TENDRING Council’s cabinet is breaking with tradition and holding a series of evening meetings.

Please forgive a Tendring Talk groan, but I have sat through more town hall cabinet meetings than we care to remember.

Here is a summary of what happens: 1. The meetings start with leader David Lines reading out a health and safety message about fire exits.

(It makes a change from former leader Terry Allen’s opening gambit at every meeting: “Somewhere in the world it’s 12’o’clock.”

Strangely, it never became tiresome.) 2. Opposition councillors seated in the public gallery can ask questions - but only if they have tabled them ahead of the meeting. The cabinet members generally do not respond, choosing to provide a written response at a later date instead.

3. Cabinet members make announcements. Generally this involves cabinet members giving their fellow portfolio holders or officers a pat on the back for their “sterling efforts”.

4. Decisions that have already been discussed in behind-closed-doors meetings are rubber-stamped. This involves another round of cabinet members praising officers, this time for compiling the reports, and portfolio holders, for their “sterling work”.

5. Some of the councillors look smug or amused when it is announced the next item is to be heard in private and the press desk clears. They don’t address the public gallery because there are no public in the gallery.

6. After the meeting the opposition councillors, apparently upset at their lack of involvement in proceedings, complain to the press.

The key, decision-making meetings generally takes about 15 minutes.

Next Thursday’s first ever evening cabinet meeting should last longer because residents have been invited to come and ask questions.

I have a feeling more opposition councillors will turn up than residents.

But I would love it if it if I was wrong and residents prove they are interested in making sure democracy is alive and well in Tendring.