Further fabrications in council Minutes

After complaints that the draft Minutes of the council meeting of 25 January 2011 were inaccurate, a revised draft has been published that is even less accurate.

The draft Minutes recorded an officer saying that a report about public health issues associated with a proposed drain in Central Road 'will be made available', whereas he stated at the meeting that the council hadn't examined the issues, i.e. there was no such report.

DCSCA used the council's website to state that the draft Minutes were inaccurate (See 'Council Minutes invent report' [28 January, drycliftdays]). In response, a revised version was posted on the Council's web site that was even less accurate than the original! The revised version of the Minutes introduced entirely new material:
1. The revised version of the officer's reply ends, ‘... Council did not consider the need to commission a public health plan.’ The officer didn't say this at the meeting.
2. The revised version of the officer's reply includes a whole new paragraph: ‘Permitting development to proceed without proper servicing, which includes main drainage, in the view of the Council, would lead to public health issues. These issues may include, but not be limited to, flooding, damage to housing development, rising damp, pooling and stagnation of water, breeding of mosquitos, deposition of silt and general inconvenience to property owners.’ The officer said none of this at the meeting.

The Minutes are being used to give credence to the council's unsubstantiated allegations that the Central Road drain is really a matter of public health, rather than just a means to enable Pinnacle Holdings to build a retirement village. These unsubstantiated allegations are being used to justify - after the event - the highly contentious 'Special Charge' of many thousands of dollars that councillors voted unanimously on 25 January to levy on each household in the Central Road area.

DCSCA will continue to press the council to produce an accurate account of the officer's responses at the council meeting.