Cllr John Chorlton: Anglesey's first elected Mayor?
Apologies for the very light blogging this last week - however I'm happy to report that the Druid is now safely back in his Sacred Grove.
So, what happened while I was away? Well, imagine my surprise to find that just days after I posed the question "does Anglesey need an Elected Mayor?", Albert Owen has actually gone and proposed exactly that. He'll probably be calling for a "Peoples Manifesto" next…!
I would say that the general conclusion amongst commenters on this blog was that for a variety of reasons Anglesey just doesn't need a Mayor. However it is interesting to speculate why Albert Owen has suddenly decided to propose such a fundamental change to our local governance - especially considering during the general election campaign none of the candidates - including Albert - so much as even mentioned the mess at Anglesey County Council. I would suggest that Albert's thinking is as follows:
Firstly, he's realised that now he's been re-elected at the very least he needs to be "seen" to be addressing and proposing solutions to the mess in IoACC.
Secondly, he's also realised that considering that his vote held up pretty well in the election, if there were to be an elected Mayor for Anglesey, he or she would, due to the demographics of the Island, probably effectively be the Mayor for Holyhead. And as we know, Holyhead is pretty staunch Labour territory. No wonder the leader of the Labour grouping in Anglesey Council, Cllr John Chorlton - incidentally representing a ward in Holyhead (!) - has been effusive in his praise for the idea:
"This is an idea that Albert Owen MP has come up with and we’re right behind him."
I'll bet you in particular, John, are right behind him...
P.S. Does anyone know if Albert Owen has a blog? I have occasionally heard reports of one (e.g. here) but have never been able to find this mythical beast.
31 comments:
I don't follow that he would be the Mayor of Holyhead; his/her job would be to represent the whole island - this is what councillors have failed to do for the past 16 years. Anyone showing bias towards one area should be chucked out.
Sadly, we are unlikely to see rank outsiders being elected, so it's difficult to see how things will change very much.
Maybe the next blog topic might be "Should IOACC be disbanded?"
He/she would be the "Mayor of Holyhead" because whichever candidate wins the support of the majority of Holyhead voters will almost certainly win the post.
Mayor or no mayor...it should be the people`s elected choice...not AO`s or the Labour party.
Listening to 'Today in Parliament' on Radio 4 last night I was intrigued to hear Albert Owen ask his first question at the new parliment. As the subject matter being discussed was New Nuclear Power and the building of new private sector funded nuclear power stations my ears pricked up, this being a hot topic on these boards.
I expected to hear Mr Owen express an opinion on the subject, however his question was confined to asking the new leader of the house what his voting intentions would be on the new bill.
Which raises the question - is Mr Owen in favour of the bill himself?
The radio coverage may have been edited down and Mr Owen may well have pronounced his support for new nuclear (Wylfa B), however I am sure that the Beeb would have reported any such ringing endorsments.
My (wishful) expectation was that Mr Owen would have stated a firm case for new nuclear and drawn attention to the lack of NIMBYism on Ynys Mon.
Can any readers and commentators illuminate us on Mr Owens position on this matter?
Prometheuswrites
PS. Nice glossy brochure from Horizon in my letterbox testifies to continued private sector interest in the new nuclear project.
PPS. I also heard a programme about the severe lack of radioactive isotopes available for medical purposes - so there would be a useful commercial by-product of the nuclear production process -not just making 'new nuclear' bombs.
My better and more pedantic other half has pointed out to me (after reading Hansard that the question above was in fact Mr Owens 3rd statement/question - I have copied all 3 quotes and reproduce them here:
1)Can we have an early statement on the Government’s national planning statement, in view of the fact that they have scrapped the Infrastructure Planning Commission? The issue is particularly important to those of us on the Opposition Benches, on whom the Government will be relying for controversial decisions on nuclear power and energy projects, because they have decided that their junior partner can have the day off on those occasions.
2)Albert Owen (Ynys Môn) (Lab): I welcome the Secretary of State to his new post.
During business questions, the Leader of the House was asked why the grocery market ombudsman legislation had not been included in the Queen’s Speech, given that the grocery supply code of practice has been in operation since February. Will the Secretary of State enlighten us? Has he made representations to his colleague at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to ensure that the legislation is introduced at the earliest possible opportunity? There is cross-party consensus on the issue, I presented a private Member’s Bill on it, and it was in all our manifestos.
3)Albert Owen: I am grateful to the Secretary of State for giving way for a second time. He was clear and detailed in his response to the questions posed by my hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Test (Dr Whitehead) and the hon. Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Simon Hughes). However, he was less so in response to my right hon. Friend the Member for Croydon North (Malcolm Wicks). On nuclear power, will he be absolutely clear whether, if there was a vote in this House to go ahead with new nuclear power stations, he would, as Secretary of State, give the leadership vote for that, vote against it or stay away?
I hope this clarifies my earlier post.
Prometheuswrites
there's nobody good enough from the 40 councillors to be Mayor of Anglesey. Cllr. Chorlton - i thought McGregor was bad enough but this, please! - would be a car crash waiting to happen - end of.
need a fresh, untainted face.
12.48 Spot on comment !
Albert & John...forget it...it just will not happen !
