Pembrey and Burry Port town councillors have had a whip round to raise enough money to pay for the hire of the Burry Port Memorial Hall in order that the local dementia group do not have to find the fee.
It follows an attempt by the 84-year-old secretary of the group Dorothy McDonald to ask the town council if they could waive the fee. Mrs McDonald had attended a town council meeting in the hope that her letter could be read out or that she could address the town council at the end of their meeting in the ‘any other business’ section as many councils facilitate.
From the Good Councillors Guide (http://www.nalc.gov.uk/library/publications/801-good-councillors-guide/file).
Electors have a right to attend. You may be wondering when they have their say. Many councils encourage members of the public to speak and ask questions in a short, defined period, early in the meeting.
Llanelli Online reported on the outcome of this meeting recently. (http://llanellionline.news/2018/02/22/burry-port-dementia-group-claim-unfairly-treated-town-council)
County Councillor Amanda Fox contacted Llanelli Online to update us on what has happened since the last town council meeting. She said:
“After an upsetting Town Council meeting last week Labour Councillors contacted the Deputy Leader Rob James and other Labour Councillors from Llanelli to say how appalled they were at the way the Dementia Group were treated at the Council meeting . The Dementia group wanted the town council to waiver the fee for the use of The Memorial Hall in Burry Port for a seminar for local businesses and residents on March 21st. They would not be fund raising they would be providing a service for locals.
“We shouldn’t bring politics into issues at Town Council Level but unfortunately we have had no choice. We were elected to represent the public and that is exactly what we are doing. We want Burry Port and Pembrey to become Dementia Friendly.”
County Councillor Shirley Matthews told Llanelli Online that she was on holiday when the last town council meeting took place but said that she was ‘disgusted to hear how the dementia group had been treated’ and ‘fully supported the decision to help them’.
Cllr Moira Thomas said: “As a local resident and labour councillor I am fully supportive of the excellent work our local dementia club does. The decision not to discuss Dorothy’s letter in the council meeting was a poor one and badly done causing upset when there was no need. The dementia seminar that has been arranged is very prestigious and I hope all local businesses will attend. We all need to be aware of the wide range of symptoms that reduces the ability to function properly. The dementia group in Burry Port provides reliable and friendly support to those in need. They deserve the support of the council and the community.”
