History of The Stradbroke Monthly 1980 - 2015 1980
Birth • It was started in 1980 by Les Carter. Described as ‘Stradbroke’s own monthly news-sheet’ and with the hope of ‘…helping drawing us together.’ It states it is ‘published under the auspices of the Parish Council’. The magazine contact is at ‘4 Eastlands, Tel 529’ • At the same time the Vicar, Theo Dobson in the Hoxne Deanery News, offers that Stradbroke owes Les Carter ‘ …gratitude for his effort and initiative’ • It was agreed between the Vicar, Theo Dobson, the Parochial Church Council and the Parish Council to support Les Carters suggestion and that the parish should start its own local magazine, under the auspices of the Parish Council. • Many people support this venture in different ways, as set out on the front page of the first edition: o Finance will come from advertisers and contributing organisations. o Mrs Martin at the Post Office will be acting as an additional receiving office for contributions (both financial and written).
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History of The Stradbroke Monthly 1980-‐2015 1986
What happens next? • Les Carter retires as editor by placing an advert in the magazine. He mentions at the Parish Council Meeting in March 1986 that he will be doing this. He asks through the magazine, if anyone fancies volunteering as a ‘hobby’ or if a group of people may wish to share out the jobs involved. Les invites anyone who is interested to join the team to a meeting at his home, 4 Eastlands, Stradbroke on 24th April 1986 • He reports in the next Magazine that the outcome of the meeting at his house is that the Rector David Streeter will be editor, that Margaret Streeter, Joan Christian and Susan Lester will be typing the stencils and that Ms Stella Bryant would be working the duplicator. Mrs Lester and Mrs Joan Smith would be stapling the sheets. Mrs Foulsham would continue to be in charge of distribution. The Advertisments and headings would soon be printed by Tanside Press in Horham. • Mr Carter would do the last issue (June) in May 1986 and then the ‘new team would take over’. • David Streeter takes over and the magazines continue to state on them: ‘The Stradbroke Monthly is published under the auspices of the Parish Council’ 2007
The Editor retires… • David Streeter is magazine editor until the March 2007 edition when he retires. • The magazine was handed on by David to Tony Ambler, and the production team of Claire Hargrave (layout), Mike Readman (advertising), Wendy Reeves (distribution). Ann Kerr acted as a “Representative of Stradbroke Parish Council”, to ensure the magazine continued. • Tony Ambler describes (via email on 18.5.15) the handing over of the magazine thus: “I believe the following to be an accurate account of the hand over of the magazine. I replied to an advertisement in the magazine for a new editor and, as such, met with Mike Readman and Ann Kerr to discuss the hand over. At the time the magazine was being edited and printed by David Streeter and a group of villagers who compiled the edition from the pages David supplied. My belief is that the magazine had been created many years before this by someone in the village and, when they could no longer publish it, David took over and changed it to reflect both the village and the church. At the initial meeting I was told that David Streeter was hoping to retire and the magazine, if no one could be found to edit it, would no longer be published but the date of the hand over of the magazine depended on David relinquishing his editorship. I was told that the magazine should be self funding and to that end, if it carried on, Mike Readman had volunteered to take over the gathering of payments and the selling of advertising space. I was told that the magazine supplies (paper and ink etc) would be purchased out of the advertising revenue by the council, but the content of the magazine would be at my discretion. Any magazine articles published were to reflect the village and events and not any single person or groups views. If my remit meant that the content had been censored or reviewed by the council, I would not have become involved in the magazine. I believed then and still do believe that the magazine is not a Parish Council magazine; it’s a village magazine that supports the endeavours of the many groups in Stradbroke and gives them all the ability to advertise their events and not their ideology. Tony Ambler”
2009/10 • Tony Ambler edited the magazine with the team until September 2009, when he announced he wished to hand over to someone else. Tony offered a long handover period but a new editor, Dudley Wood came forward the following month from within the support team (Dudley had joined the support team in Jan 2009 possibly about the same time that Colin Jones joined the support team). • Tony and Mike put much effort into training Dudley, and he works alongside Tony and Mike for the November issue and the Dec/Jan issue. The plan being that for the Feb 2010 issue Dudley would take over.
