Meeting stalls after just TWO councillors turn up

Under strict rules, a minimum of three councillors are needed to formally take decisions at meetings across Bromsgrove. But only two out of nine councillors arrived at Clent Parish Council for their regular meeting - much to the anger of the 15 villagers who had turned out.

The meeting was due to hear a resolution for the council to link with neighbouring Hagley Parish Council and table a formal objection against a housing scheme. Around 83 new homes will be built on part of land off Kidderminster Road and Western Road, in Hagley, under proposals by developers.

Parish councillors in Clent were due to decide whether to back the joint objection, which would cost around £2,250 to submit. But the decision had to be scraped from the agenda due to the poor turnout.

Campaigners in Hagley have long fought a series of housing developments, which they say will heavily impact on village amenities and cause pressure on roads and school places.

Today, Clent Parish Council said in a statement that there had been no decisions of an 'urgent' nature to be taken and these would be discussed at a future meeting.

Resident Peter Rowbottom, who was among those who attended the meeting, voiced his concerns saying the debacle had brought the parish council into disrepute.

"It is totally unacceptable for seven out of a total of nine parish councillors to fail to turn up for a public parish council meeting that had been scheduled months in advance," he said.

"Especially so when there were important and urgent matters on the agenda, including details of the largest housing development ever to be proposed in Clent Parish, which many parishioners wished to discuss.

"This whole farcical episode surely brings Clent Parish Council into disrepute and can only further alienate the council from their parishioners."

Fellow resident Chris Morgan, of Western Road, added: "It must be totally unheard of to have a situation like this. We feel snubbed because we the the parish council members have let us down."

This incident comes after hundreds of campaigners have demanded boundary changes.

The centre of the village comes under the Hagley parish but West Hagley, on the outskirts, is part of the parish of Clent.

Parish council clerk Ruth Mullett said: "When decisions are to be made at a parish council meeting there needs to be a quorum of three or more councillors in attendance as fixed by Bromsgrove District Council and we were unable to meet this requirement.

"As a result that part of our meeting where decisions were to be made did not take place. There were no decisions of an urgent nature required which could not be carried over to the next meeting and they will now be raised at our November meeting.

"At the start of the meeting this was fully explained to all those members of the public in attendance."