Votes rebellion in school row
Reporter: KEN BENNETT
Date published: 19 May 2014
FIVE independent councillors will abstain from voting for key committee positions at tonight's annual Saddleworth parish council meeting.
The move comes after the bitter controversy over plans to build a new £17million secondary school in Diggle, and follows an internal row over the way parish council committee appointments have been made this year.
Cordial relations between councillors of different political persuations have broken into bitter disagreement over the location of the new Saddleworth School.
A consensus has traditionally been reached between the parties over who will be appointed to committee positions.
But it is claimed an attempt to appoint committee chairmen was subject to "ridicule and derision" by Liberal Democrats.
A statement issued last night by independents said: "Liberal Democrats, the largest voting block on the council, have unilaterally decided, without any consultation, who will do which job. All chairs, including chairman of the parish council, will be taken by Liberal Democrats."
Among those ousted from their positions are active independent councillors and Save Diggle Action Group (SDAG) campaigners Mike Buckley and Rob Knotts, presently chairs of the Planning and Finance Committees.
The independents, despite being the second largest group, will hold none of the main positions.
Councillor Knotts, spokesman for the independent group, said: “I am shocked at the way Liberal Democrats have behaved over an honest difference of policy on a key issue. It should be accepted different groups may well take up different positions, but this should not spill over into a vindictive attack on individuals.
"We shall be abstaining from voting at this evenings' meeting as a protest.”
