Richmond Conservatives promise consultation changes
9:13am Thursday 18th March 2010 in
With the campaigning for the Richmond Council elections set to begin in ernest the borough Conservative opposition have set out a series of pledges to “put people first”.
Councillor Nick True, leader of the borough Tories, has promised to put “listening at the heart” of everything his party would do if they were to win the ballot on May 6 and his party have also set out a plan to change the way council meetings are run.
Coun True said: “Everywhere I go I hear complaints about the arrogance of this unpopular council. They do not listen, they think the town hall knows best, they are wrong.
“The borough belongs to the people and we will put them in control.”
Coun True made six commitments, including asking every taxpayer what their priorities should be for their first year in office what their priorities are, to meet the public directly and to reply publicly to any petitions put before the authority.
Councillor Geoffrey Samuel, deputy leader, said at meetings of full council residents will be allowed to raise ward concerns, members’ questions will alternate between parties and some key decisions will be referred to all councillors rather than just cabinet.
He added motions would be scrapped and there would be a council to “serve the people”.
Councillor Serge Lourie, leader of Richmond Council, said his party was committed to consultation, which went beyond the minimum legally required in licensing and planning, and used the academies programme as an example.
He added: “I am delighted that the Tories have been converted to the merits of consultation as their previous administration consulted on the future of town centre managers and then took no notice of the result.
“They consulted on the council tax and yet increased it by record amounts and built up enormous reserves that we are now investing to the benefit of local residents.”
Comments(4)
kingpin
says...
1:03pm Fri 19 Mar 10
MacGregor
says...
10:32pm Fri 19 Mar 10
The Buckingham Fields fence was the handiwork of the Lib Dems. On 25 March 2002 a 3.5m high fence was ratified without debate under the chairmanship of Lib Dem leader Cllr Lourie on the recommendation of the Executive member for Education – and Lib Dem deputy leader – Cllr Knight.
As well as the bequest of the Buckingham Fields fence, the Lib Dems’ fiscal legacy to the incoming Conservative administration was a SIXTY MILLION POUND ‘black hole’, and what were described as “dangerously low” reserves. Indeed, if Richmond Council had been a private company it would have been on the brink of bankruptcy.
The incoming Conservative administration had no choice but to raise council tax, and build up reserves, and – in 2006 – reserves stood at £54m.
The tax-guzzling Lib Dems described this on their 2006 election literature as “unspent local taxes”, and made a doorstep promise to refund the electorate £750 each. On re-election, the Lib Dems awarded councillors a pay rise, and instantly reneged on their promise of a council tax rebate.
Phillip Taylor
says...
4:03pm Sat 20 Mar 10
It was the Liberals who caused this with a lack of investment whilst spending money on themselves, ably assisted by Labour who are no friends of education with their inverted snobbery.
It is only the Tories who will deliver a fair and decent educational system for 21st century under Michael Gove. Labour has wasted the money on the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) now scrapped, and the local Liberal consultations are just a con...full stop, where they made the decisions before the consultations began.
Kingpin is talking more twaddle as usual. The Tory mainfesto for the borough is excellent as MacGregor rightly says, so vote Tory this time.
Phillip Taylor
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Julie Hill says...
11:10am Fri 19 Mar 10
Here are a few examples of what they have done in the years they have been in power:
Taken away the cinema, ice rink, swimming pool. They lied about providing another ice rink.
Inforced unwanted CPZs on residents
Hiked parking charges on the pretence of saving CO2
Made false claims about the success of car clubs
Imposed frozen microwave dinners on the elderly against their wishes
Destroyed numerous healthy trees
Sanctioned the building on gardens and school playing fields
Approved numerous planning applications by excusing many valid planning policies
Approved applications for houses which are less than 10 metres from people's bedrooms, when the minimum is 20 metres
Approved high rise, high density town centre developments despite overwhelming public opposition
Deciding to sell public land without any consultation as to whether the land is surplus or not
Selling off Twickenham Riverside for luxury private housing whilst shoving the affordable housing in pockets of land elsewhere and thus destroying valued amenities and to the detriment of existing communities....
This Administration is supposed to have signed up to the Sustainable Communities Act - putting people first - but the reality is the Lib Dictators have NO interest in council tax payers unless they vote Lib Dem and agree with everything that is imposed on them. They are a disgrace to the National Liberal Democrat Party.