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History of The Stradbroke Monthly 1980-‐2015 • Mid January 2010, Dudley starts sending emails saying he needs more computer tuition and suggesting he is not sure he has the skills necessary to be editor, and the team need to train him. Mike offers to help. • On the 21st January, days before the deadline, the Dudley Wood emails Mike Readman to say he won’t after all, be able to be editor and that he is suffering a sudden dramatic health issue. • The team pull together, take on the editor role between them and advertise again for another editor on the front page of the March 2010 Magazine. The Editorial team take Tony Amblers ‘Editor Jobs List’ he made for his handover and create an editing guidelines document for the new editors. • Clare Beaumont, Vicki Gratton and Roy Preston get in touch with the magazine via email and all offer to help with being an editor. All are invited via email to the next Magazine meeting. • Clare Beaumont takes on the editorship for the first month. Mike and Clare managed to get all the articles organised. • Meeting of the magazine (23rd March) Roy Preston doesn’t turn up, Vicki and Clare do and agree to take it in turns and learn the ropes. • July 2010 Clare Beaumont has a baby and moves out of Stradbroke and Vicki takes on the editing role from the July edition. 2011
Cancer arrives. • Mike Readman goes in to hospital January 2011 after a cancer diagnosis and contingency plans are put in place. Annie asks Carol Smy to support with the advertising while he is ill and Colin Jones to support with the organising printing during Mike Readman’s hospitalisation and recovery. • April 2011 Vicki Gratton resigns as Magazine editor due to ‘level of commitment required for the role’. Advert by editors goes on front page. • Marianne Pierce Saunderson offers to be an editor and joins the magazine. • Claire Hargrave and Marianne Pierce Saunderson agree to share the editing and publishing roles as Marianne Pierce Saunderson has the publisher skills as well as editing skills. • July 2011 Colin Jones leaves the magazine support team without any reason. There is no handover and Ann Kerr tries to sort out the printing and distribution management. 2012 • Ann Kerr is also diagnosed with cancer and stops attending most meetings, although tries to keep involved via email. Mikes health continues to fluctuate and he never fully resumes his advertising role although continues to support via email, and also stops attending meetings. • July 2012 The front page again asks for more volunteers. Vicky Beckley, Helen Pleasance and Toni Wisbey apply and all are invited to join the team by Claire Hargrave and Marianne Pierce Saunderson. • Toni Wisbey attends a welcome meeting with the team, but due to a serious family illness doesn’t take up the position. • Claire Hargrave and Marianne Pierce Saunderson train the new editors. After a few months it is agreed that all four Editors can do the editing roles, however the team split into two whereby Claire and Marianne undertake layout and Vicky and Helen undertake the submission editing. All decisions continue to be made by the team as a whole as has always been the case. • January 2013 Ann Kerr dies from cancer. • April 2013 Mike Readman dies from cancer.
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History of The Stradbroke Monthly 1980-‐2015 2013
Agendas and Allegations. • In response to a request in the monthly for help with the Stradbroke.org.uk website, in September 2013 a group of three people (Don Darling, Cllr Gerald Jenkins and Roger Turkington) propose to replace the Stradbroke website (where the Stradbroke Monthly had always had its online profile.) • Two editors (Claire Hargrave and Marianne Pierce Saunderson) attend a meeting with the three and James Hargrave who ran the site. Claire had also been involved in the website since approx. 2005. This meeting resolved nothing and the three subsequently set up another Stradbroke website. • Subsequently Cllr Gerald Jenkins sent a confidential email just to Marianne Pierce Saunderson asking her to help them with their site and reflecting that the magazine content would of course be very useful to their site. Dear Marianne, Did your last email to the group of us mean that you are interested in being part of a team that would produce an up to date rolling electronic diary of future events and reports of events that have just taken place? A kind of electronic Magazine? Obviously, the connection to the information stream coming into the Magazine would be invaluable. Could you please reply just to me on this point? Best wishes, Gerald • The two editors (CH/MPS) met with Cllr Nick Stones as Chair of the PC and with Carol Smy, Clerk, and asked for the protection of the Parish Council for The Stradbroke Monthly. Nick said that he felt the team could choose to print whatever they felt was appropriate and that it was their decision. He understood why the team didn’t wish to be involved with the other site in any way, including promoting it. He said the Stradbroke Monthly Editors ‘obviously’ had discretion to do as they saw fit. • Animosity grew from Don Darling, Roger Turkington, Cllr Gerald Jenkins towards Cllr James Hargrave and the existing Stradbroke website. This mainly played out in Parish Council meetings but also started to affect the Stradbroke Monthly. This appears to be mainly due to Cllr Hargrave repeatedly pointing out to the Council in meetings that they were attempting to make decisions about the Stradbroke Monthly without involving the people who produced it. Don Darling, Roger Turkington, Cllr Gerald Jenkins requested that the Parish Council decide they to be given the Stradbroke Monthly for their new website and the Magazine Editors refused to give them the content as a PDF, given their earlier statements that it was a ‘good