Community Engagement group created as one councillor increases her power over Burgess Hill residents

WARNING!!! Those with weak hearts should exercise caution when reading the following report.

Burgess Hill Town councillors have created a new key area group titled 'Community Engagement'
That in itself is funny.

The group's creator and chairman is the notorious media obsessed and power hungry 'Publicity' Pru Moore. Members of this group appear to be pretty much hand-picked by Pru as they feature a number of her nodding dogs (including her own granddaughter!)

Essentially, this group should be titled 'Pru Moore - dictator of the people'

Social Media
Unsurprisingly, the group will be responsible for a stack of things.
The funniest is this....
'To oversee the use and development of social media and new technology to improve and expand the communication between the Council and the community.'

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, aaaaaaaah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!
I'm rolling around the floor here readers. Pru Moore and Anne Jones in charge of Twitter and Facebook!!??? The council may as well stop by a retirement home and ask the residents to come up with some social media campaigns.

Earlier this week, the Martlets Shopping Centre - on behalf of the Burgess Hll Town Centre Partnership - had an epic fail on Facebook when promoting their 'very speical' VIP guest this from a partnership with marketing experts. With this in mind, can you imagine the disaster that Pru Moore and her mob are going to make of using Twitter and Facebook?

If that's logical, then i'm off to start a dress makers business. I may know nothing about dressmaking, but what does that matter?!!


Community Events
You may recall that earlier this year, Pru Moore hit out at the public for not getting involved in the Burgess Hill Festival Committee. Our theory was that for all her moaning, she didn't actually want anyone else involved. The festival committee's website didn't contain any details of the help they needed or when they meet. Surprise surprise, that committee has folded, AGAIN!

It looks like Pru Moore has got her wish for dominance, because another remit of the new community engagement key group is...
'To determine on an annual basis the events in the community, including Burgess Hill Festival Week, that the Town Council will organise or co-ordinate, taking into account the staff and financial resources of the Council.'

This is extremely worrying. Events in Burgess Hill have been very repetative, and in some cases this year, a complete shambles! Want some proof? Read: The Jubilee Picnic Fail! - full of complaints from residents! and the country fayre with no details!

People like Pru Moore and other town councillors involved in the old festival committee are now part of the community engagement key group. What's going to change? You don't suddenly become a creative genuis and turn things around.

It's interesting to note that council staff are going to be responsible for all the paperwork and legalities of putting on these events as decided by Pru Moore. If our council are financially responsible, then these staff members aren't going to have the time to carry out Pru's orders.

The ideal solution, as mentioned on Burgess Hill Uncovered before, is to use the services of an events organiser on an ad-hoc basis. Think Miranda Parker from Neighbours or Home and Away's Roo Stewart. That's far too simple for councillors to think of though. Sure, it may cost a few more pennies, but a good events organiser would know how to recoup that money too.


There's a whole host of other things to write about, but that's for another time!

Got an opinion on this story? Leave a comment below.....
How do you feel about the same failed event organisers now having complete control over all community events in Burgess Hill? Do you think the council are being naive as to allow Pru Moore to decide how they use social media? Are you at all concerned about how one woman is being allowed to increase her influence over many aspects of community life?