Delay, Cover-up and Broken Promises - West Berkshire Council Conservative Administration the first 100 days, 2005

Written by Councillor Jeff Brooks, Leader of the Opposition on Wed 28th Sep 2005

1. Introduction from the Leader of the Opposition on West Berkshire Council, Cllr Jeff Brooks

The Conservatives seized control of West Berkshire Council at a by-election on 5th May 2005. Their narrow majority gave them power in West Berkshire for the first time since the Liberal Democrats won power in the 1991 elections for Newbury District Council.

Since winning power their policies have provoked unease and dissatisfaction. They have come under fire from a range of local people. One of their members is being investigated by the Standards Board for England for making racially prejudiced comments. Local traders were annoyed by the delays to the planned improvements in Newbury town centre; local residents in Padworth have been angered by the failure to treat their questions and concerns with respect at Council meetings; the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education have expressed dissatisfaction at the Conservatives haste to remove school transport assistance and taxpayers now face picking up the bill for a Conservative u-turn on funding of the Newbury cinema which the Lib Dems had planned to pay for from a £1 evening parking charge from the car park next to the cinema.

Since taking power 2 of the top 5 managers at the Council have quit and other senior staff have announced their intention to leave. There is a poverty of ambition in the Leadership of the Council and a laziness by their front benchers in managing their portfolios. The Conservative Council Leader is playing down their chances of keeping the Comprehensive Performance Assessment or CPA "Good" Council tag for West Berkshire - this is an audit of the efficiency of the Council. We moved it up to "Good" - they expect it to fall to "Fair" or even worse.

"Good" status is not just a plaudit won under Lib Dem control so we could pat ourselves on the back. Achieving "Good" status has freed West Berkshire Council from inspections and Government Audit meaning that this year more money was ploughed directly into frontline services rather than being wasted on form filling for Government. Taxpayers will pick up the bill for the Conservatives squandering that hard won "Good" status achieved under the Lib Dems.

I am calling into question the ability of the Conservatives to manage the £160m+ budget of the Council. Already they predict an overspend of £383,588.00. They also made the crass error of predicting their failure to maintain the "Good" status outlined at the same time as trying to recruit a new Chief Executive. I work in recruitment and I know how difficult it is to recruit the best calibre of manager. What manager would want to come to a Council whose ratings are set to plummet?

West Berkshire needs firm positive leadership that listens to local people; I am willing to give that Leadership. Liberal Democrats are eager to consult and listen to local people. We know that mistakes were made in the past and we are at pains to listen to the views of residents and act on those views. We are determined to win back power and continue our work to improve value for money and the quality of local services for all of our residents. In the coming months we will be developing our manifesto for the 2007 elections and are open to ideas from everyone regardless of political persuasion.

I want us to have a pool of candidates that better reflect the community we serve and I want to hear from people who would like to be involved in our victory as well as all others who have ideas on how to further improve West Berkshire.

Jeff Brooks

2. Contents - Hall of Shame from the first 100 days of Conservative rule

1. They announced that under Conservative Leadership they expected to move the Council down from being rated as "good" to being rated "poor"

2. They are reeling from a staff exodus where 40% of the Corporate Directors have left along with many more junior officers

3. They face losing their majority after racially prejudiced comments from Cllr Tim Metcalfe resulted in an investigation by the Standards Board for England.

4. They have U-turned on plans for Newbury cinema funding, now making all taxpayers across the District pay instead of cinema goers

5. They seized taxpayer funded allowances as they politicised planning and gave key paid jobs to Conservatives

6. They delayed funding improvements planned at Thatcham Library and environmental improvements at Thatcham Railway Station, penalising commuters.

