Newark and Sherwood District Council’s stance in Johno Lee walkout row
A councillor who stormed out of a meeting after throwing his agenda into the bin says it was his dyslexia that led to him leaving.
Johno Lee walked out of a meeting of Newark and Sherwood District Council’s planning committee after a debate on one application led to him to complain that he couldn’t vote as he hadn’t had time to digest a late addition to the committee papers.
He later returned and sat in the public gallery with a sullen look on his face, saying that he only had access to the agenda two hours before the meeting due to issues with his email and prefered paper copies of the agenda and any additional amendments.
However, in a statement following the meeting, John Robinson, council chief executive, said it was up to all members to ensure that they had all of the information they required prior to a meeting taking place.
“Councillor Lee was supplied with a paper copy of the main agenda for the planning committee and was notified by email that additional papers would be considered at the meeting,” he said.
“While officers do their very best to ensure that councillors have the information they need, and this includes in different formats, individual councillors have a responsibility to ensure that they have the information that they need in advance of a meeting.”
Mr Lee, who has been a councillor for eight years, and has stormed out of meetings before, adopted a more concilliatory tone and sought to clarify the situation, saying in an emal to the council: “I just been able to access my emails, and it has come to my attention that there were certain items such as the additional papers for late items, which I was not previously informed about.
“It is unfortunate that this left me unprepared during the discussions and needing to leave the meeting due to not being able to participate as I felt I would be putting the council in a difficult situation.
“As you may know, due to my dyslexia, I prefer to have paper copies of all documents for every committee I attend.
“I believe it is crucial to ensure that we accommodate all team members' needs and preferences to foster an inclusive working environment.
“Regrettably, in the recent planning meeting, when I mentioned that I had not received the extra agenda copies, I felt as though I was made to feel at fault.
“Moving forward, I kindly request that all necessary documentation and relevant information be made accessible to me in a timely manner.
“It is also important to me that we adopt a more empathetic and understanding approach in our interactions.
“I appreciate your understanding and consideration in this matter. Please let me know if there is a better way for me to receive these updates and documents to ensure I can be fully prepared and effective in future meetings.”
