SILAGE OR SCRUTINY ?

That was the choice facing the councillor for Shalfleet & Yarmouth tonight, and he decided on Scrutiny. I wish I had such exotic choices, though I doubt Scrutiny as currently constituted would win that much if I did.

This was the first Scrutiny Committee since I stood down as chair last month and it was quite odd not being in charge. Of course I am going to have to get used to that as this reformed committee is very, very different. The newly elected Tory Vice Chair was in the chair, whilst the Tory Council leadership decides how best to get a new non-Tory chair. If I praise them all here now then that should scupper the chances of anyone hoping to be the figleaf for the new set-up- "Adams, Knowles, Bowker, Miller, Humby, Stephens, Hancock, Chapman, Foster; what fantastic jobs they would do".

Anyway, to be fair the Vice Chair did very well in circumstances she tells me were not of her choosing, in a meeting with an uncontroversial agenda. There was no public there at all, though we were graced with an appearance by the Council Leader - his first time since I wouldn't let him interrupt the busy meeting last July. Clearly his "determin(ation) that the (scrutiny) committee remains out of the hands of this administration" is almost worn out.