CRUMBRIA: 11.06.2026
A MYSTERY parish or town council remains hidden from its own residents despite being at the centre of 11 conduct complaints — thanks to Council secrecy and the News & Shrug’s famous allergy to asking questions.
Councillors are falling out, factions have formed, rules are not being understood or followed, and clerks are getting dragged into the bunfight.
“You have no authority here, Jackie Weaver!”
Yesterday Cumberland Councillors looking into the affair voted to eject Press and Public from the room.
The committee agreed to go into private session which meant the local rag, in accordance with the highest and most professional journalistic traditions, packed up its bags and compliantly walked out just as things got interesting.
This is despite having traipse-arsed all the way from Carlisle to Whitehaven for the “public” meeting.
Local newspapers can challenge decisions to go into secret session but the News & Shrug courageously decided: “Nah! I’ll shoot off.”
Meanwhile, the mystery parish or town council remains safely hidden from the public and readers of the tanking tabloid newspaper.
These grassroots councils don’t have multi-million pound budgets or reputations for ferrying in the Pimms, but they do spend public money, employ clerks and make decisions that affect taxpayers.
If one of them is generating this much grief, residents have a right to know if it is the one down the road.
Instead, we get democracy behind closed doors, elected public officials chit-chatting in private and a local paper leaving early having been told what it is allowed to know.
So much for the Editorette telling readers in March that “local journalists are vital to local democracy, transparency and accountability!”
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