I whole-heartedly agree with Lawrence Weetman’s overall view in regard to the closure of ShapeYourPlace.
It provided an excellent vehicle for communications within the community and problem solving.
I also have no doubt that readers of ShapeYourPlace will have learned something useful about the manner in which local authority functions, from reading official replies or comments by persons such as myself.
It is quite clear to me that the closure of ShapeYourPlace will immediately result in a great deal of officer time being spent unnecessarily fielding enquiries and repeat reports of issues.
The situation was well expressed by Mr Colin Turner in the site’s dying minutes on March 25:
“To me, it’s as if the county council, having provided a well-lit pathway to a public meeting space, has decided to turn off the lights and leave us to blunder around with hand-held torches.
“If I was of a cynical turn of mind I might even suspect that some of our elected representatives resent the glow that threatens to disturb their slumbers.
“If the county council had really been serious about improving communications and community engagement it should have given it a central place in its communications strategy and publicised it far more energetically.
“The county council has missed the opportunity to make ShapeYourPlace a beacon of good practice for other local authorities to follow.”
CLLR CHRISTINE COLBERT
Town councillor, Chatteris
Via e-mail
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