7. They delayed the Market Place Improvements

8. They tried to rush through the abandonment of assistance with school transport for faith groups.

9. They refused to publish the list of projects they had delayed (over a third since taking power)

10. They split on the anti ID card motion tabled by the Lib Dems at Council

1. Conservatives announce that under Conservative Leadership they expected to move the Council down from being rated as "good" to being rated "poor"

http://www.westberks.gov.uk/WestBerkshire/news.nsf/280e7f69bd69cf3385256990005344fa/86b797a3e148cd9d80257051004967d2?OpenDocument

http://icberkshire.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200berkshireheadlines/tm_objectid=15819571%26method=full%26siteid=50102-name_page.html

Following the news that the Conservatives are playing down their chances of keeping the Comprehensive Performance Assessment or CPA "Good" Council tag for West Berkshire, won under the Lib Dems, Councillor Jeff Brooks, Leader of the Opposition commented: "The Liberal Democrats worked extremely hard with Council Officers to move West Berkshire Council up to "good" status and free the Council from inspections and Government Audit, so that more money could be ploughed into frontline services and less spent on form filling. Their lack of confidence in their own ability to manage the Council is staggering. From what they are saying now they seem intent on talking down the Council, and talking down the achievements of the staff. We know the Government is changing the method of calculating CPA scores but that is no reason the Council should not strive to continue to be a "Good" council instead of giving up hope. It looks like they are trying to get their excuses in early!"

2. Conservatives left reeling from a staff exodus

Newbury Weekly News (11/08/05) reported under a headline of "Tory-run council faces staff exodus" that "TWO top officers have quit West Berkshire Council, in an exodus of staff hot on the heels of departing Chief Executive Jim Graham."

Jeff Brooks said ""To lose one director maybe regarded as a misfortune. To lose two looks like carelessness. It is worrying. That is two of the top five. Will a Chief Executive want to come and join West Berkshire Council when we are already being told we are going to be given a worse rating this year and next?"

3. Conservatives face losing their majority after racially prejudiced comments from Cllr Tim Metcalfe resulted in an investigation by the Standards Board for England.

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article.aspx?articleID=527

http://icberkshire.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200berkshireheadlines/tm_objectid=15920069%26method=full%26siteid=50102-name_page.html

http://icberkshire.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200berkshireheadlines/tm_objectid=15763243%26method=full%26siteid=50102-name_page.html

Councillor Jeff Brooks has been formally notified that the Standards Board for England have decided to investigate West Berkshire Conservative Councillor Tim Metcalfe (Purley-on-Thames). The Board have notified Cllr Brooks that they have referred the case to an "Ethical Standards Officer" for further investigation. The Board will investigate whether the comments made by Cllr Metcalfe breached the Code of Conduct.

Jeff Brooks said "Only 24% of complaints to the Standards Board get referred for further investigation. This is a clear sign that they are taking my complaint seriously. It astonished me that the West Berkshire Conservatives seem happy to tolerate a Councillor who made a series of racially prejudiced comments. I was very disappointed that he refused to apologise clearly and unequivocally."

4. Conservatives U-turned on plans for Newbury cinema funding and then their Council Leader tries to undermine the project with false bingo hall claims.

http://icberkshire.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200berkshireheadlines/tm_objectid=15896012%26method=full%26siteid=50102-name_page.html

Under the headline "YOU'LL BE SEEING A HORROR MOVIE BILL" the Newbury & Thatcham Chronicle (24/08/05) covered the Conservative policy u-turn exposed at Executive by a question from Councillor Roger Hunneman. The U-turn will mean people never likely to use the cinema will pay instead of those parking in the evening in the car park next to the cinema.

More recently the Conservative Council Leader blundered in the Newbury Weekly News making false accusations that the new cinema could become a bingo hall. He falsely accused the Lib Dems of not protecting the cinema site. Roger Hunneman, Shadow Executive Member for Culture said "It is the Council's policy to support a cinema for Newbury. The Leader of Council has a duty to promote Council policy.It is disappointing that the Leader of the Council does not appear to know his facts on a matter of such importance to West Berkshire. If he did he would know that there is no possibility of the cinema becoming a Bingo Hall as the planning condition was made conditional, following requests from Liberal Democrat Councillors. It was agreed under condition 4 at the Planning Committee that "....the cinema use hereby permitted shall not be used for any other purpose other than a cinema..." I was present at the meeting of 16th June 2004 where this particular point was discussed by members and they were very keen to have it as a condition as they did not want a repeat of the LA fitness former cinema situation. His Conservative colleagues were present at that meeting and the Leader of Council could have checked his facts with them."

