Telford & Wrekin Council Watch

As we race towards a general election, we read the headlines in various broadsheets and one thing is a common issue,

 

“Promises”

 

Promises of tax cuts, helping the poor, helping the aged, re-building communities and just about any other promise that can be made, is being made.

 

The sad truth is, we cannot believe a single word that comes out of a politicians mouth.

 

Just look at what has happened in Telford.

 

We voted for change, but in truth, we voted in the single biggest liar the borough has ever seen. The current Leader promised everything and failed to deliver on a single promise.

 

Here’s an account of a conversation between two high profile Councillors in our own council chambers, its short, but straight to the point.

 

Cllr 1 – “You’re nothing but a liar”

Cllr 2 -   “Yes and there’s nothing you can do about it”

 

This is the sad reality of the political system we have and we will continue to have as long as people continue to vote for the two main parties.

 

The great majority of politicians, whether they are a Councillor or an MP have the chance to carve themselves a lucrative career. Sitting on various bodies, acting as Directors of various companies, these opportunists forget the reason why they were elected.

 

To represent the communities who put trust in them.

 

The likes of Councillor Eade, will look you in the eye, make every promise to you, then walk away, safe in the knowledge that he never had the slightest intention of keeping his promises.

 

Now his devious little games are jumping up and biting him right on the backside.

 

Having surfed on the crest of a wave, his party are now floundering and the real balance of power is not in the hands of the Tories or Labour, the real power now firmly rests fairly and squarely in the hands of the Independent.

 

Something Andrew Eade thought would never happen.

 

I could recap on the promises made by the Tories and everyone would point to a failure, but these failures can be read if you go through the news pieces. These are not the ramblings of fiction, but are true facts.

Does anyone really believe that a Councillor can sit on two Parish Councils, be trustee of a Charity, be Director of a Trust, act as speaker, chair the planning committee and do what ever else he needs to do, yet represent his ward in a constructive way and in a way that does not have a conflict of interest, bearing in mind they only need to operate for 105 hours throughout the whole of the year. This attracts a payment of at least £70 per hour which could be three times that if you are on the cabinet and not counting the outside body payments.

 

I for one believe the answer is very clear, it is NO.

 

Yet these conflicts of interest are allowed to continue and are accepted as everyday practice.

 

Recent events within Telford and Wrekin council have shown beyond any reasonable doubt, the Leader will turn on his own, to protect himself without any reason or show any conscience.

 

Again, this is not a rant, but it is fact.

 

Politics needs something new. It needs every true Independent to stand up and be counted.

 

Why?

 

Because they are the ones that can affect real change, they have no party allegiance and are not whipped into line. They are the ones that can stand up and speak for the community and what the community really wants. They can say NO, they have no fear of being booted out of a party and are the very people that operate at the grass roots level of your community.

 

The fact remains, that some of the best ideas have come from the idea pool of an Independent and the balance of power is in their hands locally.

 

People have taken pot shots at TAWPA, they only offered support to the likes of Eade because they thought it was the best thing to do, like the rest of us, I believe they discovered it was a miss-placed trust, but have shown more community spirit than any other party.     

 

We are promised tax cuts, but are double taxed locally, by the Borough and the Parish Councills, yet more charges are constantly introduced, like the bulk waste charge which is an example of a stealth tax.

 

Things need to change and people need real choice, but they need choice of people who really care.

 

I for one ask every True Independent to come forward and now its time to make a stand, a stand for

 

Our Communities and future generations, both locally and nationally.

I for one am not happy with the state of local politics and have concerns about the state of our MP’s.

 

The likes of MP Mark Pritchard considers himself to be in a one horse race. Last year I was preparing to go against MP David Wright, but as I live in the Wrekin Constituency, I will now give serious consideration to give Mark Pritchard a run for his money, if you don’t have choice, you’ll get what you always had and as far as Mark Pritchard goes, it’s anything for a photo opportunity and a man who is not prepared to put his head over the trenches.

 

Should I decide to do it, I’ll outline my case in the near future, I can assure you now it will contain genuine ideas about returning the balance of power to the community as a whole and bring communication down to the individual resident.  

 

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3.20 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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Telford Council Watch