Council firmly under control (From Echo)

Council firmly under control

3:43pm Friday 20th August 2010 in

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While I have a lot of sympathy for many of the arguments put forward by Pasty Link and Sheena Walker, and am deeply concerned about the continued destruction of Southend’s mature trees, I wish they would not keep on saying that Southend Council is “out of control” (Aug 11).

Southend Council is not out of control, it is very firmly in the control of the Conservative Party.

Nigel Holdcroft’s Tory administration keeps every cabinet portfolio and every council committee chairman firmly to themselves.

They are the ones in control and they are the ones who are accountable to the electorate.

I’m under the impression that it suits a number of back-bench Conservative councillors and candidates not to challenge this myth that the council is somehow uncontrollable, as it allows them to avoid responsibility for the decisions taken as a direct result of their votes in council.

Mr Holdcroft would no doubt say that the council is Conservative-controlled because they have democratically won a majority of councillors, and he’d be right.

However, as a consequence of that, the Conservative councillors who make up his majority cannot avoid responsibility for his decisions.

Ian Gilbert
Labour councillor
Victoria Ward
Avenue Road
Westcliff