Anger over absentee

David Rogers was blasted for his absence by members of the group and its chairman, Cllr Roger Thomas, who called Mr Rogers 'pathetic and unprofessional' and his excuse for non-attendance 'flimsy'.

The South Wealden police community consultative group (PCCG) was meeting for the last time before Sussex Police Authority introduces a new way of consulting with the public later this year.

'We have gone absolutely out of our way to provide a platform for the police authority to explain the new system,' said Cllr Thomas. 'But David Rogers has let us down incredibly badly.

'At the very last minute we were informed by e-mail that he would not be coming. I am utterly disgusted by that. As chairman of the police authority, it is totally unprofessional of him to let us down at the 11th hour.

'Of course, it stems from the same man who led a highly unprofessional consultation effort on the changes in the first place. It may please you to hear that the chairman will not be chairman for very much longer perhaps fate is taking a hand in this.'

Among the members of the committee, many of whom represent towns and parishes around the South Weald, there were rumblings of discontent at Mr Rogers's absence and heads nodded in support of Cllr Thomas's comments.

In his e-mail to the group's clerk, Mr Rogers said he was 'really sorry' that he would not be attending and explained: 'The county council has set up the first meeting of an entirely new group on which I serve as a school governor. I feel I should go to that.'

Clash

The new group in question was the East Sussex Schools Forum. Of his non-appearance Mr Rogers said: 'Of all people, Cllr Thomas will understand that when you have numerous responsibilities, sometimes and regrettably meetings do clash. All the information about the new system was made available to the committee as part of the agenda.'

The new system of meetings will replace the old PCCG groups with larger committees covering larger areas. These larger groups will meet less frequently than the PCCGs have in the past.

Members of the South Wealden PCCG were generally against the idea as many felt it would remove the chance to talk about local issues.

Cllr Roy Martin summed up his own interpretation of the changes this week by saying: 'If I understand it correctly, the current arrangement of four meetings a year will be replaced by just one held in Mongolia, and we will be forced to make a 6,000 mile round trip to attend it.'