information stream’ for their website. The editors considered their hard work was being ‘creamed off.’ 2014 • In Feb 2014 Pam Cane (Former Parish Council Clerk and owner of Waterloo House ‘Spar’ Shop) submitted an article that insinuated heavily that an identifiable Councillor (Cllr James Hargrave) was a bully. The editors invited her to resubmit the article and supplied her with the legal definition of defamation. Pam was unhappy with the editors questioning her article but resubmitted it having read the definition of defamation. The editors then published it. • In May 2014 the editors declined to publish an article advertising the new website, which they felt had been established in bad faith and did not want to be involved in publicising it. They felt it undermined the connection with the existing website, a connection the editors had freely chosen to develop. • Don subsequently (August 2014) wrote to Cllr Lynda Ellison Rose with a series of points he wished to have addressed about this issue and Pam Canes articles not being published. • When the Stradbroke. info website became the official Parish Council Website the Editors then decided they should publish their articles which they subsequently have. At this
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History of The Stradbroke Monthly 1980-‐2015
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time the Parish Council Appointed Councillor Lynda Ellison-Rose as an ‘ambassador’ to the Magazine, and she immediately investigated the written complaints from Don Darling. She responded to them and the issue was concluded. Much of the written complaint was laced with anger/irritation towards Cllr James Hargrave who had no active involvement in the magazine production. The editors decided to publish the magazine on a third party website and offered a link to it, which was accepted. Don Darling emailed, refusing a polite request from the editors to credit ‘The Stradbroke Monthly’ on the official Parish Council website: Don Darling said they “came to the conclusion it is not necessary” At the same time (May 2014), Pam Cane submitted a further article which seemed to include inaccurate information about the Court House Post Office application (which she had a vested interest in) and also tried to insinuate Cllr Hargrave was a bully and that two other contributors (Ann Readman and Richard Pierce Saunderson) were liars. The Editors again, sent a response asking for a resubmission, with a copy of the defamation definition. The Editors also sent the article to the three people criticised, and to the Library manager for fact checking. If they were happy to say they would not sue tem the Editors would have published. The library manager responded with multiple corrections of fact if the article were to go ahead. Two contributors, whilst both unhappy at the clear insinuation of lying, felt that it was unfair that Pam Cane had placed the Magazine in this situation and said they would not object to publication. One person, Cllr Hargrave responded by saying he reserved the right to sue for libel if the Editors published the article. Pam Cane withdrew her article at this point in its entirety. The Editors found out afterwards that at the same time that this was happening Pam Cane had been given the opportunity to offer corrections to a blog post by Cllr Hargrave she was claiming to be inaccurate, but wouldn’t provide enough detail of exactly what she was concerned by. The Editors produced a set of Submission Guidelines as they felt they were being repeatedly placed in a dreadful position by people who could be being vexatious. Things escalated. A discussion took place at Parish Council about whether the magazine could or should be censored and told what they could and couldn’t put in. Councillors started to propose all manner of things and the Magazine Editors sought advice about where they stood. They were advised that the most protective action for the Magazine was to put it into a community asset vehicle to stop this level of interference and keep the magazine as a community asset. This would also protect the current and any future editors from being personally sued for libel as a CIC (Community interest Company) or CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation) would give the editors limited liability. The editors produced a document called “The Editors Position Statement”, explaining this and gave it to The Chair of the Parish Council. The Parish Council approached SALC for legal advice, which they then used to vote on, saying they were the owner of The Stradbroke Monthly. They did not share this advice with the Council or the editors. Councillor Gerald Jenkins tried to table motions to vote that the Parish Council owned the magazine. In response to a vote taken to make the Editors give the other website their hard work every month, Cllr Hargrave called an EGM of the Parish Council to debate the motion tabled below. Councillor Jenkins suggestions are here in full, made to all Parish Councillors and the Editors (The meeting was called off as the Chair agreed to investigate the situation further. The Editors noted the constant references to Cllr Hargrave and ownership): 12th July 2014 “At the Extraordinary Meeting of the Parish Council called by James, scheduled for yesterday evening and then cancelled by him, I had hoped to question him about the proposition described under item (d) of the Agenda which stated: d) The Council passed a resolution that it had no legal power to make instructing the editors of the parish magazine what to do when it does not control or own the magazine. I wanted to ask James that if he thought that the Parish Council did not own or control the Magazine, who did he think did? Was it him personally? Claire? Both of them? The Editors? All of them? What proportion of the ownership belonged to each?
