And there we all were thinking we had voted for change? A new era for the borough dubbed by the tories as ‘Your Waverley’ that would, at last, become ‘Our Waverley.’
Whilst Waverley voters may have bought the T-shirt for a Rainbow coalition, who will actually run the council??
Before the voting slips are even cold, we understand True Blue Mary Foryszewski, will be anointed into the most powerful Job – Mayor of Waverley! And a former Tory (who will from now on be referred to as “APOT’ – A Pissed off Tory) becomes the new Council Leader. The self-elected leader of the Farnham Residents’ will thankfully be supported – and oh boy will he need supporting – by Lib Dem Deputy Cllr Paul Follows. A man who gathered more support in the recent elections than all the Tories put together.
So why has The Rainbow Alliance chosen to hand over control of the council to a Cranleigh woman who hasn’t exactly covered herself in glory in recent months?
After losing her chairmanship of Cranleigh Parish Council to the feisty Elizabeth Townsend, she literally threw in the towel and failed to turn up to a single meeting! Except of course for the opening of an envelope in her role as deputy Mayor.
Having incurred the wrath of every single one of her parish colleagues for opposing a Memorial Garden to commemorate war veterans, she then appeared in the Conservative In Touch pre-election rag, applauding its existence!
So Why has the new administration appointed John ‘APOT’ Ward to lead the council forward into the brave new world of Waverley? A man who has had a poor attendance record, and who hasn’t exactly shone in holding the Tories to account as a Farnham Resident! Well, we suppose a Farnham ‘POT’ is better than a ‘Farnham POTTY?’
Let us all live in hope, even if we die with disappointment and boredom, that after a year as Leader in Waiting, Paul Follows will become the head honcho we have all been waiting for? And just in case wannabe borough councillor Angela Richardson is reading this and believes the WW is the PF Fan Club? We put our weight behind the people who communicate with the public and tell it as it is. Not those who treat the residents of our borough like mushrooms keep them in the dark, and throw a load of manure over them from time to time – ok?
We have looked back to find any previous examples of an administration holding power allowing the opposition to appoint the new Mayor. Perhaps one of our more enlightened followers will tell us? contact@waverleyweb.com
I’ll have a go on the Mayor issue – as one of those dangerous lefties your mum and the Daily Mail warned you against, I think there’s a good case for being generous for the entirely non-partisan role of Mayor.
As Labour group leader I’m interested in:
* What the Council does about social and affordable housing.
* What is done about Green Belt protection.
* What is done about support for the disabled
* What is done for women escapinbg violent marriages (number of regues in Waverley: 0),
* What is done to help people struggling to make ends meet in one of the richest boroughs in Britain
What is done to decide who opens bazaars and flower shows next year? Not so much. I expect the deputy mayor has been looking forward to it, and really I don’t care. If she’s made Mayor, I genuinely hope she enjoys a year of ribbon-cutting, while the rest of us, I hope, get on with making Waverley a better place.
We hope – for Cranleigh’s sake the Mayor continues working for the good people of Cranleigh – and doesn’t spend all her time eating sausges on sticks as part of the chain gang. Cranleigh needs all the representation it can get from what we can see.
PS Sunday morning typos – regues=refuges, and a couple of other slips – sorry!
Gosh
I can’t believe I am typing this… Yes my parents did warn me about dangerous Lefties – But Well Said Nick Palmer, I couldn’t agree more
Two lefties proved themselves to be some of the finest councillors Waverley Borough Council has ever produced.
Elsie and Harold Denningberg – God Bless their souls.
Good afternoon everyone, can I just say thank you for the vote of confidence in me.
The intent of course is that I become (this year) deputy leader. You must also understand that as group leader of the Liberal Democrat group of 14, I can only really speak to whoever is the leader of the Farnham Residents.
Who that leader is – is entirely an internal matter for that group and I would NEVER interfere with that process. So I deal with the leader they elect as a group.
One thing you will see is that my ‘half’ of the executive is going to reflect the ‘progressive alliance’ that I am keen to see governing – but also individuals who are qualified and will do a good job. So I will be nominating some Liberal Democrats yes but I will be extending an invitation to the Labour group leader (who as you can see above is suggesting some totally radical methods of you know..actually helping people!) but also to the Green group leader. I very much hope they will accept that invitation.
We will also (all of us) be looking to explore alternative models for governing the borough instead of the executive. And our arrangements will be renewable after this first year. One thing we have discussed is the leadership role rotating. Those of you that know me will I hope agree that even as Deputy Leader – I intend to make my presence felt.
As to Mayor – I again concur with Nick.
Look out for a video on Tuesday evening on my facebook explaining all this in more depth.
Exciting news! Cannot wait to witness the changes, though we do not expect them to occur overnight.
We relise we must be patient, look forward and not back and we here at the Waverley Web have no doubt you will mke your presence felt. We have every confidence in you – but only time will tell.
It really is like a breath of fresh air to see these comments – Long may it last. As I have said before not all Tories are baduns – there are some excellent ones (especially here in the East of the Borough) and I hope they continue to fight for us, but also work closely with All parties to ensure that WBC do what is right for the people of Waverley and not just what SCC dictates or Westminster.
