The Back Story: County Councillor Roderick Lawrie lives and works on the Isle of Man, rarely attends Northumberland council meetings and never shows up at the dozen parish councils he represents. A week ago, in response to complaints from readers and a campaign launched by former county councillor Dougie Watkin, The Clarion wrote to the Conservative Cllr Lawrie to ask when, given that he neither works nor lives in the county, he plans to do what he promised to do last December and stand down. He has not replied. Meanwhile, copies of the email were sent to NCC’s Conservative leader, Peter Jackson, and to Berwick MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan. Staffers for both acknowledged receipt. Since then, nothing. . .
A DOZEN parish councils in North Northumberland and hundreds, if not thousands, of voters in those villages have been left without proper representation at county level because of the ongoing scandal of their ‘Won’t Quit/Can’t Quit’ county councillor.
Since then the passing weeks have turned into months with no word of his promised resignation. Rumours abound that his departure has been ‘blocked’ by the county’s Conservative leadership because of fears that the finely-tuned balance of power might be upset.
In the six months of this year, Cllr Lawrie has attended only ONE OF SIX full council meetings at County Hall. More damagingly for the parish councils and voters he represents across his ward, he has attended only ONE OF SIX meetings of the North Northumberland Local Area Council at which North Area county councillors discuss local issues before they go to full council.
And his non-attendance at parish council meetings at which the county councillor is expected to convey opinions and decisions to county level is said to be zero. At least one parish council has demanded that a full record of Cllr Lawrie’s attendances and expenses be made available to the public.
According to the NCC website, any councillor “may elect to forgo all or any part of his or her entitlement to allowances” by submitting a written instruction. Council records show that in the 2018-19 financial year Cllr Lawrie was paid £14,004.
Now, former councillor and current LibDem campaigner Dougie Watkin has leafleted and door-knocked the area with a plea that ordinary voters contact Conservative high-ups in the county – MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Annemarie.trevelyan.mp@nullparliament.uk) and NCC leader Peter Jackson (Peter.jackson@nullnorthumberland.gov.uk) “to demand that they take action”.
He said: “Local people deserve a councillor who will stand up for our communities and support those in need. I am deeply concerned that residents are being left without a voice on our [county] council and that people in tricky situations could suffer without a local representative.
“It is an utter disgrace that people are being used in this way.”
Basically, county councillors’ names must appear on the register of local government electors for Northumberland “at the time of nomination and throughout the term of office. . . [this is] an ongoing qualification.”
Furthermore, candidates/councillors must not only own or lease a home or place of work in the area but must ‘occupy’ the premises: a locked and otherwise unused building is not sufficient.
On behalf of readers of The Clarion, I have sent the following email to Cllr Lawrie with copies to NCC Conservative leader Peter Jackson and Berwick on Tweed MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan:
Dear Councillor Lawrie,
Last December you promised the electors in the dozen north Northumberland parishes which you represent on NCC that, given your forced removal for business reasons to live and work on the Isle of Man, you had “no option” other than to resign from the council <http://www.voiceofthenorth.net/exclusive/>.
Since then you have, according to NCC records, attended only one full council meeting, one of the monthly North Area Local Meetings and – as far as I can ascertain – not a single meeting of the dozen parish councils you represent.
At the same time you have continued to accept the allowance paid by NCC to active councillors.
There is now a growing campaign to urge you to make good the assurance you gave me eight months ago, not least from frustrated Clarion readers who feel they lack county representation.
I urge you, and the above senior Conservative figures whom I have cc’d, to make some explanation for this disturbing situation.
The columns of the Clarion are open for your reply.
David Banks
I did hear he was living and working in Aberdeen a while back, not that it’s any better, apart from being on the same chunk of earth! Wouldn’t be surprised if he flits between the two! ‘Flit’ being the operative word, after all it is what he does!
No point complaining to dear ‘Annemarie’, she won’t do anything! I recently wrote to her on another matter, as did a few others I suspect. A county matter that affects the whole nation, and pointless contacting Lawrie!! It was about securing funding for local government to aid public footpath and cycleway installation/maintenance, from which we suffer hugely as rural communities. From the identical reply I and others received it was absolutely clear our letters had only been given a cursory glance, and that she never even mentioned the meeting she had been asked to attend!! So don’t expect any help there!!
To be fair it isn’t a matter for an MP, but of course she needs to understand that it will affect her vote next time around. It is for the Tory leadership at County Hall to lean on this guy to resign but they won’t do that because they will lose their majority. Absolutely no integrity!
I wouldn’t hold your breath; it looks as though our MP is hoping to be rewarded for a stint as a Boris cheerleader and at the moment is busy tweeting congratulations to all and sundry as they rush to kiss the new man’s hand.
Back in the Sixties the Australian cricket team had an opening batsman — Bill Lawry.
Admittedly it is a subtle change of spelling, but he and Councillor Roderick obviously spring from the same blood line.
In simple truth: Bill was a Crease Limpet.
He never played an attacking stroke. And like Roderick, nobody could get him out.
Bill became known as The Corpse With Pads On.
And at 82 he is still sticking around. Go it Rodders. Remember the example of Uncle Bill!
It is totally outrageous, surely the Tories must see that they’ve lost Norham and Islandshires Ward for the next twenty years over this. Can we get a reduction in Council Tax on the basis of “no taxation without representation” ?
STOP PRESS: Anne-Marie Trevelyan, MP for Berwick, will reply to The Clarion within the next week, staffer Tom Forrester promises. Still no word from Lawrie or Northumberland county Conservatives, however.
This is a scandalous situation. Thank you for raising awareness to try and resolve it.
surely if you are not attending meetings and representing your constituents and not even in the area, you cannot morally claim expenses- this is unfair to the people they have been elected to represent