Wednesday 20 February 2013

Letter to councillors


I emailed this statement to all Lincolnshire County Councillors last week.

Dear Councillors,
Please find attached an article that I'm hoping will be published throughout Lincolnshire.
 
The content makes it clear that we believe the LCC anti wind campaign is a serious abuse of council authority.
 
Here are extracts from the Department for Communities and Local Government code of recommended practice on local authority publicity (March 2011), under the heading of Objectivity.
 
15. Local authorities should ensure that publicity relating to policies and proposals from central government is balanced and factually accurate. Such publicity may set out the local authority’s views and reasons for holding those views, but should avoid anything likely to be perceived by readers as constituting a political statement, or being a commentary on contentious areas of public policy.
 
16. Any publicity describing the council’s policies and aims should be as objective as possible, concentrating on the facts or explanation or both. Local authorities should not use public funds to mount publicity campaigns whose primary purpose is to persuade the public to hold a particular view on a question of policy
 
We understand that the anti-wind guidelines are due to be discussed on the 22nd February. 
We urge you to attend that meeting and ensure that these guidelines are not approved as council policy.
Furthermore, we ask that you pass a resolution that prevents future publication of council approved anti wind commentary.
 
On behalf of the Lincolnshire Pro Wind Alliance
 
James Pocklington


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