Rather like Ken Livingstone following his defeat in the London Mayoral election, former GMPTA Chairman Roger Jones has kept up his appearances in the local and regional media as if he’d never lost his election in the first place. This has (rightly) annoyed the local residents who voted him out, and he’s taken a fair bit of flak in the letters page of the Advertiser for it. This week he’s written a letter in response, which ends:
“I was born in Irlam and local people supported me through eight successful elections over 26 years. I will forever be grateful to them for that and I am fully entitled to express my opinions now as a local resident”
I don’t disagree with that. He is as entitled to his opinion as anyone else - but how many other “local residents” are given a full-page interview in the local paper and called up to comment on stories? If Roger is happy to accept media invitations to do interviews as if he was still the elected Chairman of GMPTA then he can hardly complain when his comments in those interviews are criticised. Local residents are entitled to wonder why an ex-Councillor defeated so decisively is continually given such a high platform.
Both Roger Jones and Sir Howard Bernstein have now been given large spreads in the Advertiser. It would be nice to see similar treatment given to a contributor who is sceptical of the TIF bid and congestion charging before the poll takes place in December.
While we’re on the subject, I’d like to congratulate Roger on his new job with the Campaign for North West Rail Investment. I hope he will be on hand to welcome the Conservative announcement of support for a new high-speed rail link to Greater Manchester.
Council Tax Freeze
One announcement made at Conference which I haven’t referred to in detail on this blog yet is George Osborne’s welcome announcement that the next Conservative Government would provide money to allow local Councils to freeze their Council Tax for a minimum of two years:
This is very welcome news for local residents across the country, including here in Salford, who have seen their Council Tax bills rocket under Labour.
I am however a little perplexed at the reaction of some Labour and Liberal Democrat run authorities. In London, they have pledged not to play ball. I don’t yet know what Salford’s Labour leadership think. Doubtless local residents in those Council areas will be delighted with what is effectively a promise to hike Council Tax even further!
Any Council leaders squealing that they can’t afford the efficiencies required is playing politics. Councils already have to sign up to centrally-administered efficiency drive - they’re referred to as Gershon savings after the review written by Sir Peter Gershon. Sadly the Gershon efficiency drive merely encourages paper savings which have no impact on the bottom line for the Council taxpayer - a favourite wheeze is to abolish job roles which were going unfilled anyway.
Osborne’s new announcement will make sure that our wasteful Labour Councils make real inroads into waste and inefficiency rather than being allowed to project a false image of doing so. That can only be a good thing for local residents and Council Taxpayers.