An Extraordinary general meeting of Andover Town Council saw vigorous debate between councillors over whether the outcome of a grievance panel should be heard in secret. The meeting, held on December 15, saw councillors assemble to receive the report on the grievances made by staff at the council, which saw it close for two weeks while a locum was appointed. Following the approval of new dates for council meetings in the new year, councillors debated the exclusion of the press and public to hear confidential staffing matters; a process which is usually a formality which goes undebated. Following the debate between councillors, the resolution passed, with councillors entering confidential proceedings to hear the outcome of the panel’s investigation.
A local political party has appointed ‘champions’ for specific issues in an effort to engage more with these topics. The Andover Independents Party has appointed Councillor Christopher Ecclestone as the ‘Good Design Champion’ and Councillor Rebecca Meyer as ‘Adversity Champion.’ The pair will seek to address these issues at both Andover Town Council and Test Valley Borough Council, of which they are representatives on each. The party said that its leader, Cllr Meyer, was “excited to engage with people who have experienced adversity”. It continued: “She believes it can be manifested into something positive. She believes that one should look at the growth, and things learned from adverse experiences. Adversity covers many things, some being discrimination, non able bodied, learning disabilities, mental health issues and failure to thrive.