Onchan Commissioners to change political surgery dates

They will now be held every three months rather than monthly

Onchan Commissioners met last night and discussed a report about engagement at surgeries held by the local authority.

Board members were told engagement is low, and most email enquiries that come through about them are to do with the MHK surgeries, rather than the commissioners.

Vice Chair Katheryn Williams said the local authority, used to hold them on a Tuesday evening but then changed to hold them on the first Saturday of the month to encourage people to go along.

A suggestion of house visits made by Commissioner Anthony Allen was turned down over safety concerns and attending in pairs was also dismissed as it would take too much time to organise.

The board settled to move the surgeries to quarterly or every three months and to advertise that the commissioners can be contacted over email or the phone if a resident has a query.

At the end of the meeting under any other business Commissioner Derek Crellin said a resident had contacted him after a surgery about ‘inappropriate behaviour’ from Commissioner David Quirk.

The surgery was held at one of the sheltered housing complex’s in the village and the resident said Mr Quirk had ‘taken over’ the meeting.

Mr Crellin said board members should be ‘leading by example’ whilst in public.

Mr Quirk disputed this claim and Ms Williams said the statement shouldn’t have been read in the public meeting.

Commissioner Robin Turton said he ‘welcomes’ all commissioners to the sheltered housing surgeries.

He continued and said the commissioners can get ‘a little heated’, and sometimes residents can get ‘a little heated’ if things don’t go the way they want.

Mr Turton said he would rather people speak their mind at the meetings, but he doesn’t think Commissioner Quirk’s behaviour was ‘in any way inappropriate.’

Two planning applications were supported, one for a bore hole for the Creg Ny Baa pub and one for an extension to a barn on farmland.

The commissioners also congratulated the village’s silver band for coming third in a recent competition.