Richard Stevens

Last night’s Town Council meeting was, in the main, positive and constructive. Minutes of four sub committee meetings were read and approved. Apart from some minor skirmishes, most issues were disposed of without any major arguements.

However the evening was marred by a display of petulance from Councillor Geoff Collier who, in a moment of pique, lost the plot, grabbed his papers together and stormed out of the Chamber. Geoff had raised the important issue of the future of Stone in Bloom. We have heard rumours but have received no official communication from Stafford Borough Council as to what exactly is happening to ‘In Bloom’ this year. Geoff wanted the Town Council to take it over and almost everyone agreed with him. It was then suggested that we should ask to meet the Borough to find out the facts and I suggested that a small working group should be formed for this purpose, suggesting that the three Town Council representatives on the Stone in Bloom group should form this Working Group. And at that, Cllr. Collier exploded into his bad tempered outburst, all because he wanted to be involved.

And the irony of it all was that after his departure, it was agreed that the working group should be enlarged to include Cllr. Collier - not because anyone felt threatened by his behaviour (although it was most unpleasant) but because he had raised the issue as a Member’s Item.

On the evidence of last night’s performance, Cllr. Collier clearly has a short fuse! What a pity he felt unable to remain in the Chamber in order to engage further in the democratic process called debate.