Email to all DCC & ECC Councillors
The ECC Leisure Manager’s email, prompted by Jim’s Open Letter, was sent to all Councillors and some Officers the same afternoon as the Open Letter was published. It is possible that some Councillors were deterred from a full examination of the Open Letter on the assumption that the Leisure Manager had dealt with everything contained within it.
That was not the case, so this email was sent on 7th February 2007 to draw the attention of all Councillors to the existence and location of Jim’s Response. This was posted on the site to avoid sending an email of such length as would discourage the reading thereof.
An important point to note is the request for a moratorium to prohibit further actions by Local Government which might prove prejudicial to the Club.
Dear Councillor,
Originally, this was just a local matter regarding the Summerway Junior Lawn Tennis
Club, but that is no longer the case. Events have revealed perceived failings in
Local Government which are the concern of all. These need close scrutiny, possibly
from outside Devon and Exeter as an in-
Before I begin, I would like to flag a practical issue. There are three ECC Councillors
for whom no email address is available from the City's website and who may not be
able to follow this debate. They are Cllr Richard Branson, Cllr Mrs Mary Evans and
Cllr Peter Wadham. I sent each a printed copy of my Open Letter to Councillors by
first class post on 31st January, but other arrangements are needed if these Councillors
are to be fully included as the debate continues. I would be grateful if close colleagues
would keep these three Councillors up to date with any computer-
It is not my wish to weary you with long emails, but there is a great deal of material for consideration. In order to reduce the length of this communication, I have posted a couple of pages on my website www.LocalGovernmentFailure.co.uk which you may consider as important to examine. If you go to the website and click the heading at the top of the Home Page, you will be shown the Principal Navigation Page. If you scroll down and click “ECC Leisure Manager Views of Open Letter”, you will find an email which you would have seen already. Clicking “Response to ECC Leisure Manager” from the Principal Navigation Page will reveal my responses to the Leisure Manager’s email. It raises many questions, and I call your attention particularly to Question 12. Amongst the points I make is an explanation of the position regarding the Club’s financial resources, which might be of interest.
Initially, all that interested me was the development of the Club’s facilities to meet the pronounced need for expansion and the best interests of the locality, but now I am being made into a man with a mission. I was perfectly content just to serve the Club and the Community quietly and inconspicuously. Now, feeling so concerned at the way Local Government seems to be failing in certain areas, it appears that I can best serve society by challenging Local Government on these issues. Please don’t think that my intention is to undermine the Councils’ authority in any way. I am fully supportive of Local Government, but where it is obvious to any informed and reasonable person that an outcome is wrong, something needs to be put right.
So far, no one has attempted to answer any of the questions raised in the Open Letter. That may be because it takes time to consider and respond. Equally, it may be that Councillors are hoping that by ignoring me, the issues will go away. I think that highly unlikely. If I don’t highlight them, others will. I am experiencing a widespread opinion amongst the people I meet that the Councils don’t listen, and simply do as they please, regardless. I have encountered it myself in the case of Summerway, and can empathise with those sharing their accounts. In my opinion, this unhealthy situation should be remedied as soon as possible.
I am feeling uneasy about the levels of morality exhibited by Local Government with respect to the Summerway saga. My love for God causes me to aspire to Christian principles in order to please Him. My willingness to serve those around me is simply showing to them the love that I myself receive in bountiful supply from love’s divine source. Upholding what is right and resisting all that is wrong is fundamental to my character. It makes me feel uncomfortable when those who have been elected as the City Fathers and City Mothers seem to have lower moral ambitions than I have myself. In practice, we all fall short of perfection, but moral perfection should surely be the standard to which each of us aspires.
According to the article on Page 19 of the Express & Echo published on 2nd February, the Councils issued a joint statement about the Club. No one showed the courtesy of sending me a copy, and I am left wondering about both its full content and its specific origin. Does this seem right to you, in view of my interest in the case? It would be appreciated if some person of decency corrected this omission.
In view of my deep concerns, especially those with regard to the transparency of Local Government, I request that a moratorium be placed on all actions, including those that may be already in the pipeline, which relate to the premises leased by the Club from 1972 to 2006 and the land shown in the plan for the expansion of the Club which was lodged with DCC in the document dated 11 May 1999. I note that the Councils have already, by agreement between themselves and without consultation or reference to the Club, taken action which could be considered as prejudicial to the Club. My concerns are shared by others, as will become apparent later in the month.
I trust that you will accord due consideration to the points I raise herein.
Yours sincerely,
Jim Harle.
Bcc: Summerway Committee, Families, Supporters & Watchers