A follower posed a question to WW over the Christmas break asking if we believed Waverley Borough Councillors were:-
- friends of developers
- feathering their own nests
- power crazy egotists
- looking for a little paid side job in retirement
- deluded about the “real”world and the problems people face in it.
- and – HELL BENT ON DELIVERING ANOTHER LOCAL PLAN FAILURE!
Our response is quite simple. There are some very decent, hard working, genuine and intelligent people serving both on, and for, Waverley Borough Council. However, some have been there far too long and are well past their sell-by date. That applies to some of its staff too! Please note this was written before WW heard the Chief Planning Officer had resigned.
Other well-meaning souls allowed themselves to be put up as Conservative paper candidates and then found themselves elected and are having a really difficult time, so 2016 may well see by-elections. WW believes it is disingenuous for any political party to put up candidates who do not genuinely wish to serve the public. It is scandalous to put people up as voting fodder and this brings the electoral system into disrepute.
Some are too afraid to speak up and call the council’s powerful Executive to account. Although the body (called the Overview & Scrutiny committee) – is there to provide checks and balances. Its voice either goes unheard, or is ignored by, its Executive masters.
So, our answer is: No, we don’t believe all of them are in it for themselves, but we do believe Waverley Borough Council must be more open, honest, and answer our questions, and those posed by their own councillors. Tell us what you think, in private, at contact@waverleyweb.org
There are 57 members, just three of whom are Independents at Waverley (far too many in our book, despite saying years ago they would be reduced by five.)
Those who do not will find themselves increasingly under WW’s spotlight during the coming year!
So Happy New Year to you All – thank you for your interest in WW – please keep following us and contacting us as we will reach our first 10,000 hits shortly.
No, not all but a hard core minority who should be voted out next May? Re. “Overview & Scrutiny Committee” – there seem to be several, all being subservient to the “Corporate O & S ……………..” which seems to spend time (= our money) overwiewing and scrutinising itself and for which you could, no doubt, attach a suitable metaphor!
I have been sowing the seeds amongst like-minded Farnham thinkers that a vote of no confidence in the current WBC be “engineered” in the near future. Perhaps WW could assist?
(p.s. – thanks for responding to my request to correct the spelling of “practise”! (W. Scott, Sir ca. 1808)