Each year our town council organises a town meeting, giving residents in Rye the opportunity to hear a review on what has happened over the previous year. Crucially, it is also an opportunity to question our council, along with representatives from Rother District Council and East Sussex County Council on critical issues that are of concern to us. This year, our member of parliament was also present. For local democracy, this is an important event, complementing formal local government meetings with an open forum for expressing issues or concerns important to Rye.
So what happened? For a start, not that many people turned up. Our council make an effort to engage with the whole town by alternating the meeting between the community centres in Rye and Tilling Green. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to result in high attendance.
And yes, important questions were raised on transport links, flooding in Military Road and the closed footpath off Landgate … but is this all we are concerned about as residents of Rye? Nobody even raised the endless nightmare of potholes! The only “strategic” issue raised concerned the impending reorganisation in local government, with updates to this important issue given by the mayor, Cllr McGurk and MP Helena Dollimore.
But don’t we care about other “big” issues? What about the impact of all the development now being considered at multiple sites across the town? What happened to the desperate need for social housing, the appalling state of our pavements and lack of dropped kerbs for mobility impaired residents and visitors? Are we OK about the potential loss of our creative centre and performing arts facility? Are there no law and order issues or concerns about the support infrastructure in Rye (medical, youth support, sewerage etc.).
Apparently, not really.
There are some big changes coming up for Rye. The potential of massive housing development, a complete change in local government structure and all the potential effect of external issues such as climate change. Other than a brief mention from the mayor of a potential formation of a community land trust (CLT), none of these issues were raised. Should we be “passive” as all this happens, or do we want an engaged local democracy that seeks to influence our future?
Full marks to our councillors and MP for creating the opportunity for discussion and turning up, but maybe as citizens we need to up our game?
Rye News will continue to try and inform our readership on important issues facing the town. Let’s complement this with strong community engagement, and a wide and vigorous debate to try and make our future the one we both want and need.
Image Credits: Chris Lawson , Nick Forman .
The numbers attending were low, perhaps we need to make the event a little more structured next time with an agenda of items to be discussed, many people are not so keen to stick up their hands at a public meeting. You are correct of course about the future being in our own hands. There is littile point in moaning on about things if you are not prepared to do anything about them. The CLT (Community Land Trust) being proposed is a way of us being able to control the destiny of the town. So please get in touch with me and join in with this project now: Jonathon Bennett 07715 600 543, jbennettlondon@gmail.com
People in general have become disillusioned over many years because even though they protest, make suggestions – very little seems to change.
Of course, there are many reasons but it appears where there is an opportunity, proposals become mired in litigation (eg: the various proposed housing schemes/ supermarket/social housing)or no one wants to take responsibility ( example the twitten running between Fishmarket Road/Landgate) or simply, lack of money.
Re: Potholes – if the ESCC roads department was run by someone with a business brain, efficiency towards the approach to repairs could be made, money would be saved and more holes would potentially be repaired. But, it will never happen, so people understandably give up and focus on their lives.
Where do I stand? I focus on what I can support / change to help others. Is this selfish of me or I am being realistic with my time?
It’s hardly surprising that people seem to be disengaged from local politics and somewhat diffident about democracy in general. For starters, I suspect they’re more focussed on surviving in a stagnating economy. But more pertinently, the Government has just cancelled May’s local elections, and in December voted down a private members bill advocating fair votes… Our PM and MP both support an electoral system that’s fundamentally undemocratic and effectively disenfranchises people. As do the Conservatives… So is it surprising people think democracy doesn’t make any difference? If the powers that be locally and nationally want more people to turn up to their meetings, they might consider giving us reason to re-engage…
I think maybe the low turnout is a symptom of the general disillusionment with politics at all levels, local and nationally. Many people’s perceptions are that, regardless of how you vote, no party really listens to or adresses the issues that concern the electorate.
The residents of Fairlight are seeing this at first hand. Realising the need for housing they were happy to accept the proposed housing development, especially as it included some low cost housing. The debacle that has followed has greatly upset them and they feel let down by Rother who, despite their assurances to the contrary, have failed abjectly in their duty of care to ensure that the developers followed the plans as submitted and passed, rather than completely ignoring them and making the villagers’ lives a misery.