Penrith Town council has been accused by one of its own councillors ‘of keeping secrets, failing to be open and attempting to hide information from elected Independent councillor' Councillor Jeff Thomson has said.
Cllr Thomson has been forced to submit a series of freedom of information requests to the town council he serves on in order to find out information that officers of the council are not providing to him when requested as a councillor.
The latest information the council has refused to provide to Cllr Thomson relates to decisions and expenditure of public money by the town council on paid advertising.
Cllr Thomson said ‘There are decisions being made without proper consultation, openness, tendering.’
The allegations come as a public call was made on Friday for Penrith Town Council's ‘unelected/uncontested’ ward councillors to resign their seats including the town 'mayor’ Cllr Lawson.
The call made on social media by a group run by Cllr Thomson stated “Resign your council seats and stand for democratic election by the electorate. Too many on the town council are there by default (unelected/uncontested) and do not 'represent' their wards and residents.’”
The town council has fifteen Councillors representing six wards across Penrith. In May the local town council elections resulted in five councillors gaining seats through uncontested elections with one vacant seat.
The town council filled the vacant seat in the Penrith East Ward by co-opting a former town councillor and partner of one of the serving town councillors to fill the empty seat. The co-opted town councillor had failed to get elected in the May election for Penrith West losing the seat to Cllr Thomson who was elected to fill one of the three Penrith West Seats.
Cllr Knaggs was co-opted in July back onto the town council in what was called a biscuit tin ballot as councillors voted to con opt him by placing votes in a biscuit tin handed around the room.
This is not the first time the town council has faced accusations over transparency and accountability since it was formed in 2015 the towns council, has seen a number of now former councillors accuse the town council over the issues of transparency and some have resigned over what they called an undemocratic clique running the town.
It comes as renewed calls are being made for a community governance review of Penrith to scrap the town council and replace with six parish councils.
The Evolve Penrith group has said six smaller parish councils would be substantially more cost effective and cost council taxpayers a lot less each year and be more locally representative of the distinct areas of Penrith currently covered by wards as part of the town council.
A community governance review would ask the public in Penrith for its views on the governance arrangements for the town and could include a referendum or poll like the one in 2014 that created the town council.
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