Attleborough council blame game over axed emergency meeting.

Clashing councillors have become embroiled in a blame game after a cancelled emergency meeting left elderly protestors suffering in the cold for over an hour.

Around 30 protestors gathered outside Attleborough Town Hall on Monday evening for a “peaceful” demonstration against the town council’s intention to buy the Queen’s Square Car Park from Breckland Council for £145,000.

The group came around 5.30pm, half an hour before an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) where councillors were expected to discuss overturning the purchase.

Protestors brandishing a sign (Image: Henry Durand)

Police were in attendance (Image: Henry Durand)

However, the protest quickly turned sour when many in attendance learnt that the EGM had been cancelled at 5 p.m. for not “being lawfully convened”.

The last-minute cancellation caused the marchers, many of whom were elderly, to wait more than an hour in harsh cold until the scheduled full council meeting began at 7 p.m.

The current incident at Attleborough Town Council comes after a lengthy history of disagreements between two factions of councillors.

Locals huddle around the town hall (Image: Henry Durand)

Tensions in the town left many at the demonstration unwilling to give their names for fear of ridicule, with most only prepared to speak anonymously.

One said: “It’s disgusting but that’s what we expect at this point.” “It’s so unprofessional to council an hour before, many of us are elderly and vulnerable,” added another. “The room had been booked yet they decided to not let us in”, said a third. “It’s just unbelievable.”

DISPUTE OVER LEGAL NOTICES

Monday night’s dramatics were the latest flashpoint in an increasingly heated feud between long-serving councillors and a newer group known as “the newbies” who had demanded the EGM.

Taila Taylor, along with two other family members, is part of the established majority group and not connected with “the newbies” – stated she cancelled the gathering because organisers failed to show the mandatory public notifications.

Reform lawmakers attended the protest (left to right: Daniel Burcham, Jacob Allen, Kabeer Kher, Anthony Adams, Mark Boardman) (Image: Henry Durand).

Although the meeting notice appeared on social media and the council website, Ms Taylor claimed that the lack of physical notices across the town violated Section 12 of the Local Government Act 1972.

Jacob Allen and Anthony Adams, the meeting’s organisers, contested her accusations.

They stated that the relevant warnings had been put in adequate time at venues such as Pride Homecare and the Griffin bar, which is owned by Daniel Burcham, another member of the “newbies”.

A public notice in the window of The Griffin pub (Image: Henry Durand)

Lesley Harper, a local who attended the demonstration, claimed she saw a sign outside the town hall on Wednesday.

Email correspondence between councillors demonstrates the fairness of the notice placements, which had previously been questioned.

Gerald Dalton stated that they appeared to have been positioned “with a heavy emphasis on bias,” referring to the Griffins’ ownership. Neither party has offered conclusive evidence for their accusations, and the dispute is the latest in a council riddled with feuds.

Recent problems include suspicions of a fake Chinese order and cleaning costs for councillor-linked firms, as well as a heated dispute over bullying in October.

CAR PARK CLASH

Tensions have risen further following the council’s plan to buy the Queen’s Square car park from Breckland for £145,000. Taila and Samantha Taylor, both Breckland councillors, have been accused of having a conflict of interest.

The criticism comes after Breckland gave Attleborough and four other towns a variety of car park ownership choices ahead of next year’s local government reorganisation.

Frustration in Attleborough has grown over the entire purchase order, especially since neighbouring towns adopted cheaper or freehold agreements, and there was no public consultation.

Protesters brandished placards stating “YES to car parks, NO to CCTV” to highlight the need for reform.

“I don’t understand why Watton and Dereham can have their car parks for nothing but why there’s a £145,00 price tag to this one,” Alex Wright told the press.

“I’d just like some transparency.” Diane Burt added, “Paying this much out of my own pocket is frivolous.

“There are good people with good intentions and good ideas who aren’t being listened to.” Kabeer Kher, chair of Reform UK Mid Norfolk, attended the protest with ATC’s Reform councillors.

He stated: “There is clearly a conflict of interest, and they should not be allowed to vote on it.” “They’ve only got a tiny majority in the council and they’re trying to double down and block the good things we’re trying to do.”

THE MEETING

The whole council meeting eventually began and lasted approximately 30 minutes before tensions flared up again.

Many swarmed for teas and coffees once they were let in (Image: Henry Durand)

Cllr Anthony Adams began raising his voice at Taila Taylor, accused her of “ignoring” him and offered to go and “stand in the corner”.

She warned him he was “being highly disrespectful” before adjourning the meeting. Rather than ending the meeting, councillor Antony Middlebrook proposed a ten-minute break.

The council eventually met at 7pm (Image: Henry Durand)

The meeting then resumed and eventually became productive. The most major decision of the night was to cancel plans for a contentious splash pad, a water play feature estimated to cost six figures and partially supported by a Breckland grant.

However, it was unanimously rejected by the council, with one commenting that “this isn’t the south of France”.

The next opportunity for locals to express their views will be at a public meeting organised by Jacob Allen on Friday, December 12.

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