Sir, I was saddened, but not surprised, to read the views of Fiona Fouracre in last week's Observer, having attended the meeting to which she referred. I was a founder member of Tenby 2020 in 1999, and helped draw up the action plan which the present 'management committee' quote as giving them their mandate now in 2006. Page one states: 'There will be further general meetings of Tenby 2020 at least twice a year to review progress and confirm direction'. 'This plan has been drafted by representatives of the people of Tenby for the people of Tenby, but it is recognised that there must be constant communication with the wider community'. This, the management committee, by their own admission, have singularly failed to do. Their claim for the continued existence of 2020 is that they were elected at an AGM; however, they are unable or unwilling to confirm when exactly this took place, how it was advertised to the people of Tenby, and who attended it. The attendance quoted was 20 people out of a population of several thousand, but no names were taken or checks made as to whether these were all Tenby residents. Some estimates put the attendance at nearer 10, but no records were kept, so nothing can be verified. 2020 have admitted publicly that they have 'run out of steam' and are looking to be wound down, and yet they are still claiming to be a voice for the town. They purport to have the interests of the town at heart, and berate the rest of us for not taking any interest, but it is difficult to join in the activities of a group of seven people who hold no publicised meetings and whose names were revealed only at the April 4, 2006, meeting. This was held, not at the instigation of 2020, but because they were forced to convene a meeting in response to a petition signed by 21 residents. This petition was in response to Mike Thorne's assertion at the pre-inquiry meeting that he represented 2020 and would be supporting the pedestrianisation scheme. 2020 did not hold this meeting until seven weeks after they received the petition, and so they had already submitted their proof of evidence on pedestrianisation to the Planning Inspectorate in advance of the aforesaid meeting. They have had to bow to the democratic process and adopt several key amendments to this evidence which were voted for on that evening, which is one encouraging sign. Those of us who were at the April 4 meeting and will be at the Inquiry next week look forward to seeing these amendments upheld, but it is a great shame that 2020 did not see fit to have open discussion of the proof of evidence well in advance of the submission date. Now the management committee are claiming to speak for us on the plans for St. Catherine's Island, which no-one outside their inner circle have seen, and say there is no need to hold a meeting to discuss them with the membership, if such a body can be said still to exist. The term 'management committee' implies that they are managing a larger number of people, but this appears to be no longer the case. They are falling far short of the minimum two meetings a year, the working parties are all defunct, and no AGM has been held for at least 14 months. I shall continue to press for an official disbanding of 2020. Surely it is time to lay this pretence of a democratic organisation to rest, and pin our hopes on the new Tenby forum which Planed is seeking to implement?
Trisha Putwain, Tenby.