Attendance at Rasen Town Council is defended

In a letter to the Market Rasen Mail, Giles McNeill said attendance at meetings is “a courtesy, but not an obligation”.

Mr McNeill said: “What the Market Rasen Mail may not be aware of is the arrangement that the three Market Rasen district councillors have in place with respect to parish councils/meetings to ensure that all parishes are seen by the district councillors.

“Following the election in 2015, they divided the ward amongst the three of them.

“Currently, responsibility for Market Rasen Town Council falls to district councillor Tom Smith (because he is also a Town Councillor).

“Furthermore, the article (Market Rasen Mail, March 13) fails to give the reason as to why Councillor Tom Smith was not in attendance at that meeting, despite the Clerk of the Town Council doing so at the meeting.

“Councillor Smith was performing his district duties as a member of West Lindsey District Council’s Planning Committee – at which a controversial application in Market Rasen ward was being heard.”

Town Clerk, Faye Lambkin-Smith has confirmed Coun Smith did give his apologies and they were ‘duly accepted’.

Mr McNeill continued: “Furthermore, the article insinuates that Councillor Tom Smith does not bother to attend Market Rasen Town Council meetings. This, again, is untrue.

“Councillor Tom Smith takes his duties both in his district and town councillor roles seriously and will always attend, unless on district duties or due to possible ill health, in either case he will always give prior notification and reasoning to the Clerk of the Town Council.”