Brighton city councillor appeals action (From The Argus)
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Brighton city councillor appeals action
8:00am Monday 2nd August 2010 in News By Tim Ridgway
A Brighton and Hove city councillor facing suspension for putting webcasts of council meetings on YouTube has appealed.
Jason Kitcat, who is a Green Brighton and Hove city councillor for Regency ward, was ticked off by the local authority's standards committee assessment panel last month.
He was found to have breeched the Members' code of conduct after uploading five clips of meetings to the website.
Coun Kitcat was told he would be suspended from his duties until he had written an apology to Conservative councillor Geoffrey Theobald, who featured in the video footage.
Coun Kitcat has refused to apologise and has now appealed the decision.
A separate incident panel will now make the final ruling on the case.
Comments(17)
Off my CHEST!
says...
11:20am Mon 2 Aug 10
There! I have got that off my Chest!
Serenus Zeitblom
says...
11:55am Mon 2 Aug 10
Far from being suspended, Cllr Kitcat should be commended for helping to make Council processes more open to the public. But then perhaps that's his offence.
Christophe Hawtree
says...
12:05pm Mon 2 Aug 10
censored
says...
12:18pm Mon 2 Aug 10
Which, I suppose, is what the Conservative party is all about...
MarcoPolo
says...
12:41pm Mon 2 Aug 10
Andre Spooner
says...
12:43pm Mon 2 Aug 10
Me and my Mighty Horse have a fine selection of videos of Cllr Geoffrey Theobald (OBE) performing a variety of entertaining and suprising stunts and 'party tricks' - does this mean we will not be allowed to post these on Youtube? There is an incredible one where Cllr Theobald sneaked his way into the sea lion arena in the Sea Life Centre and starts grappling with one of the sea lions in the manner of a wrestler! Now, a sea lion is a tough beast, but he is not to meddle with the power of Theobald! With a great bear-like roar, Geoffrey Theobald swings the unfortunate pinniped around his head several times, before releasing the poor beast, causing it to hurtle across the area and splash-down into the pool! At this point, Theobald performs a victory dance which can only have come from the contemporary school of movement, whilst chanting his victory song:
"Beware, sea lion, beware!
Beware, Kit-Kat, beware!
For I, G to the T, OBE!
Will hurl the sea lion into the pool!
And you, Kit Kat!
Shall face the same fate!
If you point that camera in my face one more time!
I'll show you, sonny!
We shall fight the same duel in the sea life centre!
And you shall achieve the same watery fate!
Beware, sea lion, beware!
Beware, Kit-Kat, beware!"
Both me and my Mighty Horse reckon this would quite clearly out-trump the Mayor of Worthing crowd-surfing. Is there anyone here who would not like to see Cllr Geoffrey Theobald wrestle with a sea lion?
Jo Wadsworth
says...
1:01pm Mon 2 Aug 10
Fight Back wrote:for clarification, the council do webcast their meetings on their website.
If the council were actually more open and webcast all their meetings then it wouldn't take a councillor to do this.
Jason Kitcat shouldn't be apologising to Councillor Theobald - Councillor Theobald should be apologising to the voters for trying to prevent open and transparent local politics.
Andy R
says...
1:39pm Mon 2 Aug 10
Off my CHEST! wrote:So what rules do you think he has broken then?
Rules are Rules! He broke them. This is what is wrong with the whole Society The Police break them, the Council break them Children have no respect for the law. Apologise Mr Kitcat (Great name!) Stop wasting Council money and bey the rules! There! I have got that off my Chest!
Charismatic Andrew
says...
1:57pm Mon 2 Aug 10
Jo Wadsworth wrote:And also Councillor Theobald has nothing to apologise for (on this occasion). He doesn't sit on the Standards Committee Assessment Panel, he hasn't requested an apology and he didn't make the original complaint.
Fight Back wrote: If the council were actually more open and webcast all their meetings then it wouldn't take a councillor to do this. Jason Kitcat shouldn't be apologising to Councillor Theobald - Councillor Theobald should be apologising to the voters for trying to prevent open and transparent local politics.for clarification, the council do webcast their meetings on their website.
Serenus Zeitblom
says...
2:52pm Mon 2 Aug 10
Charismatic Andrew wrote:... which is one of the odder aspects of this whole sorry affair. Cllr Theobald appears to be completely relaxed about the videos going on Youtube. But it was others within the Tory group, including Mary Mears, who made the complaint. Why?
Jo Wadsworth wrote:And also Councillor Theobald has nothing to apologise for (on this occasion). He doesn't sit on the Standards Committee Assessment Panel, he hasn't requested an apology and he didn't make the original complaint.Fight Back wrote: If the council were actually more open and webcast all their meetings then it wouldn't take a councillor to do this. Jason Kitcat shouldn't be apologising to Councillor Theobald - Councillor Theobald should be apologising to the voters for trying to prevent open and transparent local politics.for clarification, the council do webcast their meetings on their website.
Morpheus
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6:11pm Mon 2 Aug 10
Alison Smith
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6:38pm Mon 2 Aug 10
Roy Pennington
says...
10:07pm Mon 2 Aug 10
Jo Wadsworth wrote:whilst this council do web-cast some of their meetings, they do not web-cast all of their meetings.
Fight Back wrote:for clarification, the council do webcast their meetings on their website.
If the council were actually more open and webcast all their meetings then it wouldn't take a councillor to do this.
Jason Kitcat shouldn't be apologising to Councillor Theobald - Councillor Theobald should be apologising to the voters for trying to prevent open and transparent local politics.
And they still have a ban on third-party recording in audio or video: if a member of the public were to ask to record some or all of the meeting, it is in the gift of the chair to allow that recording.
It is rare and a good reason has to be made out to over-ride the constitutional ban.
And the copy right stays with the council.....
mtmoocher
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1:37am Tue 3 Aug 10
JKW
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6:30am Tue 3 Aug 10
The public will pick up on this soon and votes will go.
Jo Wadsworth
says...
9:33am Tue 3 Aug 10
Morpheus wrote:If you follow the link to the original story in related links, you can see one of the five clips Coun Kitcat uploaded, and more detail about the complaint, including a link to the council report compiled for the hearing.
As I understand the situation Kitcat edited the webcasts in someway to make the mayor and councillor look stupid. All the Argus has to do is to explain the background but it hasn't done so. If what appears on You Tube is the same as the council webcasts then there cannot be a problem.
Fight Back says...
10:58am Mon 2 Aug 10
Jason Kitcat shouldn't be apologising to Councillor Theobald - Councillor Theobald should be apologising to the voters for trying to prevent open and transparent local politics.