No more work in 2020
Dec. 19th, 2020 12:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ruthct21We had our final Council meeting of the year on Wednesday 16 December, so I am counting that as my last working day, although of course there will be the usual tasks like cooking, washing, cleaning - but mixed in with eating, drinking and communicating with good friends and family.
The meeting opened with Citizenship Awards to several people and organisations who have made a significant impact on life in Todmorden. Normally, these are made at the Mayor-making, at the beginning of the Council year in May, but of course we were in lockdown by then and it is is likely to be many months before we are allowed into the Town Hall for this or any other event. It was a particular pleasure because one of the awards was to the Townley-Mattock family, longterm personal friends of Mick, longterm movers and shakers in the town who have now withdrawn from their public roles as Glen Mattock is terminally ill. The whole family participated in the award which has been recorded on Zoom.
Most of the agenda was non-contentious apart from the proposal for next year's Council Tax. The Lib Dem group, to a person, has no desire to oppose what the Labour group are proposing: we wouldn't have done it that way, but we believe we should have been included in the discussions that led up to it. The numbers on the Council are Lab 9, Lib Dem 7, Ind 2, so it seems inappropriate for Labour to act as if they have the kind of thumping majority they have in some cities. So we abstained. We didn't make a fuss, our Leader (Mick) explained why we were abstaining and then we did so. Other than that, everything was positive.
Usually after major Council events, there is a small reception in the Mayor's Parlour, to which Councillors, officers (and partners) are invited. We have had none of those this year, so I plotted with the officers to get a bottle of sherry and a box of mince pies delivered to every Councillor (and to the officers!) with instructions to be ready to raise a glass at the end of the Council meeting. They all did so, and we kept the meeting going informally for another half hour or so. Good for solidarity and for reminding people that we are all people, not just political symbols.
The meeting opened with Citizenship Awards to several people and organisations who have made a significant impact on life in Todmorden. Normally, these are made at the Mayor-making, at the beginning of the Council year in May, but of course we were in lockdown by then and it is is likely to be many months before we are allowed into the Town Hall for this or any other event. It was a particular pleasure because one of the awards was to the Townley-Mattock family, longterm personal friends of Mick, longterm movers and shakers in the town who have now withdrawn from their public roles as Glen Mattock is terminally ill. The whole family participated in the award which has been recorded on Zoom.
Most of the agenda was non-contentious apart from the proposal for next year's Council Tax. The Lib Dem group, to a person, has no desire to oppose what the Labour group are proposing: we wouldn't have done it that way, but we believe we should have been included in the discussions that led up to it. The numbers on the Council are Lab 9, Lib Dem 7, Ind 2, so it seems inappropriate for Labour to act as if they have the kind of thumping majority they have in some cities. So we abstained. We didn't make a fuss, our Leader (Mick) explained why we were abstaining and then we did so. Other than that, everything was positive.
Usually after major Council events, there is a small reception in the Mayor's Parlour, to which Councillors, officers (and partners) are invited. We have had none of those this year, so I plotted with the officers to get a bottle of sherry and a box of mince pies delivered to every Councillor (and to the officers!) with instructions to be ready to raise a glass at the end of the Council meeting. They all did so, and we kept the meeting going informally for another half hour or so. Good for solidarity and for reminding people that we are all people, not just political symbols.
