Whitby ‘NO CONFIDENCE’ Vote – Details

Whitby ‘NO CONFIDENCE’ Vote – Details

Readers have been requesting voting details on last night’s Resolution to the effect that Whitby Town Council has NO CONFIDENCE in Scarborough Borough Council Leader Councillor Derek BASTIMAN [Con.] and his seven colleagues who together form the SBC Cabinet.

It is understand that Councillor HAVELOCK drew his motivation for tabling the motion from the 2,270 people who have signed a Scarborough resident’s on-line petition to the same effect – NO CONFIDENCE.

FOR (6)

Councillor Ian HAVELOCK (who Proposed the Motion)

Councillor Terry JENNISON (who Seconded the Motion)

Councillor John FREEMAN

Councillor Heather COUGHLAN

Councillor Geoff WILSON

Councillor Dennis COLLINS

AGAINST (4)

Councillor Noreen WILSON (Mayor)

Councillor Rebecca PEARSON

Councillor Phil TRUMPER [Con.]

Councillor Linda WILD

ABSTAINED (2)

Councillor Natalie SMITH

Councillor Jonathan HARSTON

It is interesting to note that three former Mayors of Whitby supported the Motion – Councillors JENNISON, FREEMAN and COUGHLAN.

It is also interesting to note that two Whitby SBC Councillors are members of the BASTIMAN Cabinet – Councillor Joe PLANT [Con.] and Councillor Sandra TURNER [Con.].

Councillor Joe PLANT [Con.] is widely predicted to lose his seat on North Yorkshire County Council in the forthcoming May elections – to the very capable and hard-working SBC Councillor Rob BARNETT [Lab.], who spoke eloquently in favour of last night’s Motion – as did SBC Councillor Gerald DENNETT [Lab.].

Councillor Sandra TURNER [Con.] has twice in the past resigned her seat at SBC, when sitting as an Independent Councillor. It will come as no surprise should she do so again in the light of this vote of NO CONFIDENCE in the Tory Cabinet.

Following the public announcement of the result on the Whitby Gazette Facebook page last night, it has spread like wild-fire throughout the Borough. As one County and Borough Councillor told the Enquirer, “In my opinion, this result follows a pattern. People are disillusioned. They want change – as the Brexit and US election results have so clearly signalled.”

Certainly, public reaction on social media has been close to unanimously in support of Councillor Ian HAVELOCK’s Proposal.

It has been pointed out that Councillor Phil TRUMPER [Con.], who also sits on Scarborough Borough Council, should arguably have declared an interest and recused himself from the vote – as did Councillors Steve and Amanda SMITH (who, quite correctly, withdrew in respect of their close relationship with SBC as leading lights in Whitby in Bloom).

Unfortunately, the Town Clerk, Mrs Pam DOBSON, was unable to attend the meeting, which was therefore left in the hands of Deputy Clerk Mrs Ann COWEY. Presumably, Mrs DOBSON, had she been present, would have pointed out to Councillor Phil TRUMPER [Con.] his apparent conflict of interests.

It is understood that Councillor Ian HAVELOCK will be writing to SBC Leader Councillor Derek BASTIMAN [Con.] informing him of the Resolution of NO CONFIDENCE and inviting him to do the honourable thing – resign.