Just three meetings into Maitland’s newly elected council and there is already a clear division between elected representatives with historic Morpeth caught in the crossfire.
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A seemingly mundane recommendation to consult Morpeth community members on a State plan to list Morpeth as a heritage conservation area was overturned in a shock motion during Tuesday night’s council meeting.
Labor’s Robert Aitchison supported a council officer’s recommendation to consult the community but team Penfold member Mike Yarrington moved to quash the plan which Deputy Mayor Sally Halliday supported.
The eleventh hour motion was passed, backed by Liberal councillors and team Penfold members, leaving the city’s four Labor councillors flabbergasted and a gallery mostly full of Morpeth residents aghast.
Robert Aitchison was quick to brand the alliance of independents and Liberal Party members as “Penfold’s Puppets”.
“We were totally stunned,” Cr Aitchison said.
“We came in and saw another motion was put on the table without any consultation,” he said.
“I can’t believe the other councillors didn’t put forward their reasons for voting against the officer’s recommendation.
“I think they are just following someone else's lead which begs the question whether they consulted the community before making a decision,” Cr Aitchison said.
“All we were going to do was give support towards the next step of the town being consulted. But nothing will be set in stone until the community is consulted.
“I think there’s a bit of a power play and a few deals going on.
“When it came to the vote on Cr Yarrington’s motion, many of them raised their hands with great trepidation.
“They’re the Penfold Puppets,” Cr Aitchison said.
“We need to find a way that the community can be consulted, after all they are the people who live there.”
Cr Philip Penfold, a former North Ward councillor who ran for Central Ward in the recent election, was the only representative to speak to Cr Yarrington’s motion.
He said a heritage listing would affect every household in Morpeth.
“It will affect the values and put a fence around Morpeth.
“It would be irresponsible of us to move forward with this,” he said.
Simon Brooker from the Morpeth Heritage Conservation Group said council’s decision was a “bitter disappointment”. “None of the councilors who voted against the original proposal had the maturity to stand up and say why. The community of Morpeth will fight to protect our heritage and the people have a right to have their say,” he said.
Fairfax Media contacted councillors who supported Cr Yarrington’s motion for comment. Only councillors Halliday, Yarrington and Mitchell Griffin responded. They are not against heritage but shared the views of Cr Penfold that this would place restrictions on property owners and devalue assets. Cr Griffin said ratepayers would have been forced to fund the process but Tuesday night’s decision puts the funding onus back onto the State.
