Just months after posting its first blog the Waverley Web is receiving an increasing number of comments and e-mails every day. Many of them to mailto:contact@waverleyweb.org some on the comments blob at the top of the Post page.
Some residents are calling for protest marches on the borough council offices at The Burys, some much stronger suggestions have also been made!
With over 30,000 hits – many more if you count the numerous postings on Face book and other social media, and Civic and Town Society sites. We are hearing from former Waverley residents around the World. To name a few Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, America, Throughout the European Union, Canada and two from Russia! Some followers are asking us to increase the number of posts to at least two each day as we cover more issues. So readers may need to check alerts more frequently in future.
We stand by our right to scrutinise and comment on the behaviour of Waverley Council and the other parish and town councils. WW has been applauded by many of you for having the guts to call others to account, whilst at the same time bringing a little humour and musical accompaniment to our posts.
We are not journalists, just a group of ordinary residents eager to spell out the truth which sometimes hurts. Our blogs, come from contributors inside Waverley Council and from residents around the borough. They are intended to inform, and in part, do the job that a strong opposition once performed within Waverley Council. However, we are not criticising the one Independent and the two Farnham Residents’ councillors who are doing their best – but, most of the time they are shut up before they can even speak! But the more opposition there is , the less they can be silenced!
Even Waverley’s Conservatives agree that having very little opposition is a bad thing – in fact it is bad for them and for us! Officers are forced to kow-tow to an ever powerful Executive tail, which continues to Wag the council dog.. Read this post if you want to hear what Waverley’s own members think of the administration … TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING?
Some of you have suggested our posts are split into separate Town areas, and we are considering ways to make it easier for you to access your area. However, this blog is about “Your Waverley” and we believe this blog is the only medium where you can hear of, and read about, what is going on – all over the borough. Farnham’s problems to-day can be Godalming’s tomorrow.
The council is presently caught between a government that is imposing ever increasing pressure on council budgets, without relieving them of any responsibilities. At the same time, it demands Local Plans with high housing targets, unpopular with many, perhaps even most voters, many of whom believe we are solving London’s, and not our local housing problems, whilst multi-million pound properties are sold in the City as buy to leave for foreign investors.
Who could blame councillors if they feel that the world is against them? And should we be surprised if they get angry and want o shoot the messengers of discontent, including the WW.
The former leader of “Your Waverley” Robert Knowles has not contacted us once, though he has come in for a great deal of criticism. If he feels he has been unfairly treated he should say so. If the council he once led has made mistakes, covering up the fraud for one, he should apologise. We all make mistakes. Here at the WW we correct ours – publicly.
Waverley Council does some things well. None of the good things happen by accident, and there are some very good hardworking staff and councillors within Waverley’s walls – we know because we hear from them!
But, and it is a big but, it is absolutely right for those who govern us to be subject to constant scrutiny. It comes with the job. It is also natural that scrutiny focuses on perceived failures and controversy.If we want things to improve it is right that it should. For far too long the secrets, lies , and wrongdoings perpetrated by WBC have been ignored or hidden.
Where one party has such a dominant position, scrutiny is especially important. Councillors themselves admit their own scrutiny process has not worked and must change. Isn’t it time our councillors challenged their “masters?”
W W cannot dictate the nature of comments we receive; however, we strive for balance and if we receive a comment in favour of the council it will be published.
Through moderation we delete comments felt to be inappropriate and tone down others to make them less personal, vitriolic and repetitive. W W’s objective is to encourage engagement with local politics. Sadly, the level remains very poor. If you are reading this you are almost certainly in a minority of people who are interested, most can’t even be bothered to vote in local elections, let alone take an active interest. What goes on at Waverley Council is important and deserves our attention.
W Web is, independent and apolitical, and is proud that it is providing another platform for more debate on local politics giving more people a chance to have their say and scrutinise those who govern us. There is now a new Leader in place, we do not want more of the same! Do we?
We hope WW will help lead to greater involvement in local politics from across the whole political spectrum and will encourage our local politicians to remain mindful of properly expressed views, however inconvenient they might be.
Politicians, all politicians, are elected to represent us and if it is felt they are not doing so the criticism is likely to increase.
HEAR! HEAR! TO ALL OF THE ABOVE!
Thank you – your endorsement of the Waverley Web is much appreciated. WW