One Point on Nick’s Items – Please Please Please all Parties remember we DON’T have Greenbelt here in the East, we have Greenfields beyond the Greenbelt, please bear that in mind, as they are being concreted over too. See this little Gem WA/2018/2044
Thanks, Denise. That’s a good point about the Green Belt. We all use it as shorthand for “the green bits around us”, but it’s important to remember that it’s actually a ring of green around urban areas without either permanent definition (all too many councils cheerfully move it out as needed, exactly like a fat man loosening his belt) or any reference to what lies beyond.
We do, of course, have the issue of housing demand and the astonishing cost of homes locally driving many of the next generation out of our area altogether. The last council’s policy on this was partly to nibble at the greenfields and partly to shrug and say we’re not going to try to fix it because if we have enough affordable housing then we need to have lots more expensive housing too. I really don’t like either “solution” and one of the challenges of the new council will be to grapple with the inheritance of the Local Plan Part 1 (which can’t be changed quickly if at all) and the legal requirements from the Government (which enable developers to overturn local council decisions if they aren’t careful), and I very much hope to get to grips with that. More on this later – i’d like to write a column or two for the Waverley Web.
Hi Nick. We agree with your sentiments but some parts of the borough without the benefit of some protection have been fair game for developers – and residents are feeling under seige.
As for Government Inspectors whose decisions are interpreting this present Government’s dictats, perhaps somone should be asking if local borough & district councils are necessary at all? What is the point of planning committees if they are constantly over-ruled? We might as well burn the ballot box and bury local democracy.
And – you are always welcome to write column or two or three for the Waverley Web. Nothing would please us more.
Thanks, I’d love to. Just catching my breath this week (Council starting plus moving home in the same week – eek), but will have a go when the dust has settled.
I too agree with the wisdom of allowing the Deputy Mayor to become Mayor – she’ll be a good one. Was it 20 years ago, at another change in administration, when the Tories were petty enough to deprive the then Deputy Mayor of the opportunity to become Mayor? I thought that was a mistake then and I think this is the right choice now.
What a very fair comment, we wonder if the Tory Group would have been quite so charitable had the situation been the other way around?
Almost certainly not. Local Conservatives peppered then, and now, with petty, mean-spirited individuals who squash the thoughtfulness and kindness out their colleagues in the grounds it’s a weakness.
WW – I have to admit a teeney-tiny Non-Pecuniary Interest here….. Over the last 5-6 weeks Mary has been training our Young Pup (and more importantly US!) and so I do feel I have got to know her pretty well…. I have been a shocking Pupil (Unlike OH and Pup!) but she has put up with me and somehow got me through it all – Talk about patience of a saint!
I have not always been kind about her in the past, but over the years I saw that she genuinely cared about Cranleigh and the mess it was in – Now I honestly think she will make a good Mayor – she is incredibly forthright and calls a spade a spade. Cranleigh East residents obviously knew her well enough that despite their anger with what is happening in Cranleigh re-elected her… So I genuinely hope she gets the Job – I think she will be good – It is a shame she will have to leave the JPC – but we can’t have it all!!
We made this point earlier. Will she prove to be a lost voice for Cranleigh? Because Cranleigh and the eastern villages need all the help they can get, now and, we fear, in the future.
The Cranleigh people who write to us cannot quite understand why she threw in the towel at the parish council? But no doubt, someone will soon tell us?
Dear WW,
I did happen to read your email notification while I was out in Ewhurst delivering literature for the forthcoming European elections today and you certainly know how to put a spring in a girl’s step. Over 26,000 of them today.
‘Wannabe’ by the Spice Girls was number one in the charts for 7 weeks in 1996 so please do carry on with your generous descriptors. So kind!
Delighted to hear that Mary will be confirmed as Mayor. She did a fab job as Deputy and will do the residents of Waverley proud this year, no doubt!
Glad you are throwing your weight behind openness, transparency and excellent communication with residents. As you know from your well-placed sources on the our Community Boards several of us TTs (as you like to describe us) do the best we can in that respect.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday,
Angela
Wow! Now there’s a stalwart of the Tory Party – 26,000 steps all in the line of duty – even us blokes here cannot manage half that. Shame on us to be shown up by a mere girl!
Still the road to Westminster is a long hard slog for a Wannabe, but we are convinced you are up to the job. Anyone delivering European Election leaflets has to have nerves of steel in the present political climate. Dedication or what?
Cllr Foryszewski is truly blessed to have so many supporters – so we wish her well.
However, we remember her in the good old days when she battled in the borough council trenches in her efforts to support development on brownfield sites and prevent the desecration of the eastern villages countryside and on flood plains. Where did all that fervour go?
Fear not Angela, we will be watching the new administration with the same diligence that we watched the last.
Happy Monday – and keep up the steps- only a few more days to get the voting fodder out – again…
William Webb
Why are you so cold towards Mary F? You used to call her your Boudicca
Are you giving it away Mr WW – always thought you were a Bloke then was convinced a Women……. confused – But then I guess there are enough of you to confuse even me?? Keep it up – you make them all accountable and for that I am hugely grateful.
I say Go Mary – and Go Lib Dems and Farnham Residents – I just hope this is the end of the TT’s dictating stuff that simply wasn’t right for us here
Feeling slightly happier rather than just the Grumpy Git from Alfold
Denise
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