Local Politics...
A couple of entries ago I mentioned how quite a large area of the North East of England has been designated to be run on assembly lines. In all but name after that failed another attempt is going on at present.
The original assembly idea would run alongside all the borough and district councils but now if it comes off the idea is that all the councils will be dissolved and run from one that covers a large area of North East England.
The first idea was just a a talking shop, as far as the local electorate and businesses saw it, an extra layer of bureaucracy with no power but probably financed by an increase in taxes from the local population(always denied)
The new idea might have more power and be able to act on what is discussed. Perhaps running everything from one council you rid yourself of a lot of un-necessary deadwood but that also flies in the face of localised government because one council is likely to have commitments to a particular part of a community and quite a few people in the community will be neglected. And at least the existing councils are fighting their own corner and you hope that means for the people in their district.
As long as those entering politics do so for the right reasons and there must be some. But more than ever the public becomes disillusioned.
Since the last local election the landscape of the North East has remained much the same as after any local or national election but some cracks have appeared and a chink of light has got through with some new candidates with different ideas of how things should be done and tired of the strangled hold the same old party and faces have had in the area.
Unfortunately, the local press (especially the local freesheet)has had letters from ex-councillors. Instead of giving the newly elected officials a chance to succeed or fail, criticism seems to be for the sake of it.
If the newly elected respond it can look like bickering, if they don't reply or try to refute what is written, the public may get the wrong impression and we're back into spin.
Time will tell if the public made the correct decision.
Some have lost their position on the borough council but are still involved in local politics having seats on the Town Council but that is now split 50/50 because new councillors belonging to no particular party secured seats there too. Politicians will be respected if they can work with rather than against the newly elected officials.
This all ties in with my earlier posts about the development of the retail centre of my town. At last the free land that had remained empty for approx 20 years was given over to building a small public park and some new retail units and to attempt to attract a business with some clout to bring more money into the town and create jobs. I'll reserve judgement on the jobs front because other retailers are struggling, they were already but with new retailer doing so well we'll have to see if business suffers even further or more is attracted into the town.
Some existing businesses relocated and therefore property they originally occupied is empty and unused adding to the overall run down look of the shopping area. And the hold up in the development of connecting the older part of the town with the new, the fact that the health centre and library have been allowed to run down in their appearance does not help matters. It may be argued because the health centre and library was to be replaced as part of the improvements they did not want to spend extra money on something that is to be demolished but these buildings were looking rough long before the improvements were given the go ahead.
The local freesheet and the largest regional newspaper has in the past fortnight carried a story that the second stage is on hold and that the original constructor and the Council have reached an impasse. One side says that they agreed a certain amount to complete the task, the other side is demanding more money. So now the procedure starts to find another contractor willing to continue the job.
The week before the local election a leaflet dropped through my letterbox giving details of the existing councillor's who were hoping to be re-elected but giving a big part of the text over to what they had done for the town and concentrating on this new retail area and telling us in so many words that everything was in hand and everything was moving along reasonably well and that our Prime Minister had been invited/asked to take part in discussions. And yet within weeks, it's quite obvious that things are not as positive as that leaflet suggested.
For legal reasons I will suggest that the leaflet was as true as far as it went but a press release can be written in a way which avoids giving all sides and leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. The decision of the local electorate may've already been decided(I'd already sent my ballot paper in at least a week before seeing it)but this would've made me take the same view.
So for now...the next stage is on hold. The older part of town is boarded up. It was due for demolition approx 6-8 months ago and is still standing. There is talk of the Library and Health Centre moving into temporary premises at a new location as they are really looking in a poor state(even the freesheet took a photo similar to one of mine on here)asking that it be given at least a lick of paint.
So we will just have to see how it all turns out.
Update:The local freesheet from the Borough Council and from what I see on the front page suggests the idea of a large Unitary Council may've been planned across the UK but I am unsure whether the postal vote to ask whether the population is for or against was being tried nationwide or depended on the results of certain areas being tested for their reaction. I say this because there is a picture of MP's, Councillors and others involved in government, some from as far away as Cornwall. Whatever, the result was an overwhelming no to the proposal.
The original assembly idea would run alongside all the borough and district councils but now if it comes off the idea is that all the councils will be dissolved and run from one that covers a large area of North East England.
The first idea was just a a talking shop, as far as the local electorate and businesses saw it, an extra layer of bureaucracy with no power but probably financed by an increase in taxes from the local population(always denied)
The new idea might have more power and be able to act on what is discussed. Perhaps running everything from one council you rid yourself of a lot of un-necessary deadwood but that also flies in the face of localised government because one council is likely to have commitments to a particular part of a community and quite a few people in the community will be neglected. And at least the existing councils are fighting their own corner and you hope that means for the people in their district.
