Matt Puttock

[Joe K]

It's nearly a month since I asked these questions, by email, of Matt Puttock, of Barton police, and have had no answer:

'Will you now give me the January update, or the latest update if the former is no longer available, or the date of the next Street Reps and police priorities meeting, wherever it it held, with an assurance that I will not be physically prevented from attending this public meeting by any police officer, as previously (my right to attend being a matter for discussion between me and the Barton & Tredworth Neighbourhood Partnership, and not Barton police)?'

Now, I get answers.

Edit: just to confirm that I sent the email to Puttock and Sharda Mistry, Clerk to the First-Tier Tribunal General Regulatory Chamber, on 17th November.

[Joe K]

Oh, and one additional question, off the top of my head. The crime reference number for the vandalism St. James' City Farm (or Gymnasian) sort of claim they reported to the police. If there turns out not to be one, I'll wonder about the actual motivation for that vandalism.

[Joe K]

And the other question I've just remembered, relating to a conversation on the Citizen's website:

Is it the responsibility of the police to deal with vehicles parked on pavements where there are no adjacent yellow lines (which would make it the county council's job), or will they use any excuse, however trivial, to evade responsibility?

[Joe K]

Also, emailed to ismael.rhyman [e-mail] on September 23rd, 2015:

Questions for the Chair.

Hi Ismael.

Some questions for you to answer, at your house since you won't respond to emails, but here's a last chance to do the latter.


1. How did the fence painting at St. James' Park in August go, or did it go at all?

2. When is the next police panel/ Street Reps meeting taking place?

3. Where are the (5?) salt/grit bins that were provided by the county council to the partnership located?

4. Has my complaint of several weeks ago now, regarding Ian Burge's expulsion from the committee, been discussed by the committee?

5. What do you have to report to the Barton & Tredworth public about discussions on the partnership acquiring charity status?

6. Did Bren McInerney ask for an alteration to the constitution at the last AGM, re a conflict of interests declaration at meetings, and doesn't this violate the rules on giving sufficient notice of amendments to the constitution?

7. Who seconded the proposal, in any case?

8. Will you provide the minutes for the 'previous year... agreed at the EGM held last July', and minutes for that EGM itself?

9. Will you give me copies of the minutes, in hard copy or digitally, for the last three committee meetings and the last open meeting, provision of which at residents' request being stipulated in the constitution?


That'll be sufficient for now. You can let me know if I need to go to your house or not by the weekend.

[Joe K]

Unsurprisingly, I never received a reply, let alone answers, to the above questions, and Ismael Rhyman stonewalled, with a smirk, on his doorstep..

The partnership was unceremoniously dissolved at the end of September the following year. Local democracy still doesn't exist in Barton & Tredworth, and upcoming elections aren't likely to change that, not through whoever is elected, anyway.