The AGM of the Woodbridge Town Council. The first time for all the newly elected councillors to meet each other across the debating table, rather than in a social situation.

A lively debate was held, a new mayor was chosen, who immediately decided to relinquish his role after 6 months and hand the mayoral roles & chains onto a different town councillor – a process upon which the rest of the councillors didn’t get chance to vote on! Who needs an Islington restaurant in which to agree to hand over the reigns of power!

Onto to general Town Council housekeeping issues, the committees were populated along the expected lines, the agenda followed; a couple of procedural hiccoughs where the advice of the Town Clerk was overruled by the new Mayor (and chair of the meeting) but I’m sure all will come out OK in the wash…

One item at the end of the agenda was contentious – the full documents are in the public domain, but two councillors have been investigated for breach of the code of conduct, and sadly the recommendations of the East Suffolk Audit & Governance Committee were chosen to not be implemented by Woodbridge Town Council, seemingly in contravention of the East Suffolk Code of Conduct, that WTC signed up to!

I’m only a new councillor, so tried to put up a fight for the recommendation of the investigation, and committee to be implemented, but was unfortunately out voted. Democracy at work – the majority have spoken.

This matter is now closed, and we must put it behind us to ensure that all the members of Woodbridge Town Council work together effectively for the good of our town.