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History of The Stradbroke Monthly 1980-‐2015 The fact that James then suddenly cancelled the meeting which he had been so insistent to call, suggests that he has finally come to accept the situation as it really is. Fortunately, in reality, none of this is important now because we have a definitive legal ruling that the Parish Council is indeed the ‘First Owner’ of the Magazine and always has been. Although the Parish Council is the ‘First Owner’ there is still some uncertainty about the exact status of the copyright in the actual words of the magazine as it is printed. Because there is no written contract, this copyright might belong to the original writers of the articles, to the editors after they have adapted those entries or indeed to the Parish Council. It would require a lengthy and expensive court case to determine exactly what the situation is. Fortunately, although this is undoubtedly a difficulty for magazines that have already been published, it will not be a problem for editions to be published in the future. As ‘First Owner’ the Parish Council can insist that all copyright in the Magazine will in future belong exclusively to the Parish Council and it is the Parish Council which appoints volunteer editors to produce it. I think that on Monday we should form a small working party of the Parish Council to draw up such a contract for editors of all future issues to sign. I suggest that in addition to the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, it could consist of myself, Lynda and Stuart Crane. Of course, these are only suggestions and can be agreed or changed by Councillors at the meeting on Monday. However, I do not think that James should be included as this a technical meeting not a negotiation. There is nothing to negotiate about. It is for the Parish Council alone by majority decision to decide on the terms of the contract for editors In just a few days, we should be able to draw up a simple and clear contract for future editors and then email it to all Councillors for comments. Each of the editors can then decide whether or not they wish to sign it and so continue as an editor in future. Obviously, we all hope that they will all wish to continue. The September issue will be the first to be published under the new regime and electronic copies of the finished magazine will then be delivered to both websites to publish as they wish. It seems that there has been a serious attempt to acquire ‘squatter’s rights’ to the Magazine after it has been produced very well by Claire and the team for about ten years. ..[emails quoted] It seems that James had right up until yesterday evening disputed the fact that the Parish Council is indeed the ‘First Owner’ of the Magazine. If he now wishes to challenge this ruling, he must go to the Courts and sue the Parish Council. See you on Monday!
• The editors were horrified and upset. A working Party was called in the subsequent PC meeting and Cllrs Jenkins, Crane and Rennie-Dunkerley (wife of Roger Turkington) were directly appointed by the chair as well as Cllr Ellison Rose. Cllr John also put herself forward. • The working party meeting was unproductive. Cllr Jenkins and Cllr Crane constantly referred to Cllr Hargrave, Cllr Rennie Dunkerley said the magazine was tired and continually described scenarios where the Parish Council had the magazine and the current editors could do their own ‘community insert’. • The Editors tried to explain their voluntary role and the nature of the evolution of the magazine through the community handover. They tried to explain the advice they had been given about agreeing together to place the Magazine in a Community Asset vehicle. • Cllr Jenkins declared the Parish Council will vote to own the magazine saying the editors will be given contracts. If the current editors don’t sign them then there are other people happy to step in to sign contracts and edit the magazine. • The meeting ended. • The Parish Council Meeting came and Cllr Jenkins attempted to put through his suggestion, but it didn’t work. Councillor Gemmill proposed the magazine be allowed to continue as it always has done and this was seconded. The council voted to leave The Stradbroke Monthly as it was. • Carol Smy, Clerk, makes a statement to the Parish Council Meeting that was under a lot of stress and pressure. The Editors discuss this and offer, via Cllr Lynda Ellison-Rose to ‘take back’ the advertising that Annie Kerr had asked her to support with when Mike Readman was ill. The team at this point is now bigger and able to manage it again. Helen Pleasance becomes advertising coordinator.
