Freedom of expression and the Parish Council...

Yesterday, I touched on the context within which small parish councils operate. Here's an example of the sort of issue that can arise...

I blog, both here and at 'The Creeting St Peter Journal', a local blog for local people', you might say. The Chairman of our Parish Council, a former army officer (I believe), is somewhat suspicious of anything that he doesn't 'get', uncomfortable with the idea of my reporting from Parish Council, and is a mite autocratic. Perhaps autocratic is a bit harsh, but he's a bit more used to command and control than I am.

Rosemary, our Parish Clerk, isn't wild about my blogging either. Her view is that all reportage of the Parish Council should come from her. What she must make of Focus leaflets doesn't bear thinking about... Upon issuing a hard copy edition of my other blog last week, I received a 'demand' that I provide her with a copy (she lives in another parish). I accept that my response was a bit prickly, as you might expect.

I chafe against the notion that, as an elected official, there is an implied sense that my responsibility to the council supersedes that to the people who would have elected me had there been an election (at least, I hope that they would have done).

When I first became a parish councillor, I came under severe pressure not to report events at Parish Council. As a newcomer to both the village and the council, it seemed easier to comply with their wishes rather than pick an unnecessary fight. However, times change and, with confidence renewed, there is a piece of me, my inner citizen journalist if you like, that feels that I should seek a better balance between competing loyalties. Facts can be interpreted to suit your argument, but there is a difference between a political report and a news one. That's perhaps why I maintain a village blog, with straight reportage, and a personal one, where I can 'vent my spleen'.

And ultimately, I'm up for re-election in 2015. In the event that I choose to run, and there's a contest, I don't want to be campaigning with my hands tied behind my back...