Cllr walks out of town meeting

Councillor Phil Cantwell walked out of last week"s meeting of Trim Town Council, criticising chairman Cllr Trevor Golden for not conducting the meeting properly. During a debate on the reconstruction works on High Street, Cllr Cantwell attempted to make a contribution and objected to the fact that Cllr Golden was commenting individually on each councillor"s contribution. Normal procedure is for the chairman to wait until all council members have commented on an issue, then give his own opinion and comments. Cllr Golden told Cllr Cantwell to put his hand down. When Cllr Cantwell persisted, Cllr Golden told him to be quiet. Cllr Cantwell objected to the way the meeting was being chaired, then left, saying he had never been treated in such a manner before by a chairman. He accused the chairman of abusing the position of chair by persistent commenting. He pointed out that the chairman was supposed to allow other members comment first, then make his own contribution, telling him to check the rules of procedure.