Letters: October 1, 2016

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Disappointed in Tories

I FEEL that the Conservative party have rather let the people of Swindon down over the issue of parishing.

I have attended presentations at all three stages during the engagement and if the latest one in West Swindon is a guide, not only were the vast majority against the idea but many were openly hostile. I was also in the council chamber when a motion for a referendum on the idea was discussed. The Tories vetoed that too and yet senior councillors still want people to send in their comments: one has to wonder for what purpose. Only one of the town’s two MPs could disdain himself to comment and say that parishing was regrettable.

At future airings of the topic in council meetings I expect the plan, apart from minor alterations, to be agreed upon, against the wishes of most residents.

Personally speaking, I am very disappointed that the local Tories sought to confuse the issue of mismanaging the town’s finances, electoral support and the concept of another layer of bureaucracy.

The majority of residents have no idea that this process is going on and if they have it was due to a disguised leaflet appearing at the 11th hour when basically it was all over bar the shouting. When it comes to paying the bills for the new parishes, I suspect there will be an awful lot of unhappy people.

The Tories could have saved themselves a lot of grief if they had started to process when they first identified budgetary pressures, some years ago. However, their arrogance prevents them as demonstrated by the disdainful attitude by councillors in these meetings and the less than helpful responses to questions.

Consequently in 2018, as there are no local elections next year, people will find they are able to vote for members of a parish council, the whole issue will resurrect itself again. I feel that this episode will have done nothing to encourage people to become more involved in voting. In fact, I suspect it will turn people away from the democratic process.

Oh by the way, my local tax bill is likely to go up by around £100 for no improvement in service. Can you imagine the fuss the town’s MPs and local Tory council would have made if it was another party advocating what they are doing? There would be continual uproar and it would never be out of the newspaper. Instead I’m supposed to pay up and accept it.

BOB PIXTON

Liden, Swindon

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Hearing not listening

YOUR report on the Lawn residents meeting (SA 29 September) makes for interesting reading. Not least the fact that a ‘straw poll’ taken at the meeting suggested the council is under fire for not listening – a not uncommon flaw of the modern day politician who is prone to ‘hear’ but not ‘listen’; and there is a difference.

What I found most instructional was the presence and reported role of the Borough Solicitor. Stephen Taylor is a very nice man, elegantly erudite and being an Oxbridge scholar we can assume he is extremely clever, and he is also the council’s ‘go to man’ whenever the need to interpret or define is required. From personal experience I know that Stephen can be the doughtiness of defenders with regard to his employers words and actions. However, that does have a downside in that he can be viewed as an ‘apologist’ when he attempts to defend the indefensible and very occasionally he might appear just a little too eager to dismiss a view with the lofty air of one who knows they are intellectually superior.

With regard to the issue of parishing, the Borough Solicitor has appeared to enter a debate which is primarily political and not simply administrative. It was only in October 2012 the council undertook a Community Governance Review which determined that little if any action was required to amend parish boundaries or create new parishes from the un-parished areas of the town. Indeed, the general sentiment repeated throughout the report to councillors suggested little appetite for change, supported by statements indicating ‘no evidence for change being received from residents’ and ‘it has not been demonstrated that any change would secure more effective and convenient community governance within the area or better reflect the identities and interests of the community in that area’.

The only change which has occurred in the four short years between the previous review and this one is crystal clear and it’s not a resident generated desire to change the current status quo, rather it’s the result of Central Government short funding local councils which could be dealt with by holding a referendum to sanction a huge rise in council tax. But we know that a referendum is one thing Cllr Renard and his cabinet wish to avoid; after all should he lose the referendum he might have to follow his former national leader into retirement – minus the pension. Much better to achieve the same end objective by the dubious route of forcing parish councils to raise their tax precept.

As to whether it will happen, the people of Swindon will ignore the words of Cllr Renard who in his most recent column suggests the decision to parish is not a ‘foregone conclusion’ and remember his previous statement on the matter when he said that ‘maintaining the status quo is not an option’. I think the people of Swindon are wise enough to see the consultation process as nothing more than a token gesture to meet the obligations under the Community Governance Review.

DES MORGAN

Caraway Drive, Swindon

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Please ring if lonely

I HAVE been a fan of Esther Rantzen for years, for her charity work, especially Silver Line.

I started as a Silver Line volunteer two years ago, I have three silver friends I write to, I chose to be a writing friend, as a letter can be read over. The Silver Friends I write to are in their 80s and one 90. I received a newsletter from Silver Line in the summer, to say they now have over 3,000 volunteers,

With dark evenings on the way I am saying to anyone feeling lonely, don’t suffer alone, ring the number, a Silver Line friend will be found for you and you will receive either phone calls or letters on a regular basis to look forward to.

The number Esther gives on the TV is 08004708090, please ring.

EH FOX

Meadowscroft, Swindon