By Kim Quiteill
MORE shadowy developments at Kumberland Council which lords it over North & West Kumbria.
The Labour-run council was pressed this week on whether it would commit to streaming live council meetings so that taxpayers might tune in?
Supreme leader councillor Mark Fryer, was in no mood for such impertinent, light-shedding suggestions.
“No” he barked in response. Asked again, he grumped: “My answer to that is a short answer – it’s no.”
No discussion. No explanation.
However, Labour underlings at the free-spending unitary authority went on to unilaterally declare that the cost of filming meetings is expensive.
Weedy promises were made to “look into it,” which everybody knows is council-speak for shooing it into the long grass.
And surely filming meetings is no more expensive than having obedient Press Officers on the council payroll sitting in meetings and dutifully taking notes?
These scribblings often blossom into heavily-sanitised and highly-selective Press Releases about council affairs.
Many have to be approved by various high-ranking council line managers, before being released into the wild for public consumption.
It’s quite conceivable that the powers that be at Kumberland may not want too much daylight on council affairs at this time.
It’s still unclear whether Crumbria Police have yet got to the bottom of unexplained spending by staff on council credit cards.
The inexpensive sum involved is alleged to be north of £100,000-plus.
thecumbriachronic.co.uk 
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