Asking to Meet Town Clerk

Question

The Town Clerk is refusing to answer emails. She has always done this. Basically, if she doesn't know it or doesn't like it, she ignores it.

However, I'm fed up with it and the dysfunction of the council. The office still isn't open and telephones aren't answered either.
I am planning on asking her before a committee meeting tonight. I plan on saying "when are you available to meet in person". I expect shock and silence. I will be asking in front of others and plan on audio recording it in case she or others say I intimidated her.
Thing is, NONE of the clerks answer. I only received an acknowledgement of one email (not an answer after I threatened to ask THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER TO ASK SINCE "MY EMAIL WASNT WORKING".

I just don't want to make it any worse. Any laws I can quote if she outright refuses?

Answer 1

The clerk works for the whole council, but not for any individual member. You may make polite requests, but without a resolution of the council or a committee, you may not make specific demands. Do you have the support of other members in the concerns you are expressing?

Comments

Yes, however this is her modus operandi and she is terribly passive and when threatened passive aggressive. She's just refusing to engage which is difficult. I keep offering her to speak to me and giving her a way out, say if she feels bullied and nothing works

Answer 2

It may sound a bit drastic but you could submit some Freedom of Information requests, and make reference in the requests that you are seeking the information via that route because an e mail to the clerk for that information has not been responded to. Use this site to submit it so that the entire document trail is visible in the public domain.   https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/.  You may have to set up your council on the site.    Ultimately if these are not responded to, a decision notice could be served on the council by the information commissioner to provide the information. The clerk will have to respond, and an Information case officer will be able to identify her level of intransigence.  It will take up a significant amount of council time to deal with a complaint made to the ICO and the burden to respond cannot be ignored. Hopefully the clerk will realise that it would have been simpler and far less time consuming to do her job properly.