Sorry to disappoint.
and Chorlton cant even look aftar his own patch - it's a disgrace!!
John Chorlton will never be the Mayor of Anglesey.
Believe me, he is unlikely to retain his seat in the next Election and the same goes for his son-in-law Cliff Everett and Robert Llewelyn Jones who I will be standing against.
Lug
Well done Lug, stand up against him, he has got too much information on all of the disasters that have happened here and he has done NOTHING to help, we are all desperate for help, no one cares, no one listens.
They are in it for the Council Allowance because they are unable to secure an administrative job in the private sector.
They are thick as two short planks and have got where they are not through what they know but who they know.
JC misspelt Bowles' name as "Bowels" in formal correspondence on more than one occasion.
Who is the biggest twat on the Council? Clit Everest.
They are a joke.
Chorlton, should hang his head in shame, he will be remembered for being a halfwit, with no spine, and a waste of skin, we will recall, his feeble attempts to hide behind the dress of Goronwy Parry, and in the hour of need, we can say, that this clown, let us all down.
John, you should had done the right thing, instead of betraying, you should have helped, instead of discussing personal and private, confidential matters, you used them to gain an advantage, then dropped the people, you really don't care, and I'm glad, you see, when I look at you, I wonder what made me think I could trust you, I thought you were honest, a friend of the working man, all you were interested in was your little advance in the Council, you should NEVER EVER be on any planning committe, you aren't qualified to pick your nose, never mind make a decision on planning.
We blame you. for betraying the people of Anglesey.
You would get my vote Lug. Your good at your job and even more important - you are as honest as the day is long.
Our present Councillor thinks his position as Chairman of the Audit Committee is more important than helping his constituents.
After the last Audit meeting in which I made the Internal Auditors look stupid, he was to arrange a meeting to discuss the false invoices, instead my e.mails were blocked and correspondences with me ceased.
G. Pierce
I recall John Chorlton backing an outrageous Planning Application by Welsh Water for a sewerage treatment plant in Porth Y Felin, Holyhead in the late 90's.
He was the only one out of at least a hundreds at a public meeting who never opposed the plan. He even stood up on stage next to Welsh Water representatives and try to sell the idea.
Welsh Water would have saved £Millions if allowed to treat the sewage in Porth Y Felin by not having to upgrade the existing sewage network in Holyhead and surrounding areas.
It was clear that John Chorlton backed the cheap and nasty option and betrayed the public. Would you agree that to defy the public in such a way raises serious concerns considering he was in a no win situation by backing WW as far the public were concerned.
John (Botox) Chorlton and Clit Everest spend half their time looking pretty for Elgan Hearn. Oh and don't forget Jef Evans who had xmas on Porthdafach beach in the summer with Frank Bruno and Cilla Black.
Jef Evans proposed to waste £300k on imported SAND to scatter on Newry Beach, the worst thing is, he meant it.
They are nutters.
Talk about Holyheader's, guess who's house is falling down because he used sand from the beach.
Sorry - comment at 03;43 deleted for naming names and making allegations.
the best way to help get improved accountability from councillors is to insist that ALL 40 (or is it now 35) have to join one party. These parties must produce a manifesto and it must be made public at least 3 months before the local elections.
No hiding behind the "independent" indentity. All this does is give them all the rights of being a councillor but helps them conveniently to AVOID the responibilities.
Ideally, Anglesey needs new people to come forward, from whatever political colour, and to brush away the current dregs.
the stench of decay is overwhelming.
The best way to embarass these clowns is to name and shame them here, let me see..Chorlton was privy to a massive lie, then he ignored it, again he was privy to confidential matters, serious allegations, he ignored it. He was a waste of time and space, what did he get out of it, well first of all he built up the hopes of the complainant, he told them he would sort it out, now I'm not about a little problem, I'm talking about a serious of serious abuses and errors that were on the edge of criminality, what did he do? he ran off, with his tail between his legs, as fast as his legs could carry him.
The complainant went to Lional Gardner, who was acting chief executive at the time, he went home distressed and the rest is history. Chorlton, walked away, whistling, not long ago I asked my councillor to speak to Chorlton, Chorlton spoke to McGregor, the rest is history, you have to belive me when I tell you, Chorlton is a waste of space, you might as well not bother.
That's why I will never ask anyone for help again, there is no way that anyone will help anyone here, in effect if you have a complaint, you are on your own.
At the moment I am swayed into the politics of the extremists who want Justice, and want to be heard, it's the only way to be heard on this Island.
17.17
Really bad taste ! You are so ignorant.
30th May 20:06
I think calling County Councillor John Cholton a halfwit is a bloody insult.
To halfwits.
17.23
Not wishing to be as blunt...people think JC should retire gracefully at the next election....thank you for your service, and goodbye ?
20.23
More hysterical tripe.
Embarassing !
Embarassing for who? you...
20.31
If you knew the facts, you would be ashamed !
By breaching IOACC Constitution.
Unlawfully that is
Seevral comments deleted for going beyond fair comment and making allegations against named persons. If you have evidence to support your claims, you can send it to me in confidence and I will publish it.
Don't know how to do that Druid.
Pray tell.
Anon 20:45 - post your email address here (or a temp one). I will immediately delete it and then contact you.
God God
YouTube is here.
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