From the Chamber: Our Local Politics
Cllr Prue Bray is Deputy Leader of the Council, Executive Member for Children's Services and Ward member for Winnersh.
Last Thursday, 20th February, there was a full council meeting to set the council’s budget for the next financial year and as a result, I find myself reflecting on the state of local politics.
I imagine most peoples’ engagement with the council is limited to being aware of the tight finances and expecting a rise in Council Tax, even if they don’t like it very much. That is a very great pity, because lack of direct engagement with local politics leads to people believing that all councillors are incompetent or in it for themselves, and that all parties are the same. And it simply isn’t true.
You could have seen this for yourself at the budget meeting.
We Lib Dems are running the council, so naturally we talked about the positive things we are doing, of which I am proud to say there are many. We also emphasised our three priorities: focusing our resources on those who most need them, investing to save in the long term, and working in partnership with others to maximise our reach and ensure we are working with the community.
The Labour councillors pushed for more investment in the areas they represent. The Lib Dems may not agree with them that those areas are as neglected as they made out, but the position they adopted was perfectly understandable.
The Conservatives attacked the Liberal Democrats locally and Labour nationally on everything they could think of, whether it had anything to do with the budget or not. Their hostility was unremitting. Where they had no legitimate reasons for doubt or criticism, they simply made some up. They refused any responsibility for anything. They had no constructive ideas. But of course if they were running the council, we would be living in a land of milk and honey.
This is the playbook the Conservatives have used for some years now. It relies wholly on creating fear. Truth is a casualty of the drive to obtain power for your own party. I find this very sad. There are people within the Conservative group on the council who do want to work constructively to serve their communities, but their party simply doesn’t allow them to.
Ah, I can hear some of you thinking, but she would say that wouldn’t she. To which I say, don’t rely I what I am saying, find out for yourself. Engage with the council, find out what is happening locally, and then work out for yourself who is telling the truth.