Thetford Town Council blames 'outsiders' for rowdy meetings

Thetford Town Council has addressed the controversy after a series of chaotic sessions which fell into disorder during sections dedicated to questions from the public.

In recent months, these have been hijacked by a group of protestors, called Thetford Council Watch, who are furious with the authority's recent decision to declare a "climate emergency" and commit £30,000 to tackling it.

However, the council claims that members of the group are not locals, and has called for an end to rowdy behaviour at meetings.

A spokesman said: "Thetford Town Council would like to express its disappointment at the continued disruption to its meetings.

"At our latest meeting, some members of the public, many of whom lived outside of Thetford, continuously refused to adhere to the council's standing orders, leading to a temporary suspension of the meeting.

"Whilst the council encourages questions from the public on matters related to council business, it asks that all participants conduct themselves respectfully and avoid any disruptive or inappropriate behaviour during the meetings."

The Guildhall, where meetings of Thetford Town Council are held (Image: Sonya Duncan) WHO ARE THETFORD COUNCIL WATCH?

Thetford Council Watch, previously known as the Thetford Sovereign Council and before that the Thomas Paine Independents - after the town's most famous son whose writings influenced the American Revolution and the Enlightenment - attend council meetings to raise topics such as sex education in schools, transgender issues and the use of vaccines. 

However, their biggest gripe is with the council's recent decision to declare a "climate emergency" and commit £30,000 to tackling it, arguing there are better ways to spend the money in the town.

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A meeting of Thetford Council Watch (Image: LSB Film Productions) The group say they are holding authority to account in the name of "freedom and common sense", and go to the meetings to express their views and scrutinise councillors.

The council hired a private security team to "safeguard councillors" after the group disrupted a series of consecutive meetings. 

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE LAST MEETING?

The statement follows a meeting last Tuesday that was disrupted by the group.

Members of Thetford Council Watch called for the £30,000 allocated to tackling the "climate emergency" to instead be used to support pensioners who will see their winter fuel payments cut.

Police officers attended the last meeting of Thetford Town Council (Image: LSB Film Productions) The council's private security team - who will appear at every full council session for the "foreseeable future" at a rate of £180 per attendance - appeared unable to subdue protestors as they proceeded to shout at councillors.

A member of council staff called 999 just 40 minutes into the session and officers attended to "prevent any further breaches of the peace".

A spokeswoman for Norfolk Police said: "No criminal offences have been identified at this point and the meeting carried on.

"We will continue to work closely with the town council as we have done for the past few months."

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A security guard watches over a meeting of Thetford Town Council (Image: LSB Film Productions) WHAT DO THE COUNCIL SAY? 

Despite meetings being repeatedly disrupted, the authority has largely refrained from formally addressing the issue - until now.

A spokesman for Thetford Town Council said: "At our latest meeting, some members of the public, many of whom lived outside of Thetford, continuously refused to adhere to the council's standing orders, leading to a temporary suspension of the meeting.

"Unfortunately, the disturbance continued during the agenda item discussing the upcoming remembrance parade, preventing the council from effectively discussing and planning the event.

"As a result, the meeting was further suspended. Several attendees who were not involved in the disruption chose to leave the meeting, feeling very uncomfortable with the ongoing severity of the disturbance.

"Councillors are democratically elected volunteers dedicated to carrying out council business on behalf of the community. However, their ability to do so has been disrupted by the behaviour of some attendees.

"We are committed to ensuring a respectful and safe environment and will not tolerate any disruptive or inappropriate behaviour towards councillors, staff, or members of the public.

"We are continuing to work with the police and legal advisers to ensure that council business can be conducted, continuing to maintain openness and transparency, while protecting the democratic process and enabling councillors to carry out their roles effectively."