A prominent Burnham-On-Sea town councillor announced on Saturday (February 10th) she is stepping down from her position due to family commitments.
Cllr Louise Parkin, a former Burnham-On-Sea Mayor, has been a prominent member of the district and town councils, currently serving as Chairman of the Town Improvements Committee.
But she confirmed on Saturday that she would be stepping down at May’s council elections to care for a close member of her family who is seriously ill. She has made a full statement below.
Fellow town councillors have been quick to praise her work.
Town Mayor Eric Gill told Burnham-On-Sea.com on Saturday afternoon: “This has come as a great disappointment. Louise has done so much for Burnham, both as a town councillor and district councillor and as a former Mayor. She’s also been very much a leading light on the Youth Town Council and on the Town Improvements Committee.”
And Cllr Neville Jones added: “This is a tragedy for Burnham. Louise has put a great deal of effort into her role and I’m very proud of her contribution to the town. Her work on the Town Improvements Committee and in supporting the Youth Town Council has been tremendous. She will be greatly missed.”
.Full statement from Burnham town councillor Louise Parkin:
“Unfortunately, due to a member of my family being seriously ill, I have decided to stand down at the next elections. I have enjoyed my time on the councils and hope that I have done some good. It is hard work and at times thankless.”
“On the town council, for instance, I spend two three nights a week doing work for Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge and several hours during the days of each week for which I receive, like all other town councillors, £100 per annum and no expenses.”
“So those that say we are there for what we can get out of it are somewhat in error. Those of us that do, do so out of community spirit and so I would urge your readers to support their councillors regardless of their political party as much as possible. By support I mean talk to them, they cannot think for you, you must tell them what you think. Come to meetings, write letters to the clerk or councillors or simply talk to them when you meet them in the street. If we had to do surveys for every decision made – as some would like – the rates would be double and the time taken to make decisions too and even then only a small percentage would reply.”
“The hardest thing I have had to come to terms with on the council is the time it takes to do anything. On the outside it may look to the general public that we are either lazy or simply slow but in fact it is neither.”
“The council is democratically elected and so no individual can make decisions alone. Everything must go to a committee which meets every four to six weeks and a vote taken, then that decision must go to full council, the first Monday of every month, for ratification which means that it could sometimes take as long as ten weeks for a decision to be finalised and only then if it is agreed on, otherwise if there is conflict within the council it must go back to committee.”
“Also, I would like to point out that although the town councillors are the ones that are seen about the most and are blamed similarly, there are in fact two other tiers that seem to come in for less criticism, namely the district and county councils. The county control oversee all our roads – Frank Foley for instance – but it is the town council who get the blame when things go wrong.”
“When the town council acts against planning applications and states, for instance, that lack of parking is their reason for refusal it is because they cannot put what they think, but only that which is within the planning guidelines. So that is why you will see that particular excuse used instead of ‘this building is so hideously ugly it does not deserve to be in our town’ or something similar because sentiment is not allowed in the decision.”
