Or rather credit taken where it is not due
Residents will be amazed to read that Councillor Bromley is claiming credit for the renewal of trees in Stanborough car park. It rather takes the biscuit, as they say!
For sight of the claim: click here: Conservative Councillors claim credit
It is hardly surprising that electors are more than just a tad cynical about politicians generally.
Stanborough Park was a case where local politicians and officials sought to make decisions about OUR town on the quiet, without disclosing the full facts, and without involving the ordinary man or woman in the street…..and this is in the GARDEN city! It beggars belief really!
The issues that were involved included a report that was never acted upon, decisions taken in secret, reports that were misquoted and/or not published until too late and all masking the fact that, under one administration or an earlier one, a decision was taken not to regularly pollard the Lombardy poplars in the park. Had this been done, the large one-off cost incurred would never have been necessary and the rather special impact of the car park trees would have been retained.
Neither of the then two Councillors dared to speak at the Cabinet meeting when this issue was first considered. They both sat mute at the back while ordinary residents asked pertinent questions that were answered by Cabinet members from prepared scripts. No comment was then made by either of them about what was to be done in the future or to voice how deeply residents felt about the issue. Little evidence is available to the Society that supports any assertions that they were instrumental in the outcome other than one of them chairing meetings of the review panel. To be fair to Councillor Bromley, this was done well on at least one occasion when we wrote to her to that effect.
But there were a number of occasions when elected members, most of them quite unconnected with the town but serving on the body looking at the replanting issue, could have taken a wholly different course of action. The Society rather feels that the presence of its members at every one of the meetings when these matters were finally resolved was perhaps more telling on the outcome than either ward councillor. That said, we were grateful for the timely interventions of Councillor Mark Gilding whose contributions and input was very welcome and much appreciated.
For those who would like to review the issue in more detail: please click here.
But for the outcry of local residents and the actions of the Society, this would have all proceeded much as the officials and the Councillor then responsible for the environment would have wished. The very best that can be said of this whole sad saga is that the resulting outcry resulted in the best possible outcome from a wholly unsatisfactory state of affairs.
Politicians would be best advised to see what went wrong rather than claim any credit for any aspect of this whole episode.
Secretary |
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03 24th, 2010 |
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