Open Letter to Cllr Lina Joseph on Yet Another Wasteful Tory Vanity Project

by Bridget Smith on 3 December, 2017

I never fail to be amazed at the Tory’s brass neck in wasting our hard earned cash on vanity projects which benefit no one other than themselves. Recently we saw S Cambs Tories commit a staggering £50,000 to a ‘Review of Rural Bus Services’ which will fail to deliver even one additional bus journey.  It was all about creating a positive SPIN on their failure to improve rural public transport over the past 10 years.

The latest scandal is the creation of District Community Champions at a cost of £5000 per annum each.  The so called ‘Champion’ for S Cambs has seen fit to write to some of the elected community champions otherwise known as District Councillors. You may be interested in my letter to her.

Dear Lina,

Your recent correspondence to some of my group members has been forwarded to me and I am replying on their behalf, as Group Leader, in an open email which I shall be circulating to my parish councils and beyond.

Despite your protestations to the contrary your letter is at best discourteous and at worst an out and out insult to elected members who have been working tirelessly for years as their Communities’ Champions. It is nothing more than a blatant attempt to position the Conservative Group in a favourable light in the eyes of the electorate prior to the May elections and I refute any suggestion otherwise.

It is outrageous that you are being paid £5000 per annum of public money to replicate a job that is already being done to very good effect by members of my group who were elected by their communities to do that very job. This, on top of the substantial allowance you receive as a County Councillor and which you have increased by 30% in the past 2 months, is nothing short of scandalous.

It may well be that members of your political group are failing to be effective as Community Champions and maybe it is because they need a helping hand that your role has been created. I can assure you, however, that Liberal Democrats do not need your help because without exception they are succeeding in being voices for their communities, working to generate volunteering, making links between parish councils and other organisations, without being paid extra for it.

My advice would be that the Conservative Group should use its own funds if your role is needed to support their own under-performing members and stop wasting taxpayers’ money on this pointless vanity project at a time of unprecedented financial pressure.
Bridget Smith

Leader South Cambs Lib Dem Group
District Councillor Gamlingay Ward

Contact Details: Bridget Z D Smith.
Address Maypole House 39 Church St, Gamlingay, SG193JJ.
Phone 07729 836449.
Email [email protected]
Twitter: @cllrbridget
Website: https://bridgetzdsmith.4mp.org.uk
Facebook: CllrBridget

 

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