Attendance league

The Herald (01 December) published attendance figures at committee meetings for Shepway District Councillors over the last six months and turned them into a league table.  The headline said 'Figures show members honouring commitments' and I hope we are.  However, just looking at public meetings doesn't give the full picture.  Most of the work councillors do on behalf of their constituents and for the council is outside such meetings. 

Whilst it's great to have a 100% attendance record, councillors do fall ill or have a clash of dates.  In these circumstances another councillor will cover for an absent colleague.  In any case all councillors are sent a web-link to the committee papers so we know what's happening and can raise any concerns.

Shepway District Councillors don’t keep office hours; people contact us on our home phone numbers during the evening and at weekends and we all of us deal with e-mails on an almost continuous basis.  We also attend our local parish and town council meetings and go out to see problems on our patch.  There’s far more to being a councillor than attending meetings at the civic centre.

Finally, I would have thought Lynne Beaumont of all people would think twice before criticising anyone for their attendance as, in his last year on the council, her husband and former councillor Peter Carroll managed to attend barely enough meetings to escape disqualification.

Susan Carey

District Councillor

Tolsford