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Town ready for vote on borough split call - COMMENT ON THIS STORY
WHITBY people will have the chance to go to the polls on Tuesday to voice their opinions on four controversial issues which affect the town including whether Whitby should be independent of Scarborough Borough Council.
The parish poll which is also known as a referendum, was called for at a stormy town assembly meeting on 12 May at Whitby's Pannett Art Gallery when four questions were set for the poll.
At the meeting an overwhelming majority of those who attended agreed a ballot should go ahead.
The poll was initially intended to be purely on the question of whether the town should be independent of the borough and if all town councillors who have been co-opted should stand down for elections to be held.
But two additional questions relating to other local issues – the Swing Bridge and plans for an out of town supermarket – were added to the poll at the first public assembly at town councillor Amanda Smith's request.
The questions can be seen in full below.
The man behind the poll, which ultimately has no legal weight, is Whitby filmmaker Nigel Ward who recently unveiled his idea for what should be done with the cargo shed on Endeavour Wharf.
He has no connections with the town council but has spoken out at his frustration of the divide between Whitby and Scarborough and the way in which some councillors have been chosen to represent Whitby on the town council.
But Steve Smith, the town's former mayor who was presiding over the council at the time of the debate has hit back saying the poll which comes out of the public purse at 3,500 is a waste of taxpayers money.
And the poll may not be the last – another town assembly has been called on 19 June to debate whether another poll should be held on whether the town council should merge with neighbouring parishes and yet another was called last week to discuss the results of the poll on Tuesday.
l A Whitby Gazette online poll asking people if they thought their should be a vote on independence from Scarborough Borough Counil attracted more than 1,400 responses. The overwhelming majority – 94% – were in favour of the poll.
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Weather for Whitby
Friday 25 May 2012
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Temperature: 11 C to 17 C
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