Latest missive to Councillor Thomas, who this time, as you will see, has plumbed new depths by adding a confidentiality clause to an email that I wrote to him! A blatant and stupid attempt to gag me. Does he really think I am either stupid or easily scared off? Oh dear! JOHN FITZGERALD From: johnfitz59@hotmail.com To: cllr.barry.thomas@powys.gov.uk Subject: RE: Gwernyfed Date: Fri, 11 Dec 2015 15:01:04 +0000 Dear Cllr Thomas Thank you for your email of 8 December. Before responding to the content I must protest in the strongest possible terms at a blatant and misguided attempt to "gag" me by adding a confidentiality clause to the end of my previous email which followed on at the end of yours. How dare you, this is not a police state and you have no right to put a confidentiality clause on my emails. I have consistently made public my emails to you as I do not write confidential correspondence on matters of local and public policy which anyone has a right to see. If you are foolish enough to add a confidentiality clause to your emails to me that is a matter for you, even if it is incredibly stupid, but do not interfere with mine. Therefore, I want an apology and a withdrawal of that clause with immediate effect, I will not be "gagged" by you or anyone else. This email will immediately go into the public domain. As for your response to my email, it is clear that instead of trying to solve a problem you are more concerned with saving face and apparently will stop at nothing to achieve that but what is clear is that your plan is unravelling by the day and your staff and the cabinet are clearly not as one. With regard to your revised Schools Transformation Policy (which is now in the public domain) it has clearly it has been both badly written caused by the rush with which it has been carried out and still does not comply with the Schools Statutory Code as you seem to be unable to grasp two simple facts: to carry out a community impact assessment you must consult the people on whom the impact is to be visited before writing the statement, it’s not just a statutory obligation, its common sense to only consult community councils is not enough, appropriate though that is, the Local Authority must consult in advance, students who will be effected, parents whose children will be effected, staff who are at risk of job losses and community groups involved with schools (there are 34 at Gwernyfed) who may have to close. Time to politically grow up councillor. JOHN FITZGERALD