market Hall toilets

I really can't see them justifying or proving any figures, they make up their own. Still waiting to see how the 10,000 pound saving has been made closing Peel St toilets, as with everything else they say it's totally exaggerated.

[Less]

Originally Posted by garinda

Any tips for lottery numbers for this weekend, for those who play?

I'll field that one for you Gayle,

The numbers..... six and fortynine, yes definitely six & fortynine...

Six balls will be chosen from a total of... fortynine.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by lancsdave

I know about that because I have to limbo underneath it when I am FORCED to use the Market Hall toilets

I really can't see them justifying or proving any figures, they make up their own. Still waiting to see how the 10,000 pound saving has been made closing Peel St toilets, as with everything else they say it's totally exaggerated.

Has anyone actually seen a breakdown of this supposed £10,000.00 saving, from closing the Peel St. toilets, and just how it'll be achieved?

[Gayle]

Originally Posted by garinda

How do you know they were 'about 400 people in the town centre that came in specifically for the dancing', and not folk going about their normal Saturday shop?

Perhaps you're right, perhaps some of the people that were around might have just been doing their normal shopping. I was basing the number on the number of young people involved bringing a parent or two each, which is why I thought 400 to be a reasonable number. But, if you're right and there were people around just doing their shopping and stumbled across it, which is roughly what is supposed to happen with a flash dance as you have pointed out, perhaps there were more than 400 there.

Originally Posted by garinda

People weren't asked. I was there.

I know! I saw you. Thank you for adding to our statistics by stopping and watching for a while.

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by garinda

Has anyone actually seen a breakdown of this supposed £10,000.00 saving, from closing the Peel St. toilets, and just how it'll be achieved?

I think I've asked a couple of times on here for a Conservative councillor to answer the question. They'll be along soon

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

My motion to abolish council buffets was defeated. Cllr Britcliffe suggested that it was a back door for the Labour group to increase their expenses.

You may check my expense claims anytime you like, you won't find any meal claims and I have no intention of taking them in future.

My motion on writing to Royal Mail to reclassify the Hyndburn postcodes away from Blackburn was withdrawn as Cllr Britcliffe had coincidentally already had items of correspondence addressing both of my motions.

The Conservative amendment to my original motion was therefore not allowed and legal advice was sought as to whether I could do this.

I could.

Cllr Peter Clarke wrote to me on 4th March 2011 to complain that I had written on the local internet discussion forum Accrington Web about the £250,000 allocated to Rishton by the Leader of the Council for improvements to the area:

(See post 4 on 'Hyndburn 2m bonanza' thread)

Before I wrote this paragraph I failed to check my facts and have now been reassured by Cllr Clarke that no members of his family live on Norfolk Street. Therefore I wish to apologise unreservedly for making the statement on Accrington Web.

Cllr Peter Clarke told me in his letter that he considered the statement to be 'libel against (him) personally' and he asked that I apologise publicly to him in order to 'prevent legal action'.

I wish to confirm that I accept my statement about his personal connection with the playing field proposal in Norfolk Street is completely without factual basis and I wish to ask Cllr Clarke publicly to accept this sincere apology for the distress or embarrassment caused by my ill-founded remarks.

I trust that in complying with Cllr Clarke's request the matter can now be closed without resorting to legal action.

I also asked a question on notice:

Would the Leader of the Council confirm that he condones the £2,765.47 claimed by former Cllr Roy Atkinson as Chair of the Employment Committee between 2006 and 2010, despite the fact that this committee has not met since 2004?

Cllr Britcliffe's response suggested that as I was relatively new to council I may not understand fully how things work and that the fact that the committee had not met was an indicator of the good job that Cllr Atkinson had done in the role.

A supplementary question was disallowed by the Mayor for having no relevance to either the first question or the reply:

Can the Leader of the Council confirm that he claimed £1,073.25 as Chair of the Licensing Committee between 2007 and 2008 even though the committee did not convene in either of those years?

I stated that the connection was with members' allowances but accepted the Mayor's authority on this and sat down.

I also asked a second question on notice:

Would the Leader of the Council please verify the claim by Cllr Marlene Haworth in The Accrington Observer on 25th February that an extra 3,000 people have been brought into the town following Aldo Zilli’s appearance and explain how the council measured that figure?

Although the immediate response was to suggest that I was talking the town down while others were trying to talk it up, when asked a second time he indicated that there were several devices in the town centre to do this and that he was satisfied that anything Cllr Haworth had stated was true.

It shows a good man who apologies when he is wrong, maybe the use of the word "allegedly", may have avoided that, or the start of any sentence where your not 100% sure of your facts could srart "is it true" nobody can be pulled up for asking a question Ken

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by lancsdave

Apparently there will be a famous 'balcony' scene on this weekend's politics show

Suprised nobody has picked up on this. Which famous Accrington landmark would be best served as a backdrop for a television appearance by his holiness, come on I've given you a clue

[garinda]

"It generated lots of editorial in the media worth thousands of pounds and brought an extra 3,000 people into Accrington, boosting the local economy.' It's reported that Cllr. Marlene Haworth told the press.

http://menmedia.co.uk/accringtonobse...celebrity_pair

Where was the 3,000 figure plucked from, and over what period?

She says into 'Accrington', so that can't be assessed from the clickity-clicker in the Market Hall.

In all the years I've been shopping in Accy, I know who I've seen, and also never seen. In the town centre shops, or the Market Hall.

Odd that.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by lancsdave

Suprised nobody has picked up on this. Which famous Accrington landmark would be best served as a backdrop for a television appearance by his holiness, come on I've given you a clue

I thought you meant they were putting the Victorian clothes back in the dressing-up box, and donning tights, to give us Romeo and Juliet.

'But, soft! what trump through yonder toilet breaks?'

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by garinda

"It generated lots of editorial in the media worth thousands of pounds and brought an extra 3,000 people into Accrington, boosting the local economy.' It's reported that Cllr. Marlene Haworth told the press.

Row after council spends £9,000 on celebrity pair | Accrington Observer - menmedia.co.uk

Where was the 3,000 figure plucked from, and over what period?

She says into 'Accrington', so that can't be assessed from the clickity-clicker in the Market Hall.

In all the years I've been shopping in Accy, I know who I've seen, and also never seen. In the town centre shops, or the Market Hall.

Odd that.

Strange really, wasn't Zildo there early December, according to the council leader told the Telegraph on 2nd Jan the town centre was badly affected by the weather in December, so when did these 3,000 people turn up

However, the council’s leader says the weather has affected the success of its three-month trial to open on Wednesdays.
Leader of the council Peter Britcliffe said: “Unfortunately, the weather has had an effect on market trading.
“The two busiest days for the town centre happened after the thaw on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Coun Britcliffe said the scheme would be reviewed after the trial ended on January 16.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by lancsdave

Suprised nobody has picked up on this. Which famous Accrington landmark would be best served as a backdrop for a television appearance by his holiness, come on I've given you a clue

Is Greg Pope coming back as a community artist, based on the balcony?

He'll produce white smoke when the bogs are vacant, and black smoke when they're engaged?

I once saw a stripper in Hamburg doing something very similar.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by lancsdave

Strange really, wasn't Zildo there early December, according to the council leader told the Telegraph on 2nd Jan the town centre was badly affected by the weather in December, so when did these 3,000 people turn up

He's able to draw on Mystic Marlene's extraordinary talents, when accurate figures need to be plucked out of fresh air.