Political View: Where is the budget that gives better service?

When Councillor Qayyum’s column headline is ‘why democracy matters-and elections too’ it truly does beggar belief. The Labour-led administration, backed by the Liberal Democrats and the majority of Peterborough First, did everything to try and get away with cancelling elections. And the word is cancel, as this year’s set of elections wouldn’t have been repeated next year, as Councillor Qayyum confirmed in her column. But don’t worry, now they can’t escape elections, you can ask them on the doorstep why they wanted to deny local democracy. And whilst a Council leader should like all of us have a view on world issues, being the leader of a Council is a huge duty and has a wealth of challenges, so rather than trying to be a global leader, why not get back to focussing on Peterborough and the challenges we have?

We had the budget vote last week, and over the years in my columns I have spoken a lot about the importance of agreeing a balanced budget. This year, after 8 years of service, it’s the first time I felt differently. It’s fair to say I am scarred by the surprise cuts that are announced post-budget, we had the dementia centre a few years ago, and last year we had the Hampton Industrial Hub, or Hampton Handy Crafts as it’s lovingly known locally, put on the chopping block. The Industrial Hub is one of the most emotive issues I have ever had to deal with, seeing the impact on a group of vulnerable adults, their families and the incredible staff and volunteers too. I was reduced to tears by such a heartless decision that had been hidden from the eyes of elected members. And this was under the Labour administration. The decision was reversed after a very unsettling time for the users, but it should never have come to this. Little wonder they want to talk about matters from years ago, to distract from Labours own more recent administration and some awful decisions. Ask the save Werrington fields group how they feel about the administrations quoted ‘transparency’ or ask the people who attend the Bhrat Hindu Samaj.

I am also deeply unhappy that the city faces another increase of 4.99% in local Council Tax. Now I know how tough council finances are, but I know the publics finances are suffering even more, and with this increase, we can’t even say we are getting a better service. Ask the users of Hampton Skatepark, who’ve had no lighting for over 12 months, ask the residents of Hampton East who 3 years after, are still waiting for a traffic regulation order. Consultation. Are they getting service? No. Is it fair they must pay more council tax? No. It’s not in my nature to stop a budget, so I abstained as did most of our Conservative group. Because we can talk about swimming pools, station quarters, but we must roll our sleeves up and get back to looking after residents on the ground, who are suffering a huge gulf in service to what they should be getting. Hampton skatepark remains in darkness as I write this, over one year on. It’s simply not good enough. And I want to ensure we have no more budget ‘surprises’ too.

On a happier note, the sun is coming! I got to see the Helios exhibition at the Cathedral last week, it was stunning. With May elections to come, now let’s hope for a brighter future for our city.