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History of The Stradbroke Monthly 1980-‐2015 2015
Purdah • The Stradbroke Monthly received a Parish Pump article from Carol Smy, the Parish Council Clerk that appeared to breach the LGA guidance for pre election publicity (“Publicity relating to individuals involved directly in the election should not be published unless expressly authorised by statute.”) by naming two candidates in the upcoming election – Cllr Hargrave and Cllr Gemmill. The Editors challenged this with Ms Smy and Carol Smy sent a revised article that anonymised the councillors involved, which the Editors agreed to publish. • Two days later another version came via email as a replacement which was written to draw attention to her complaint about Cllr Hargrave. The editors, again challenged the naming of a councillor and suggested this may fall foul of the law. • Then ANOTHER version came in (although not naming him, it would have been very clear who it referred to due to other actions taking place outside of the PC) and mentioned ‘disciplinary action’ which the Editors knew to be inaccurate. • With very little time left to act (the last three resubmissions were after the closing date), the Editors sought independent advice which directed them to the Representation of the People Act, Section 106, and the editors noted it applied to the publishers as well as the authors of inaccurate claims against candidates. The Editors decided as a team not to publish that section of the article and made a statement. The Clerk has not formally replied to the Editors or made any complaint to the magazine team. The official Parish Council website (attributed to Don Darling) did however comment, saying erroneously “The parish magazine is being pubished<sic> a week early because of the elections. The Magazine always includes the Parish Pump, a summary of the last council meeting. We have just learnt that the magazine editors have refused to publish the article as supplied by the Clerk and deleted the Chairmans report. You can read the unedited version here" • The Editors published the disputed section in the following months Stradbroke Monthly. • Don Darling makes claims on Stradbroke .info that the magazine was published early because of the election, which was untrue. The editors informed him of this. He ignored the editors and kept it on the website. Helen Pleasance received an email from Roger Turkington making claims about interactions between the editors and the Parish Clerk which were untrue. The editors wish to know how Roger Turkington has become an (all be it ill informed) party to these discussions. • After the election, Lynda Ellison Rose, who was not re-elected to the PC, remained on the magazine team now as an Editor, and takes over the ‘advertising coordinator’ role.
New Parish Council. Old Problems. • At the first Parish Council Meeting of the new council, there was another attempt to sack the four editors. • Firstly Pam Cane stood up and gave a speech in the public session stating as fact that the editors are biased. She gave her year old, resolved, May 2014 experience as an example, but alluded to multiple complaints. • Cllr Olly Last interpreted the section of the agenda entitled – Allocation of portfolios to be a place to assert their authority over the editors to effectively sack the current editors and appoint new ones. Former Councillors Gillian Rennie Dunkerley (Roger Turkington’s Wife) and Stuart Crane had put themselves forward as new editors for the magazine. • There was disagreement and in the opinion of the Editorial team Councillor Lummis summed it up. ‘This is personal’ • Another Extraordinary Meeting was called for June 2nd 2015. This was then apparently cancelled by the chair on 26th May 2015.
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History of The Stradbroke Monthly 1980-‐2015 • On Sunday May 24th Cllr Gemmill put a letter though the door at Claire Hargrave’s home. (see below)
The Gemmill Letter • The Editors have no knowledge of the criticism and verbal abuse the Chair claims has taken place (no evidence has been supplied) • The Editors have no knowledge of the ‘number of complaints of bias’ that are reported by the chair to have taken place over the last 12 months. • The Editors are bemused that they have not received any ‘recent complaints’ as relied on by Cllr Gemmill and Pam Cane as evidence of bias. • There is no evidence through experience or Parish Pump records, or the minutes the editors have access to that the Parish Council have done anything other than occasionally thank people for volunteering. After the editors have already joined. • The Parish council provides a service to the Stradbroke Monthly of invoicing advertisers, collecting the payments and paying the printing bill out of the money generated by the advertising money. When the Monthly was set up there was no way for it to do it itself. • The Editors are accountable for the Stradbroke Monthly. The Editors homes are ‘on the line’ if the magazine is sued. • Stuart Gemmill acted ultra vires in sending this letter. This is not an agreed action of the Parish Council and Cllr Gemmill exceeded his lawful authority in sending it.
Conclusion After the 'Takeover Proposal' put forward at the last Parish Council meeting (18/5/15), the editors are being put in the position of being 'damned if they do and damned if they don't' respond to this letter about the magazine.
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History of The Stradbroke Monthly 1980-‐2015 We are four working mothers volunteering to make a magazine each month from everything the village wants to share. We do not write any articles but there have been a few occasions when we have needed to query content. Written complaints to the magazine constitute disagreement over 0.17% of all articles submitted since April 2007 (4 out of 2,370 articles). All issues where articles have been either the source of complaint combined with where the editors have had to raise an issue with a submitter due to the content being not in a publishable form constitutes 0.38% of all articles submitted to the magazine since April 2007 (9 out of 2,370 articles). The Editors, The Stradbroke Monthly June 2015
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