COUNCIL MEETING 18 OCTOBER

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 19th Oct 2007

Basildon Council's October meeting proved to be the usual bear-pit, despite the presence, at least initially, of young school council reps trying to gain an insight into how local democracy works.Fears about proposed developments at Basildon Golf Course were dismissed out of hand, at least one former councillor, a member of the public at the meeting, was treated to the most astonishing tirade by a senior Tory, and attempts to debate sensibly the potential disposal of community assets by the Conservatives descended into the accustomed Punch and Judy knockabout.

TORY PRIORITIES

With everything else currently affecting Basildon District the Tories chose to force through a motion about Europe, an area where the local council can have little - correction - no influence whatsoever.