Defiant: councillor who keeps missing meetings but makes it

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Ronski
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Defiant: councillor who keeps missing meetings but makes it

Post by Ronski » Mon May 18, 2009 4:47 pm

Defiant: councillor who keeps missing meetings but makes it to lavish parties
Belfast Telegraph
Monday, 18 May 2009

An Ulster Unionist councillor has been urged to resign after attending a series of glamorous parties while claiming to be too sick to attend council meetings.

North Down councillor Diana Peacocke has received allowances of almost £20,000 in two years but has only attended 20 council meetings in her constituency.

Figures released by North Down Borough Council show that in the last ten months Ms Peacocke has put in an appearance at just 11 council meetings — a fraction of that attended by most of her council colleagues, and considerably less than all of her other councillors in North Down.

It is alleged she only stayed a few minutes at some of those meetings.

The DUP has called for Ms Peacocke to resign and concern has been growing in her own party after she was photographed in a glossy social magazine enjoying herself at parties.

The UUP said it viewed “with great concern the continuing non-attendance� of Ms Peacocke at council meetings and has promised the matter would be “dealt with very quickly�.

After being challenged about her attendance by the DUP last year Ms Peacocke claimed she had been too ill to attend meetings.

“Although I have not been able to attend as many council meetings as I would have liked due to my illness, much of a councillor’s work takes place outside the council chamber.

“I most certainly will not be resigning my seat, but getting well and getting on with responding to my electorate’s need,� she said at the time.

However, the councillor has come under fire from ratepayers and other councillors for accepting invites to various upmarket bashes during that time.

At the end of last year she was photographed in an edition of IN Magazine at the Rockport Ladies Lunch for mothers of children at private school Rockport, and at the launch of a new Hugo Boss fashion collection at Victoria Square.

DUP councillor Alex Easton has called on the UUP to take action.

“She’s obviously able to go out and enjoy herself, so I don’t know why she can’t attend her council meetings,� said Mr Easton.

“The Ulster Unionist Party should be taking action to resolve the situation.

“Diana came to a couple of meetings, around Christmas time, and then totally disappeared again.�

The Ulster Unionist Party said it is investigating her attendance.

Ms Peacocke has attended 11 council and committee meetings since last July and none since February. That is in contrast to some North Down Borough Council colleagues who have attended more than 60 meetings in the same time period and who receive the same £9,499.92 allowance.

The only other councillors who failed to attend at least 30 meetings in the same time were Independent member Austen Lennon, who turned up to 17 meetings, and Alliance councillor David Alderdice, who attended on 23 occasions.


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Post by Ronski » Mon May 18, 2009 10:14 pm

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Belfast Telegraph

Comment

Crazy ... so important parks on double yellow lines to get her shopping !

Posted by Street watcher | 18.05.09, 11

Comment

As any parent can testify, the level of illness which requires a day off school (or anything else a child wants to avoid) is much lower than the level of illness required to miss a party or other treat. Nice to see a councillor who is still young at heart.

Posted by Pete | 18.05.09, 12:13 GMT

Comment

Must be recovering from Swine Flu like all the other gravy train MPs.

Posted by cheesedoffvoter | 18.05.09, 12:26 GMT

Comment

That works out at £1000 per meeting, get this woman out.

Posted by Paul | 18.05.09, 12:47 GMT

Comment

I am from North Down, and i have never heard of her. Sir Reg. should step in, !!!
Looks like she is more popular at the Parties.
familiar story.


Posted by Thomas | 18.05.09, 13:24 GMT

Comment

I agree Pete, besides, looking much hotter than the average councillor, I'm sure she's a great asset to all those social occasions she attends.

Who wants to go to a boring old council meeting anyway. At least she hasn't claimed for a fictional mortgage!


Posted by Stephen | 18.05.09, 13:25 GMT

Comment

Stephen
Think its time you went to specsavers mate


Posted by Awake | 18.05.09, 13:50 GMT

Comment

Councilors and MPs are much the same. The only difference being, councilors travel economy on the gravy train.

Posted by William | 18.05.09, 14:23

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Last edited by Ronski on Mon May 25, 2009 2:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Ronski » Sun May 24, 2009 9:26 pm

‘I’m so sorry for missing all of those meetings’
Belfast Telegraph
Saturday, 23 May 2009

The North Down councillor under fire for low attendance at council meetings has apologised to her constituents.

In an exclusive interview with the Belfast Telegraph, Diane Peacocke blamed her absence from council committee meetings on a series of personal problems and appealed for understanding from the people she represents.

The councillor also said that she soon intended to resume full council activities. Controversy about her attendance record emerged earlier this week when it was revealed that she has attended 20 meetings out of a possible 100 over a two-year period.

Ms Peacocke, a mother-of-one and UUP member of North Down Borough Council since 2001, said she has been devastated by suggestions that she has exploited her position as a councillor.

"Firstly I want to say how hard done by they must be feeling. I also want to thank the same North Down constituents for their warm generosity and support during this week," she explained.

"I have been through a personal trauma, I have been suffering with recurring ill-health and I have also lost a close family member. It has been a pretty horrible time.

"While I am not trying to make an excuse for my attendance levels, I want to try and explain to my constituents and hope that they understand.

"I want to say sorry to them and although I appreciate that they may have got a raw deal, I thought I was dealing with my problems in my way.

"These are my own personal issues and I never wanted to make them public. I’m only discussing them now because I feel I owe my constituents an explanation."

Ms Peacocke said she had no idea she would be so badly affected by the problems she has faced.

"I did not resign from the council as I honestly believed things would improve and I would be back up and running. In the forthcoming weeks I certainly want to be resuming and re-engaging with council. However, as I have said in the past, much of the work of a councillor takes place outside the council chamber and I want to make it clear that despite everything I have continued to address emails, letters and calls regarding constituency work."


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Post by BASEL » Mon May 25, 2009 2:36 pm

Do you see the way you post the comments from the Telegraph Ronski you should comment yourself and drop in www.ardsforum.com into the comment :smiley_bigthumbup:
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Post by Ronski » Mon May 25, 2009 2:59 pm

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I think she should give up her position since she is saying its due to ill health and let someone else try their hand as it cant get any worse than it is

Posted by - www.ardsforum.com

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Post by BASEL » Mon May 25, 2009 8:58 pm

Nice
To resist the influence of others, knowledge of one's self is most important.

Draw from your past....... but don't let your past draw from you

Yama, The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was..... is lost. For none now live who remember it.

For all your Computer needs www.btlogic.co.uk

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Post by Ronski » Mon Jun 01, 2009 6:32 am

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Belfast Telegraph

I actually had some compassion for her from reading the original article about her situation but after this she should be made resign. Why should everyone carry the can for her. We all have problems but we still carryon with our duties until time we see fit or unable.

Posted by Liam | 23.05.09, 23:42 GMT
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"Life isn't like a bowl of cherries or peaches..it's more like a jar of jalapeno's.

What you do today,might burn your arse tomorrow.

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