Now it seems

all

questions are political

It seems that at this particular point in the electoral calendar, anyone asking the Mayor “how are you today?” will receive an abrupt rebuff on the grounds that the question is political.
Aside from dressing up in red robes and clanking as he walks, the role of the mayor at council meetings is to be a non-political referee.
In the run-up to the local elections, we enter a period quaintly known as purdah, which imposes restrictions to prevent councils or candidates obtaining publicity which may benefit them by influencing voters.
Such is the Mayor’s over-enthusiastic interpretation of the rules that he has banned a shed load of questions on the grounds that they are political, and therefore forbidden.
As an example of his inability to distinguish chalk from cheese, he even rejected the question “Now that you have experienced being Mayor, which particular duty did you most enjoy?” as capable of being interpreted as being political.
This question from Better Boston Group Councillor Anne Dorrian - and the two others mentioned in yesterday’s blog – were rejected … along with two more posed by the Conservative group leader, Councillor Raymond Singleton-McGuire.
“In a round robin e-mail to both councillors, Councillor Jordan claimed: “The questions do not address or advance any specific aspect of the council’s current business or relate to its powers or duties. Moreover, they can be interpreted as being political in nature. It is not appropriate for full council to be used as an electioneering platform, particularly during the purdah period. I shall not therefore allow the questions.”
Councillor Singleton-McGuire had sought to ask BBI leader Richard Austin “how did you ensure your council was not officer led?” whilst the second question – to the portfolio holder for regeneration, planning, sport and cultural services, Councillor Richard Dungworth, wanted to know “what kind of relationships did you build up with partner organisations?”
Tsk, tsk, said Mayor Peter Jordan – a bit naughty, those – and banned them both.
With respect, Mr Mayor, what a load of rubbish!
Whilst we have no doubt that a Mayor treads a difficult path in his quest for the holy grail of fairness, his recent actions seem to us to do nothing more than prevent any of his BBI colleagues being put on the spot.
The organisation East Midlands Councils, which is the consultative forum for all 46 Local Authorities in the East Midlands, including Boston, has succinctly set out the rules for what may and may not be done during purdah – and you can read them by clicking here. 
Try as we might, we find it hard to apply anything in these rules to the questions asked by Councillors Dorrian and Singleton-McGuire.
Expressing disappointment, the Tory group leader has accused the mayor of a “mumbo-jumbo” of an excuse and an “abuse of political power.”
In an e-mail seen by Boston Eye, he accuses Councillor Jordan of acting “extremely unwisely” and placing the office of mayor into an area deemed outside the non-political domain.
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
But the problem is that the damage has been done, and a series of questions designed to enlighten the taxpayers of Boston have been kicked into the long grass by someone whose job is intended to do quite the opposite.

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