5. Seized taxpayer funded allowances as they politicised planning and gave key paid jobs to Conservatives

The Newbury Weekly News (12/05/05) said "the Conservatives, using their newly won majority, appointed themselves to the top subsidised jobs across the authority. As a result of the appointments, Tory members will receive £93,740 in taxpayers cash. … Before Tuesday, when the Liberal Democrats were in charge they received £67,771 for their special responsibilities and the Conservatives £36,135.".

Residents in the western part of West Berkshire seeking planning permission now face decisions made by an unrepresentative group of Councillors following one of the first actions of the new Conservative administration in West Berkshire.

The Conservatives used their majority on the Council to seize control of the Western Area Planning committee and allow their members to take the taxpayer funded allowances for the positions of Chair and Vice Chairman. This despite the electors having chosen 13 Lib Dem Councillors in the area and just 11 Conservative representatives at the last elections. The new make-up of the western area planning committee will be 7 Conservatives to 5 Lib Dems. Commenting, Leader of the opposition, Councillor Jeff Brooks (Thatcham West) said:

"Almost the first act of the new Conservative administration has been to ignore the voters and politicise planning. Under the Lib Dem administration the planning committees reflected the numbers of Councillors in that area, as did the Chairmanships. There can be only one reason that they have ignored the will of voters. So that they can pay Conservative Councillors increased allowances."

Allowances Ruling Group Allowances for Opposition Total allowances Representation on the Council

04/05 LD control £67,771 (LD) 65% £36,135 (Con) 35% £103,906 Con 50% LD 50%

05/06

Con Control £93,740 (Con) 85% (+£25,969) £16,945 (LD) 15%

(-£19,190) £110,685 Con 52% LD 48%

6. Delayed funding improvements planned at Thatcham Library

One of the first actions of the Conservatives taking control was to delay the environmental improvements at Thatcham station, meaning the works would no longer be done in the quieter commuter months of the summer, and they shelved planned improvements to Thatcham Library. One third of items on the Councils Forward plan when the Lib Dems left office have been delayed, resulting in extra costs for taxpayers.

7. Delayed the Market Place Improvements

The Lib Dems had planned improvements to the market place and timetabled work so as to avoid inconvenience to market traders.

The extra round of consultation ordered by the Conservatives will cost the taxpayer over £14,000 and may well recommend the go-ahead of the previous scheme.

Comments received at the time of the Vision 2025 consultation included calls for the Council to stop delaying and to just to get on with Town Centre Improvements.

Newbury's new MP is on records as saying ""During the election I spoke to many people, 99 per cent of whom didn't want the renovation.". However a survey on www.newburytoday.co.uk put the figure at 74% in favour of the improvements, 16% against and 10% saying they didn't care.

Local traders groups have criticised the Conservatives for this unnecessary delay and market traders will not now be able to use their preferred option of the Kennet Centre car park as an alternative location during the improvements.

8. Conservatives tried to rush through the abandonment of assistance with school transport for faith groups.

The Conservatives on West Berkshire Council were forced to make an embarrassing U turn reversing their policy to withdraw denomination school transport funding for the next school year. The embarrassing U turn came at the Council's Executive meeting after concerns were raised by the Lib Dems about the failure of the Council to effectively consult parents and schools.

Councillor Sally Hannon (Lib Dem, Newbury St Johns), Shadow Executive member for Children & Young People said "I am pleased that we forced the Conservatives to think again about their proposed cuts. The Children & Young People Select Committee will look at the failure of the Council to effectively consult parents and schools in the near future. I hope lessons can be learnt and proper consideration will be given to any future proposals and they won't be foisted upon us at the last minute like these plans were."

