Supplementary Email to ECC ACE

The City Council’s Assistant Chief Executive, Ms Bindu Arjoon, and Jim met at the Civic Centre on 10th January 2011 for an ‘off the record’ discussion to improve understanding.  The following email was sent by Jim to Ms Arjoon a week later to further the ongoing dialogue with the Chief Executive.

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From: Jim Harle

To: Bindu Arjoon

Sent: Monday, January 17, 2011 7:50 PM

Subject: Unresolved Concerns

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Dear Bindu,

Thank you for listening at our meeting last Monday afternoon.

I found our discussion, agreed to be ‘off the record’ so that we could both speak freely, very helpful.  Besides the benefit of having an ECC officer examining our concerns without prejudice, your questions also enabled me to clarify certain points in my own thinking.

This email forms part of the dialogue with ECC’s Chief Executive, but the occasional ‘off the record’ discussion to enhance mutual understanding, running alongside, seems advisable.  You probably picked up on the fact that, despite the issues between us, I regard the City Council and myself as being essentially on the same side.  Also, there must have been reasoning behind the unwillingness to use the complaints procedure, litigation and the Local Government Ombudsman.

It would be difficult to see a better way of spending the hour of our meeting, but I was very conscious afterwards of many things that we didn’t have time to share.  Nevertheless, I hope we have started the ball rolling, and we each have the flexibility to respond to developments according to the path it takes.

While you have more than enough to look into from our meeting, particularly regarding meaningful consultation, the following paragraphs are for clarification or to create a fuller picture of my concerns.

I would state my overriding concern to be the health of society, community and especially children, particularly as it is affected by government, both national and local.  My personal belief is that citizens are being over-governed by bodies which are depressing social responsibility and creating resentment and apathy by exercising excessive and inappropriate coercion.  Be that as it may, there is little doubt that very serious problems exist, no matter how much government tries to paper over the cracks.  The contribution I wish to make is to influence change for the better by seeking out moral, practical solutions.  I have no interest in scoring points or personal advantage.

Regarding the status of the Summerway Junior LTC, I suggest it is neither public nor private.  There is a sense in which it is both, but I would categorise it as being ‘community’ – somewhere between the two.  I would like to see the Council’s definitions of public, private and community to see how something as open as the Summerway Club could possibly be considered as private, bearing in mind its available nature and rolling membership limited only by capacity. Summerway’s altruistic volunteers provided the only affordable ongoing tennis for children in Exeter, which had nothing to do with exclusivity or privilege as is generally implicit in the use of the word ‘private’.

‘Cosy relationships’ is another issue which needs careful examination.  I was flabbergasted by a discovery in documents released under the Freedom of Information Act.  It transpired that there was clandestine email correspondence (click here to view) between the Chair of Devon Lawn Tennis Association and the City Council’s Leisure Manager.  Both were discriminating against me personally as if the Summerway Committee’s and Club’s actions were my exclusive responsibility.  I resent the claims I was hell bent on battering anybody down and that the Council regarded me as persona non grata, for neither of which I can see any justification.  Both men contended they were expressing the official views of their respective bodies.  The covert betrayal of the Club by the County’s branch of the game’s national body defies belief, and the Leisure Manager should not have countenanced the surreptitious defamation of my character.  I believe a close working relationship between the two men may have developed when engaged together on the LTA’s Indoor Tennis Initiative at Exeter University.  I’m sure you can imagine how offensive these attitudes are, and how much they complicate matters.

The issues pertaining to the effective demise of Summerway Tennis are very complex with the involvement of both City and County authorities.  ECC and local tennis volunteers were responsible for the initial founding of this junior tennis facility, whereby the Council leased out and maintained the premises in partnership with the volunteers who provided services without charge.  The premises changed hands under Local Government Reorganisation in 1974.  DCC were the landlords at the expiry of the 28-year lease that had been granted, but ECC were calling the onerous shots on its renewal.  My interest in the Heavitree Arch, etc. is to the extent that they throw light on aspects of Summerway, clarifying local government modus operandi.  The fact that ECC were the planning authority mustn’t be overlooked, either.

It’s time now for me to resist the urge to be exhaustive! Again, thank you for your time and willingness to listen.

Yours sincerely,

Jim.