Where Have All the Lib Dems Gone....?

Very poor attendance by local Lib Dem councillors at the last full council meeting before the elections.  Apart from the Leader of the Council, and Councillor June Hughes, who was attending her last council meeting, there were no Hedge End Lib Dems.  None of the four West End councillors was there, and only one of the two Botley councillors turned up.

If some pre-election virus has struck them down, then it seems that Chandlers Ford members are immune, as all four of their Lib Dems were there, and three of the five Eastleigh Town Lib Dems found their way to the council chamber.

Other areas of the borough suffered as badly as Hedge End and West End: only one out of four Bishopstoke councillors; none at all from Bursledon; one out of three from Fair Oak, none from Hamble, and one of the two Netley Abbey members was there.

I make that a total of 22 out of 35 Lib Dem members who had something better to do on Monday evening than turn up for a full council meeting.

Although only one cabinet member was missing, none of those present gave a statement on their portfolio area, despite "cabinet statements" being item 6 on the agenda.

The leader of the Conservative group pointedly asked questions of two committee chairs who were not there.  It's a shame that the Lib Dems couldn't show more respect for the mayor, who was presiding over his last full council meeting, for the two retiring councillors who are not contesting their seats, for the senior officers who have to attend, and for the people who elected them.

Councillor June Hughes was first elected for Hedge End in 1996, and has served for all but two of the years since then.   Even if most of her Lib Dem colleagues missed her final meeting, that is a record of service that deserves some recognition.