Who’s to blame?

May 28 2008 by Andrew Baldwin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

AT the risk of being facetious, which would you rather watch – a Kirklees Council meeting or Coronation Street?

Not exactly a tough call.

Which explains why town hall politicians are always going to be up against it in their constant battle to get the public to attend debates.

Monthly council meetings are being moved from 2pm to 5pm but we doubt it will attract more people to come and have a look at the workings of local government.

The truth is that these gatherings long ago lost any relevance when decision-making powers were removed from them.

They have degenerated into a pale shadow of the House of Commons, little more than a forum for petty points-scoring.

Blame cannot be laid at the door of our local authority or its members, for this was a change ordered by Government ministers.

Democracy was made all the poorer for it.