Councillors boycott sitting of Hanover PC

WESTERN BUREAU:

Councillors boycotted the Hanover Parish Council's monthly meeting yesterday as they await legal advice following an injunction filed by Mayor Lloyd Hill to prevent them from ousting him as their chairman.

Hill stood alone in the council's chambers with members of other government agencies, as he apologetically announced the cancellation, and that council meetings would resume in September after their annual break.

"I was informed this morning that the councillors would not be attending the meeting as they are seeking further legal advice on the injunction that was filed in the Supreme Court on July 8," a soft-spoken Hill revealed.

The matter will be heard in court on July 22. The mayor's legal team filed the order in the wake of a no-confidence motion from the six councillors including four of his People's National Party (PNP) colleagues.

uphill battle

For more than a month, Hill has faced an uphill battle in defending his post as mayor and chairman of the Hanover Parish Council as his council members have made several attempts to oust him.

The Gleaner understands that five councillors wrote letters to secretary manager Alfred Graham - most recently, last week - to file no-confidence motions against Hill, pointing to his autocratic style of leadership.

Normal parish council procedures dictate that motions and decisions have to be ratified by majority votes of the political directorates on both sides of the floor.

"The PNP is dealing with that internal matter (as it relates to the other PNP councillors) to ensure that we can function together in unity as one council," Hill said.

The embattled mayor, however, held firm that the business of the council would continue come September with or without the support of his colleagues.

"Since the injunction was filed, the council has had several meetings and when we return from our usual break in August, the business of the Hanover Parish Council will continue," he declared.