How to govern well
I have just finished reading a letter by our recently elected councillor detailing what he has been doing during his first two months in office:
* Called a private contractor to account for shoddy work on pavement resurfacing and personally supervised the rectification.
* Negotiated with another contractor working on potholes to specify days and times to minimise disruption to local residents and businesses.
* Organised our local scout group to spend a weekend picking up litter and cleaning graffiti off bus shelters.
* Organised a summer garden party for young carers, funded entirely by private donations rather than taxpayers money.
* Has spoken five times in Council meetings on issues relating to young people.
Our councillor stands under the colours of a national party I would never support in a General Election, but that is of no consequence as his achievements demonstrate. He has placed the interests of the community above his own political convictions and even the policies of his party. He has quickly grasped the potential and limitations of local office and made full use of his first two months to improve the lives of his constituents.
Compare this with the same two months in Kent County Council which is now majority run by Reform councillors:
* Ordered the removal of the Council's "director of DEI" . . subsequently informed that no such position existed.
* Ordered a halt to the housing of asylum seekers in hotels at local taxpayers' expense . . subsequently informed that this is entirely funded by the Home Office and is not Council responsibility.
* Enacted a bizarre rule restricting the flying of flags from Council property.
* Set up a "DOGE-style" unit to identify "waste and corruption" in Council spending.
* Cancelled the meetings of oversight committees normally tasked with scrutinising public expenditure . . and the performance of the ruling group.
* Refuses to make any policy commitments until the work of the aforesaid "corruption" unit is "completed" . . which of course it never will be and thus local services must suffer all because of the strange cult of Nigel Farage.
Think global, by all means, but then get on and do your job. And if you are unable to or find that local politics is beneath your dignity, bugger off and make way for someone competent who cares about their community and actually believes in local government.
* Called a private contractor to account for shoddy work on pavement resurfacing and personally supervised the rectification.
* Negotiated with another contractor working on potholes to specify days and times to minimise disruption to local residents and businesses.
* Organised our local scout group to spend a weekend picking up litter and cleaning graffiti off bus shelters.
* Organised a summer garden party for young carers, funded entirely by private donations rather than taxpayers money.
* Has spoken five times in Council meetings on issues relating to young people.
Our councillor stands under the colours of a national party I would never support in a General Election, but that is of no consequence as his achievements demonstrate. He has placed the interests of the community above his own political convictions and even the policies of his party. He has quickly grasped the potential and limitations of local office and made full use of his first two months to improve the lives of his constituents.
Compare this with the same two months in Kent County Council which is now majority run by Reform councillors:
* Ordered the removal of the Council's "director of DEI" . . subsequently informed that no such position existed.
* Ordered a halt to the housing of asylum seekers in hotels at local taxpayers' expense . . subsequently informed that this is entirely funded by the Home Office and is not Council responsibility.
* Enacted a bizarre rule restricting the flying of flags from Council property.
* Set up a "DOGE-style" unit to identify "waste and corruption" in Council spending.
* Cancelled the meetings of oversight committees normally tasked with scrutinising public expenditure . . and the performance of the ruling group.
* Refuses to make any policy commitments until the work of the aforesaid "corruption" unit is "completed" . . which of course it never will be and thus local services must suffer all because of the strange cult of Nigel Farage.
Think global, by all means, but then get on and do your job. And if you are unable to or find that local politics is beneath your dignity, bugger off and make way for someone competent who cares about their community and actually believes in local government.
36-40, F
