Norfolk council members are growing increasingly “frustrated” with a lack of police intervention at rowdy meetings. The acting clerk at Thetford Town Council has repeatedly made 999 calls because councillors have been unable to restore order to meetings, which have descended into chaos during a section dedicated to questions from the public.
These sessions have been attended by a group of protesters called Thetford Council Watch, who scrutinise councillors and say they are holding authority to account – but have recently been accused of failing to “respect the meeting space”.
East Anglia Bylines has written about large crowds descending on Thetford town council meetings and causing mayhem.
Terry Jermy, Labour MP for South West Norfolk who sits on the town council, has expressed concern about the police response to these incidents – as officers declined to attend a recent meeting due to ‘operational reasons’.
“We’ve been frustrated with the police support thus far,” says Jermy, “and I’m hoping for greater support in the future. These members of the public have invaded the personal space of councillors and staff in a threatening and intimidatory manner – it’s not right that people have been put at risk.”
Who are Thetford Council Watch?
The group were previously known as the Thetford Sovereign Council and before that the Thomas Paine Independents, after the town’s most famous son whose writings influenced the American Revolution and the Enlightenment.
The campaign group, some of whose members previously sat as councillors, regularly attend council meetings to raise topics such as sex education in schools, transgender issues and the use of vaccines. They say they are holding authority to account in the name of “freedom and common sense”, and go to the meetings to express their views and scrutinise councillors. However, these sessions have repeatedly descended into chaos as members have become angered by responses from councillors and refused to stop speaking when asked.
Police involvement
Police officers attended a meeting in February when a heated row erupted after Thetford Council Watch were told they could not film proceedings. The meeting was suspended and councillors left the room – to jeers from the group – but their seats were quickly taken up by Thetford Council Watch, who offered to take questions on behalf of the actual council. However, officers left the meeting without taking any further action as “no offences were identified”.
Alan Yorke, the acting clerk, made a second 999 call in April as members of the group challenged councillors on their decision to declare a “climate emergency” and invest up to £30,000 tackling it. The meeting was suspended for nearly an hour while councillors waited for the room to clear as repeated attempts to bring an end to the public speaking section were unsuccessful. In the end, police did not attend, citing operational reasons, and the group left, allowing the meeting to resume.
A spokeswoman for Norfolk Constabulary said the force had been in contact with the council before and after the meeting to discuss the activities of the group. “We did not attend for operational reasons but have been in contact with councillors prior to, and since this meeting due to concerns raised. At present, no criminal offences have been disclosed and guidance around security has been given.”
What does Terry Jermy say?
Jermy was not satisfied with the police response to these incidents. “These members of the public have invaded the personal space of councillors and staff in a threatening and intimidating manner – it’s not right that people have been put at risk. I’m quite happy to have open debate and discussion but this group don’t respect the rules and procedures. We’ve been frustrated with the police support thus far and I’m hoping for greater support in the future.”
The council has recently hired a private security team which will guard meetings for the “foreseeable future” due to concerns for the safety of councillors. Jermy become Labour MP for South West Norfolk after defeating Liz Truss by just 630 votes at the General Election.
Story via Local Democracy Reporting Service
