Time for open meeting

REGARDING the agreement by Honiton Town Council to adopt the Power of Wellbeing without consultation with the public:

REGARDING the agreement by Honiton Town Council to adopt the Power of Wellbeing without consultation with the public: The residents of Honiton deserve to be made aware of the massive responsibilities the town council will be making on their behalf, without a mandate from the public.

The Power of Wellbeing is defined as a power to do anything the council considers likely to improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of the area.

The title 'wellbeing' is very misleading, causing confusion, and some residents are assuming the name means that mental health initiatives are to be introduced by the town council. So, clarification is essential.

As a former Mayor of Honiton, I am requesting, through this newspaper, on behalf of the residents of Honiton, that the town clerk, Lyn Hargood, arranges an open meeting at the Senior Citizens' Centre - for discussion and for the eight councillors "trained in the Power of wellbeing", five from St Paul's ward and three from St Michael's, to give an account of the training course and the qualification received.

This meeting would be a golden opportunity to engage the public and to give reassurance that councillors will be able to take on these awesome responsibilities on our behalf.

JOANNA BULL

Honiton