A motion of no confidence has been submitted against the Town Mayor of Calne, with an extraordinary meeting of the Town Council set to be called to consider it.
Councillor Tara Fisher (Calne South, Labour) has formally lodged the motion, citing concerns over the Mayor’s role in the decision to close the Lower Compton Household Recycling Centre (HRC), as well as their attendance at Town Council committees and working groups.
The motion follows a recent Full Council debate on the proposed closure of the Lower Compton HRC. During that meeting, an amendment put forward by Cllr Fisher was added to a Labour motion submitted by Cllr Stevens, expressing the council’s disappointment at what was described as the Mayor’s failure to represent the best interests of Calne residents. The amended motion was unanimously supported.
In a statement, Cllr Fisher said the acceptance of that amendment led her to submit a motion of no confidence for Full Council to consider.
The motion states that the decision to close the HRC was taken without public consultation and without consultation with Calne Town Council, and argues that this amounted to a failure by the Mayor to act in the best interests of residents in their civic role.
Cllr Fisher has also raised concerns over the Mayor’s attendance at council committees and working groups. According to figures included with the motion, the current Mayor, Cllr Thorn, has attended seven out of 61 committees and working groups during a comparable time period, an attendance rate of 11 per cent.
By comparison, the previous Mayor, Cllr J Fisher, attended 49 out of 66 meetings, or 74 per cent, while the Mayor before that, Cllr McNaughton, attended 37 out of 48 meetings, an attendance rate of 77 per cent.
The date of the extraordinary Full Council meeting at which the motion of no confidence will be debated has yet to be confirmed.
Calne News contacted Mayor Cllr Ian Thorn who is currently in hospital for a routine procedure, for comment. He told us: "I've served the Calne community for over eight years as an elected councillor and have always done my best of help residents when I can.
"I am sorry we are at a point of being unable to fund the HRC at Lower Compton in the future. As a local councillor, I would have supported a campaign to stop closure and don't criticise town councillors at all for calling for the closure to be reversed. I am sad that some councillors decided to make this a personal attack on me while I was in hospital, rather be a given a chance to make my case at a town meeting a couple of weeks later."
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