Happy New Year to you all
Without wishing to be all "Star Warsy" to you it is good to see that there is a "New Hope" on the Horizon as the Government pushes out the COVID Vaccines into our Towns, Cities and Rural locations in an unprecedented action that as of the time of Writing has Vaccinated over 4 million people.
It's coming up to Budget time here in Winsford and in CWAC (or tax raising time if given it's correct name under the two Labour Councils) and while we have to wait for the double whammy from Labour - last night our esteemed Cllrs voted for another 7% increase in Band D precept for the hard working Tax payers in Winsford. "Just 8p a week" should be the new Labour slogan (not "New Labour" - these lot of Corbynistas are far too hard left for that).
I need to be very clear here - the Tax increase for Winsford will be a staggering £31,931 MORE than 2020
So let's look at what that Tax increase will be spent on......
More money for the participatory budget - not withstanding that there is £6K remaining not spent from the budget this year despite the Town Council reducing the fee they were paying for the platform. Labour are still spinning this as a positive but next year will have 6K less in it than this year.
The money spent on the Guildhall is increasing by £15K again this year to a magnificent 45K - this project can easily be afforded by the sale of the Greedy pig land, which the Council still has not confirmed yet (more on this later).
But here is the big question...the really big question - how does the council come up with an increase of nearly £32,000?
Well, in a single word.....SALARIES. Yep - in a time of uncertainty and pulls on the public and private purse, the wisdom of this Labour run Council is to increase salaries by £48.5K and to hire a deputy clerk to help out in little old Winsford. Not Manchester, Liverpool or indeed Birmingham but in Winsford....a deputy Clerk!!!
Really? Yep, Really.
Labour will spin this increase as a pay increase for their staff and as hiring an apprentice - (neither of these I would object to) but it actually hides the fact that they are planning to hire a deputy Clerk.
OK - this was the broad outcome of last nights meeting. Maybe the not actually the most important part either. Let's look how the meeting was started....
Cllr Pardoe - Deputy Mayor of Winsford
"...Proposers of items have the opportunity to introduce an item and sum up the debate. All other Cllrs are permitted to speak ONCE per item. This ensures each Cllr has the opportunity to speak on every item if they wish and provides a fair framework for debate. At committee meeting these rules have occasionally been relaxed to allow for more detailed discussion but due to the number of items on full Council meeting agendas, enforcement of the rules is essential, they ensure Council business is conducted efficiently. Without these rules, debates become an argumentative ping-pong and that is not what the residents of Winsford want nor is it in the best interests of our Town. in common with physical meetings, disruptive behavior will not be tolerated, these rules of debate are common place at all levels of government and have long been a part of the Winsford Town Council standing orders and are nothing new"
This nearly one minute diatribe firmly sets the Labour expectation of debate in this town - which is they don't want any. they don't want any dissenting voices and are taking a classical centrist approach whereby the narrative and discussion is controlled by them.
Let me ask you two questions....
Why would a fair, open, honest and transparent Parish council wish to start a Council meeting in this way?
What do you think when you look at the Whitegate Parish Council introduction to their Parish Council meetings?
Chair "Hello everyone, good to see you all again - do we have any public speakers here tonight"
The contrast is stark - one Parish Control tightly controlled by Labour, the other Parish Council, non-political, trying to work on behalf of all residents.
Let me write that introduction how I really read it
"Proposers of items have the opportunity to introduce and item and sum up the debate. All other Cllrs can speak but there are plenty of you we don't like and have made life difficult for us so we don't want you asking too many questions. We will relax the rules when it suits us, but not tonight so we can appear to be working efficiently. Some residents will fall for it for sure. Enforcement is essential otherwise you take press and air time from us and we don't want the scrutiny. To legitimize this, we are re-stating the old rules that no one cared about until we got here - like it, or lump it"
There you go - that's it until 2023, more tax hikes and no debate under Labour. Welcome, sadly, to Winsford under Labour.
