Tuesday 15 February 2011

Budget Debate at County Council

I will blog some fuller views soon.  But I have a busy schedule over the next few days.  So I thought I would post these few selfish early snippets about today.

Today has been a long day debating the County Council's budget.  I always thought it was going to be tough, and so it proved, please don't anyone pretend that these decisions don't weigh heavily on good Councillors - they do.  I got home at 10 o'clock this evening some 15 hours after I left home, relieved and extremely tired (but I confess to sneaking a crafty beer at the Railway in Whittlesey on the way back from the Station).  Given the decisions we were making today, I can only say that this sort of rigorous day is probably how it should be, even though it was extremely frustrating at times.

I am pleased that, in my opinion, the ruling Conservative group justified its budget and showed the Lib Dems headlines to be what they were, headlines and a budget proposal that was not deliverable.  I am sure others would differ.

It is a shame that a few people felt that unelected individuals shouting down a debate held amongst the elected was a good way of delivering democracy.  It wasn't and it was exposed as such.

I am pleased that my own passion for children's services were recognised by the opposition - and I thank David Jenkins for his compliment, and for the other opposition members who recognised the huge amount of work that went in to our budget.

I paid compliment today to the staff in Children's Services for their selfless attitude towards our budget and for the way they focussed on children rather than themselves in consultations.  I meant every word.

I was also complemented on the way I spoke today.  I personally didn't think I was as fluid as I have been in the past - but I tried to respond to the issues that were raised rather than read a prepared speech, so I suppose that was inevitable.  I hope it made my response sound genuine - because it was.

Today's budget has been portrayed almost as something apocalyptic.  It is tough, but it is not that disastrous - and now it is for the administration to deliver; I am sure we will.

1 comment:

  1. I would like to suggest that having both a council shop and a town council is to much for the people of whittlesey to pay for. If one or other was disbanded We could pay for another police man protect our toilets and up date them.
    Councillors over 60 allowances to be stopped for travel and any one who wishes to be a councilor do so on a volenteer bases .I would further add if the council were disbanded would we miss them.No

    Moore Whittlesy.

    ReplyDelete