The raucous meeting got off to a shambolic start after at least eight residents were locked out of the Baptist Church hall in Henley ten minutes before the meeting was set to start.
The decision, by joint-chairmen Cllr David Hadley, for Henley, and Cllr Christopher Milsom, for Beaudesert, proved controversial.
In a statement issued after the meeting they said the decision was made because 100 residents were already inside, fining the hall to its capacity, and to admit any more would have breached health and safety regulations.
"We were faced with an unprecedented situation given that the previous three years' attendances totalled less than the 100 in attendance at Monday's meeting," said the statement. "We had the choice of postponing to another date at another venue or proceeding. We decided in the circumstances to proceed. We regret that some residents were unable to join the meeting."
Barely had the meeting begun when there was a quibble from one resident who said that that as last year's chair, Cllr Bill Leech, had not signed the minutes of the 2008 meeting, the 2010 meeting could not begin. There was also confusion over who should chair next year's meeting.
Those assembled then heard presentations from guest speaker Ioan Morgan, principal of Warwickshire College, Henley High Bailiff Roger Sutton, Peter Crathorne. Chairman of Henley Town Improvement Committee, Cllr Les Goodman chair of the Henley and Beaudesert Joint Parish Council.
The meeting descended into disorder during the report by Henley's county council representative, Mike Perry's (Cons). He was interrupted by a resident raising points of order, the first complaining that the report sounded like a party political broadcast and the second, challenging Cllr Perry's naming of one of the candidates standing in the by-election to be held on 6th May to replace retiring Stratford district councillor Laurence Marshall. However, Cllr Perry was allowed to continue.
The open forum proved as contentious as expected as members of the Reform Association, which says it aims to restore democracy to Henley, proposed that a town poll be held on the question: "Do you agree that confidence has been lost in the leadership and management of the Beaudesert and Henley Joint Parish Council and that all existing councillors should resign immediately and that there should be an election for a new parish council as soon as possible?"
John Latham, a Beaudesert resident of 40 years, had barely begun to speak in favour of the poll before a vocal portion of the Beaudesert electorate began shouting for him to "get off".
Henley resident Peter Crathorne, making the same proposition, endured similar jeers and shouts of "rubbish".
Ten electors are needed to call a town poll and its results are not binding on the council. Cllr Goodman questioned if people wanted to spend £3,000 on a poll that would have no effect but Mr Latham argued it would cost £2,000 and that was the price of democracy. Thirteen residents stood to show their support for a poll in Henley but just six stood for one in Beaudesert.
After the meeting one resident, who did not wish to be named, told the Herald: "I was scared to speak in the end. It was intimidating.
A lot of people left because they were fed up with the shouting. I was quite disgusted with it. Nobody gave anybody a chance to speak.
None of the issues were really brought up, because of the heckling.
"Voices weren't heard last night, it wasn't a discussion really. To be quite honest I thought they were quite a frightening crowd."
Report by Rebekah Smith - Stratford Herald - Thursday 22nd April 2010
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