As long as those entering politics do so for the right reasons and there must be some. But more than ever the public becomes disillusioned.
Since the last local election the landscape of the North East has remained much the same as after any local or national election but some cracks have appeared and a chink of light has got through with some new candidates with different ideas of how things should be done and tired of the strangled hold the same old party and faces have had in the area.
Unfortunately, the local press (especially the local freesheet)has had letters from ex-councillors. Instead of giving the newly elected officials a chance to succeed or fail, criticism seems to be for the sake of it.
If the newly elected respond it can look like bickering, if they don't reply or try to refute what is written, the public may get the wrong impression and we're back into spin.
Time will tell if the public made the correct decision.
Some have lost their position on the borough council but are still involved in local politics having seats on the Town Council but that is now split 50/50 because new councillors belonging to no particular party secured seats there too. Politicians will be respected if they can work with rather than against the newly elected officials.
This all ties in with my earlier posts about the development of the retail centre of my town. At last the free land that had remained empty for approx 20 years was given over to building a small public park and some new retail units and to attempt to attract a business with some clout to bring more money into the town and create jobs. I'll reserve judgement on the jobs front because other retailers are struggling, they were already but with new retailer doing so well we'll have to see if business suffers even further or more is attracted into the town.
Some existing businesses relocated and therefore property they originally occupied is empty and unused adding to the overall run down look of the shopping area. And the hold up in the development of connecting the older part of the town with the new, the fact that the health centre and library have been allowed to run down in their appearance does not help matters. It may be argued because the health centre and library was to be replaced as part of the improvements they did not want to spend extra money on something that is to be demolished but these buildings were looking rough long before the improvements were given the go ahead.
The local freesheet and the largest regional newspaper has in the past fortnight carried a story that the second stage is on hold and that the original constructor and the Council have reached an impasse. One side says that they agreed a certain amount to complete the task, the other side is demanding more money. So now the procedure starts to find another contractor willing to continue the job.
The week before the local election a leaflet dropped through my letterbox giving details of the existing councillor's who were hoping to be re-elected but giving a big part of the text over to what they had done for the town and concentrating on this new retail area and telling us in so many words that everything was in hand and everything was moving along reasonably well and that our Prime Minister had been invited/asked to take part in discussions. And yet within weeks, it's quite obvious that things are not as positive as that leaflet suggested.
For legal reasons I will suggest that the leaflet was as true as far as it went but a press release can be written in a way which avoids giving all sides and leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. The decision of the local electorate may've already been decided(I'd already sent my ballot paper in at least a week before seeing it)but this would've made me take the same view.
So for now...the next stage is on hold. The older part of town is boarded up. It was due for demolition approx 6-8 months ago and is still standing. There is talk of the Library and Health Centre moving into temporary premises at a new location as they are really looking in a poor state(even the freesheet took a photo similar to one of mine on here)asking that it be given at least a lick of paint.
So we will just have to see how it all turns out.
Update:The local freesheet from the Borough Council and from what I see on the front page suggests the idea of a large Unitary Council may've been planned across the UK but I am unsure whether the postal vote to ask whether the population is for or against was being tried nationwide or depended on the results of certain areas being tested for their reaction. I say this because there is a picture of MP's, Councillors and others involved in government, some from as far away as Cornwall. Whatever, the result was an overwhelming no to the proposal.
posted by The Great Gildersleeve | 4:14 pm
2 Comments:
Gildy,
It sounds like they should stop the pettiness and start thinking about your town as a rule, well isn't that what they are there for? Also even if they weren't elected they should still be fighting for your town to be smartened up instead of the bickering!
Regards
Lxxx
One of the first reports in the local freesheet which was biased in how the editorial was written(and picked up on by some readers)suggested that some experienced long standing councillors had been ditched and it was a mistake by the voters.
The fact they were ditched after many, many years suggests the opposite that the local townsfolk were unhappy. The same report suggested that because they had been voted out of office the borough council which is still overall the same party its always been might divert or neglect money eleswhere.
Surely, if you want to gain popularity again and prove you are the right one's to vote in to power in the future, you show commitment and show willingness to work for the community.
You know I never realised I knew as much as I do(or is that just that I think that I do ;-) on politics or was as interested. And I consider myself quite moderate in my opinions and not particularly extreme.
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