Annual Town Meeting

With the civic year already mainly completed why does the Town Council wait until April to set a date for the Annual Town Meeting? Also why does it have to be in tandem with the Annual Council Meeting which follows.

Last year Cllr Thorpe tried to have the Annual Town Meeting on the night of the General election. It was even published in Priorites. But it was changed. 

So why have these meetings in tandem? The Annual Town Meeting is an important civic event where the Town can get together and ask questions and pass motions on any subject affecting the Town. By putting the Town Meeting in front of the Annual Council Meeting there is already time pressure on the Town Meeting to conclude.

The Annual Council Meeting is a civic event by itself. Instead of running both on one evening they should be split. The Annual Town Meeting has to be held between 1st March and 31st May each year.

Putting this Annual Meeting before the Annual Council meeting does the people of St Neots a disservice. The Annual Town Meeting should be separate from the Annual Council Meeting. They are able to achieve this in other Town Councils. Why is St Neots left to second best?