By Cllr Gary Cowan
Last Wednesday’s Extraordinary Meeting of the Council was indeed extraordinary. The debate was whether we have local elections once every 4 years or continue with the current system.
The status quo won the day.
The former Conservative leader of the council, Cllr John Halsall talked of many reasons why people become councillors which included those who had scores to settle.
I wonder who he meant by that? He suggested that Wokingham Conservatives were not advocates of the National Party. Pull the other one, John.
Cllr Halsall did suggest Borough Councillors should be Council Champions not party representatives. One must wonder had the Conservatives followed their own advice would they be in opposition now?
Why he never listened to Independent Cllr Jim Frewin who maintains that if we work as a team the beneficiaries would be Wokingham’s residents but sadly listening is not a Conservative trait.
Another ex-Conservative Executive Member said that the voice of god was the voice of the people and so we should move to elections every four years.
Was it their divine right to continue ruling Wokingham Borough I wonder? It was obvious that divine right was not on their side last May.
I saw no remorse on the Conservative benches just anger and bitterness that they no longer ruled the roost.
Personal attacks on myself by the Lower Earley resident and Councillor for Shinfield Cllr Jackie Rance was just a small part of the vindictiveness heaped upon me by her and others.
Another very bitter ex-executive Conservative Councillor had the cheek to put the boot into the new council leader Cllr Clive Jones two weeks ago and who then followed up with more attacks on myself and others.
What was very clear from the article is Cllr Margetts does not know his North from his South.
What is a fact is in the past 10 years only 3% of housing build was in the North of the Borough but 97% was in the South of the Borough which I assume Cllr Margetts is perfectly comfortable with so another few thousand in the South is also OK.
Hall Farm, on the banks of a river and below a big dam, is in Arborfield not Shinfield and its for 4,500 Houses not 2,500.
The draft local plan extends well beyond the local plan date by over 20 years. For information, Hall Farm is in the South of the Borough.
With climate change who can predict what building on the banks of a river that regularly floods will bring in the next 30 years?
Cllr Margetts’ final comment residents in the South of the Borough should be very watchful. Casting the first stone comes to mind when it was his Conservative who are promoting Hall Farm and its 4,500 houses which is firmly set in the South of the Borough which he conveniently seems to have forgotten.
The utter disasters that have befallen the Conservatives at Tiverton, where a 24,000 majority became a 6,000 loss and Wakefield the Conservatives lost by 5,000 votes will not be lost on our residents.
In addition, last May the Conservatives lost 11 local authorities and 487 Councillors. Not results that can be proud of.
I would hate to think how many records have been broken by these results that would suggest there will not be one Conservative MP left after the next General Election.
It is clear from the complete lack of remorse seen in the Council Chamber that the Conservatives have not learned any lessons from all the recent drubbings they have suffered.
Some Conservatives might think it is their divine right to rule in Wokingham but sadly for them our residents do have a say also. Perhaps next May it will be time to put them completely out of their misery.
Cllr Gary Cowan in an independent councillor for Arborfield on Wokingham Borough Council
