As Dorset councillor Carole Jones warns that Sturminster has lost ‘a wealth of experience’, Rachael Rowe tries to understand what is happening at Sturminster Newton Town Council
What looks like a culture of silence within Sturminster Newton Town Council and apathy in the community has meant that one of Dorset’s most experienced councillors has stepped down as Mayor – and no-one is asking the questions that beg to be asked.
Pauline Batstone, a long-standing county councillor and former chairman of Dorset Council (2019-2020), with more than 30 years of service to the community, has resigned after just four months as the Town Mayor of Sturminster. How – and why – did this happen?
At first glance there was nothing out of the ordinary on the agenda for the town council meeting on Wednesday 3rd September … but significantly, just four months after electing a mayor, there was an election for a new one.
In due course, Cllr Joe Rose was unanimously chosen. But the question remains – why has the town council lost a mayor so quickly, especially an experienced person who knows how the systems work? There were few members of the public at the council meeting to try and understand – most people in Sturminster Newton are probably oblivious to the situation.
The meeting continued with discussions on the new youth club and repairs to Sturminster’s famous mill – and how the council could afford the bill for this heritage building.
Locked out
Anything that might have provided a clue to the mayor’s departure had presumably been shifted to the confidential section of the meeting agenda.
There were brief thanks to Cllr Batstone for her service to the town council, but no indication of why she had stood down. Sometimes it is what is not said, rather than what is actually voiced at a meeting or an organisation – a look across a table, raised eyebrows or confrontational body language can indicate that there is more going on below the surface. The culture of an organisation may dictate how things work and get done (or not) – and understanding the culture can be critical to changing processes or embedded procedures.
As a new mayor, Cllr Batstone was keen to work alongside the council’s staff, particularly after council meetings, to ensure that decisions taken were actioned. However, she and the deputy mayor, Cllr Debbie Mantock, found it hard to meet with staff to discuss operational matters.
‘We found the office was locked, and were told they were too busy,’ says Cllr Batstone. ‘Last year I was deputy mayor and Helen Lacey was mayor. Then I was elected mayor in May and Debbie Mantock became deputy.’
Debbie is a relatively new councillor – ‘The first thing that was said to Debbie was “I suppose you think you’ll have power but you won’t. You won’t have any power.” Then somehow the question of Debbie sitting alongside me in meetings came up. We asked the councillors whether there was an issue with three people sitting at the top of the table and they didn’t have a problem. However, we were told there was no room as the clerk had to work. The next meeting, the chairs had shifted and there were just two places. Other councillors told me the staff didn’t like the way I wanted to work.’
There are additional issues in this case which cannot be reported for legal reasons. However, there is now a vacancy on Sturminster Newton Town Council which will lead to an election. Local residents who want to make a difference in their community can stand, and the people of Sturminster Newton can decide who represents them.
A massive loss
Carole Jones, the Sturminster ward councillor on Dorset Council, is concerned about the mayor’s resignation: ‘I am extremely sad that Pauline felt she had no choice but to step back at this time,’ she says. ‘With well over 30 years representing her community, she had a wealth of experience and a real ‘can-do’ attitude. Frankly, she has done more for Sturminster Newton than all of the other town councillors put together.
‘Without Pauline, we would have three empty bank buildings – and that’s just for a start. The town council should be a leading light in our community – it should be taking projects forward, garnering support, with all councillors taking the lead in different areas. In reality, this simply doesn’t happen.
‘Getting good people to stand for election is near-on impossible … getting people who get stuck in is rare. It is so frustrating to lose the best we had – and why? Well, I can only guess at the frustrations. It must have been like pushing water uphill.’
Surely Sturminster people should be asking more questions – not one member of the public or councillor asked why a new mayor was being elected at this September meeting.
This should be a wake-up call for residents to take a proactive interest in their community and call the council to account for its actions.
Find updates on the election on the Dorset Council website here
