Friday, March 10, 2017

Winsford given ultimate snub by Cheshire PCC

It's official. I love Winsford. 

I have raised a family here, moved from one side of town to the other, got elected as a councillor here and absolutely love the place and the people.

Our Police and Crime Commissioner (David Keane) obviously does not. 

Why do I say that? Well, it was announced yesterday that he was "moving his office" from Winsford to Stockton Heath near Warrington. That’s right, moving himself from the purpose built, at a cost of £40M no less, Winsford Cheshire Police Headquarters to an underutilised (danger of being closed?) police station.

This must have been quite the plush and expensive office for the PCC to house himself , given that by moving he hopes to save in excess of £50K per year although the exact listing of the savings are not defined.

The PCC also says that the Stockton Heath Station “provides an office which is easily accessible to the public” – ahem….Winsford headquarters is so easy to reach, it was why it was built here and not elsewhere.

Maybe there is another reason for the move. Our PCC says “A single police and fire headquarters is planned as part of the Cheshire bluelight collaboration programme”. Errr not quite….especially since the the BBC website shows the following…..from sep 2016
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service has shelved plans to sell off its base in Winsford and move into the county's police headquarters.
Cheshire's Deputy Chief Fire Officer Mark Cashin said the decision was made "following an in-depth review". An official report says the cost of rebuilding fire training facilities was "prohibitive". 
Following a comment I posted on the Winsford Guardian Website, a “Qualtec” posted the following.
“it is now part of the smarter working initiative to encourage staff to either work from alternative office locations or home when this is possible dependant on the duties undertaken by the employee….The reasoning behind this is that a large number of public sector employees work electronically and with emails & telecon there is not a requirement to be in the same office at the same time to work”
Noble sentiments and yes, even I work from home, albeit without a £50K saving to me or my employer and indeed no one expects the PCC to work in his Winsford office 9 – 5 and 5 days a week.
So is there a deeper reason for the office move or snub as I now consider it?
Well, let’s think about this….
David Keane, our elected Labour PCC is awarded a salary of £75K and yet still sits as a Warrington Labour Councillor with an allowance of £8K for an additional approx 22 hours a week Council work*. Could it be that he wanted to move a little closer to home to fit it all in?
Whatever the reason, it can’t help but look like another politician getting the snout in the gravy train, this time the Warrington gravy train.
I would love to hear what residents think about this. I asked a prominent Winsford Labour CWaC Councillor what he thought – his reply (on twitter) was “if it is saving tax payers £50,000 per year. He could stay if govt stop savage cuts.”
Maybe a fair point but consider this – he could stay in Winsford if he did not hire a £50,000 per year political crony who “failed to demonstrate an adequate knowledge and understanding of the police service and Criminal Justice System” as his deputy.
Overall, whether strategic, tactical or personal the move out of Winsford by our PCC, David Keane, is a snub to the town that I love, Winsford.
At least he gave us a tax increase as a thank you.
*To avoid debate, we get a little more in CWaC and I am happy to supply details.

Quotes from BBC website, Silk news and Winsford Guardian

Sunday, March 5, 2017

Respect for Winsford as Councillor resigns hours after passing one of the three Labour Council tax rises?

Storm Doris really has a lot to answer for in and around Winsford - I have to replace two fence panels and a broken garden table, while plenty of other residents have much worse and sadly, one person in Wolverhampton lost their life - our thoughts and prayers go to their family.

In local politics, Doris was responsible for the postponement of the budget council as it was deemed too dangerous for Councillors and officers to cross the borough to come to Winsford. It also allowed us to have another week of Councillor Reggie Jones's antics and outbursts - please go and view the webcast of the budget meeting, it'll make you chuckle if nothing else when the good Councillor gives us all his two pennies worth.

I am sure the now ex-Councillor for Blacon has good reasons to resign his position and we on the Conservative side wish him all the very best (and good riddance) for the future.

However, it turns us all to wonder if the Labour Council (with a majority of just one) didn't cynically beg Cllr Jones to stay on "just one more week" so that their budget passed, perhaps it was just coincidence that he resigned the day after? Anyone believe in coincidence??

Let's turn to that unimaginative,  ponderous and costly budget, which by the way, I voted against at the budget council meeting...

Conservative Councillors put forward alternative budget plans for 0% change to council tax, with proposals to spend less on ICT, buildings and council staff. We asked Labour to delay introduction of the local living wage, so that low paid workers and fixed income residents don't have to pay for pay rises in the public sector.

Did you know that CWaC residents pick up a 75K tab for Trade Union representatives?  Are the unions coffers so empty that they desperately need us all to pay for this. When Union leaders take home >£100K home each year, there surely must be enough money to go around?

Labour gave us lots of plans with big budgets yet no details of what would actually be done or delivered, that sounds now a little too familiar for Winsford residents who have heard the number to be spent on regeneration but have no idea yet as to what or when it will happen.

Where we do need imagination is in spending in Adult Social care and integrating health and care for older and vulnerable residents. Tory proposals for a 3%  rise to the adult social care precept were voted down and set at 2% by Labour.

Here are the "gifts" from Labour we as Winsford residents are set to enjoy in 2017

Labour CWaC Council tax increase
Labour Winsford Town Council tax increase
Labour Police and Crime commissioner tax increase

So, while we have to thank Doris and Reggie for a lot of things, Doris was unavoidable, but if Reggie had quit a week before, residents would be paying slightly lower council tax.

At least we can continue to drive everywhere at 20 mph......