Commenting after the special meeting of the West Berkshire Children & Young People Select Committee held to discuss the Conservative cuts to denomination school transport Councillor Sally Hannon, Shadow Executive Member for Children & Young People, said "I was glad that all the Members of the Select Committee agreed with the Liberal Democrats that the consultation process used by the Conservative run Council for these proposed cuts was flawed. Council officers told us the process could and would be improved in future. The mystery remains as to why the Conservative Executive members were willing to vote through a policy of cuts, had they read their own proposals? Lib Dem pressure forced the Conservatives into an embarrassing climb down on this policy and we won a pledge for improved consultation."

Cllr Jeff Brooks, Leader of the Opposition, added "The Conservatives proposed cuts to denominational school transport were not the only instance where they apparently had not read the policy they had proposed. Last week at the Executive meeting I pulled the Conservatives up on a Local Area Agreements document that they had clearly not read, but voted through. This is no way to run a Council and it is no wonder the Conservatives predict the Council will fall from the "good" rating achieved under the Lib Dems"

9. Conservatives refused to publish the list of projects they had delayed (over a third since taking power)

A request to allow the public to see the growing list of schemes delayed or cancelled by Conservative run West Berkshire Council was last night rejected by the new Conservative Council Leader.

With mounting public concern at the cost of delays, Lib Dem Deputy Leader Cllr Denise Gaines (Hungerford) asked Mr Jones to publish a list of the growing number of items that had either been delayed or had vanished from the Council Forward Plan, published by the Conservative Executive.

Since the Conservatives took control over one third of items on the forward plan (9 in total) have been shelved. Costly delays have resulted to items such as environmental improvements at Thatcham station. Two items completely vanished from the forward plan with no explanation including an item covering parking charges in Newbury.

Councillor Denise Gaines said "The public want to know what has happened to improvement schemes for their area that are being delayed by the Conservatives. The Conservatives seem keener to cover up rather than publish. It beggars belief that they refused the Lib Dem request to let the public know which decisions are being delayed by publishing a list. With their record of dither and delay since they took control perhaps the Conservatives were worried that the list of their delays would be much longer than their list of achievements since taking control."

10. They split on the anti ID card motion tabled by the Lib Dems at Council

West Berkshire Council formally backed a motion, proposed by the Liberal Democrats on the Council, to not co-operate with the Governments ID card scheme. The motion also called on the Council to affiliate to the national campaign www.no2id.net and join the growing number of Councils affiliated to the campaign against the Government's ID card scheme.

The motion, proposed by the Leader of the Opposition Cllr Jeff Brooks (Lib Dem, Thatcham West), noted the comments from the Home Secretary on the recent bombings in London when Charles Clarke MP said "I doubt it would have made a difference".

Cllr Jeff Brooks, Leader of the Opposition said "I welcome the fact that all Lib Dem Councillors and all but one Conservative backed this motion proposed by the Liberal Democrats. I am delighted most Conservative Councillors saw sense and backed the motion despite their MP's voting for Labours' ID card scheme in the last Parliament. I was disappointed that a group of Conservative Councillors attempted to delete reference to the call for the financial savings from scrapping the ID card scheme to be spent on more police. Fortunately common sense prevailed on this and West Berkshire Council will call on the government to spend the savings on more police, both nationally and in West Berkshire."

Cllr Denise Gaines, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Executive Member for Finance, who seconded the motion added "Here in West Berkshire we know that the planned card implies additional cost to the Council and therefore local people through Council Tax, in ensuring compatibility of Council operations with the Government. The Government record, under Conservative and Labour, has been abysmal at fully funding such schemes. Now this motion has been passed the pressure will build on Labour to scrap this costly ID card scheme."

3. Just Some of the Major Achievements of the Liberal Democrats in Power

A safer Community

1. Kept crime levels low, provided CCTV in Hungerford, Thatcham and Newbury and won funding for 3 mobile CCTV cameras for use in rural and urban hotspots.

2. Introduced community wardens in West Berkshire, starting in Greenham. Invested £100,000 to expanding the community wardens scheme to the east of the district. Successfully campaigned to put more Police on patrol in West Berkshire.

3. Invested in crime prevention via the Youth Offending Team which saw the service top the national league. Set up The Edge - a service for young people offering help and advice regarding substance misuse.

Environment & Transport

1. Introduced kerbside recycling to all residents, improving the recycling rate from 2% to 18% in 2005.

2. Introduced the Streetcare service - a single phone number or email for a rapid reaction service to deal with public reports of fly-tipping, potholes etc. Removed abandoned cars faster, beating Government targets

3. Won £23.4m investment from the Government to invest in expanding recycling to include plastic & cardboard.

4. Defended green fields from development by recycling land eg overturning a planning inspector decision to build on Siege Cross Green Fields and re-using the former MOD depot in Thatcham.

5. Successfully negotiated the return of Greenham Common to the public via the Greenham Common Trust which was set up by the Local Business community and the Council. Since its establishment Greenham Common Trust has distributed £690,000 to over 240 local organisations.

6. Opened and invested in the popular Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham and local nature reserves in Padworth and Burghfield.

7. Introduced "safe routes to schools" for every secondary school and had planned to extend this to all primary schools. Expanded cycle-ways and joined them up to give people more travel options.

8. Allowed pensioners to use travel tokens in taxis, despite government funding pushing Councils to back their bus pass scheme.

Management

1. Moved West Berkshire council up from "Fair" to a "Good" rating from the Audit Commission.

2. On leaving control secured the Council top marks 4/4 from the Audit Commission for value for money "use of resources" rating and 4/4 for "overall service performance".

3. Opened up the Council to the public allowing public questions and establishing local Area Forums to bring the Council closer to communities.

4. Won funding for local priorities via the Local Strategic Partnership, joining up the Business Community, the Council and the Voluntary sector.

5. Assisted in a major expansion of the local Economy with unemployment falling to the lowest rate in the country.

Culture, Leisure, Health and Community Care

1. Re-opened the Corn Exchange as a central, popular performing arts venue for West Berkshire after it was left to rot by the Conservatives.

2. Opened new leisure centres with swimming pools in Hungerford, Thatcham and Burghfield. Invested in sports facilities including Henwick Worthy, Kennet Sports centre, Hungerford leisure centre and the Willink leisure centre in Burghfield.

3. Responded to public demand for a cinema by securing a site and operator for the new Newbury cinema, and to fill any funding gap from a £1 evening parking charge in the multi storey car park next to the cinema.

4. Won £6.5m lottery funding to restore Shaw House - a Grade I listed Elizabethan mansion.

5. Opened the popular Greenfield Day Centre in the East of the district which now attracts over 14,000 visits per year from older and disabled people

Learning

1. Invested in improving the library service with brand new libraries in Theale and Newbury and agreed funding for a new Hungerford library together with free internet access in all libraries.

2. Significantly increased the results achieved by pupils in West Berkshire. This was recognised by the Audit Commission rating the Council's education services at 4/4.

3. Invested in "extended schools" so that communities can get full use of local schools out of hours.

4. Won funding to established the "Clive" Community Learning & information resource vehicle to ensure the services available from the Council and the Government is promoted in rural communities.

5. Lobbied Newbury College to provide 'trades' courses/diplomas.

6. Protected small rural schools from the threat of closure.

4. Writing the 2007 Manifesto

Key Principles

A Manifesto for All of West Berkshire

The Manifesto will not be constrained by one Council or institutions. It will outline policy outcomes that the Lib Dems will achieve, whether it be through Town, Parish or District Councils or a campaign from Parliamentary Candidates at Westminster or European levels.

A Manifesto for Action

The Manifesto will talk about outcomes for residents, rather than be focused on inputs within Councils.

An Affordable Manifesto

The Manifesto will set clear priorities for funding setting out in what order the Lib Dems would fund priority areas.

An Inclusive Manifesto

The Manifesto will have input from all Constituencies and Branches within West Berkshire and anyone, party member or not, is open to input ideas into the manifesto. Ideas will be sought from pressure groups and Town and Parish Councils.

Finally - the Manifesto will be clear and concise and be easy to understand and remember. It will have no more than four overarching themes that every member will be able to recognise and promote.