A former Tory councillor says effective change cannot be delivered in Lichfield and Burntwood if people continue to vote for the current controlling group.
Joanne Grange, who will stand as an independent in the Chadsmead ward, had previously served as a Conservative councillor before resigning from the post – and the party – in a row over the way planning policies were being applied.
Her comments come after two former Cabinet members and serving Conservative councillors said the local elections would be a chance for change.
Cllr Iain Eadie said: “If people come out and vote on 2nd May it gives everyone, including our own local party, a chance to change things for the better.”
But Miss Grange said the message from Cllr Eadie and his Conservative colleague Cllr Andy Smith, who will both contest the Leomansley ward, was a confusing one.
“There seems to be an acceptance that things need to change and the recognition that the elections are the opportunity for us all to vote for change,” she said.
“In pushing for change, their message seems to be that people should vote for the same party again?
“It’s a kind of ‘having made this mess, we’re now absolutely going to change to sort it out’ message.
“It strikes me that the way to drive the change that Cllr Eadie and Cllr Smith recognise is needed is to vote for difference, not the same.”
Couldn’t agree more with you Joanne, but sadly, despite living in hope of a massive change I fear this will not happen. Lichfield is a blue city and unless good candidates from other parties/ independents are standing and get themselves out on the streets campaigning, the likes of Cllrs Smith and Eadie will be re-elected.
faith hope and charity -sorry joanne you are living in a dream world -but we have has a labour controlled council who done more in four years then the tories have done in the last 30 years
Hi Brian. You may be right – but even if I just get people talking and realising that local elections are important I’ll think of it as success!
Quite right, Joanne.
I’ll be one of the Lib Dem candidates standing against these guys in Leomansley ward. Anyone keen for a change should vote Lib Dem.
We’ve got a strong record of working with residents on things like planning, road improvements, litter, campaigning for more affordable housing, campaigning against removing lollipop crossing patrols and large grants to the Garrick, and lots of other stuff.
Also, it wasn’t us who chucked away £12 million failing to build a shopping centre!
There are great Labour Party candidates too standing all across Lichfield District. So, if people do want real change for the better, that’s where their vote needs to go. I didn’t see any Lib Dems at the school gates gathering signatures in our campaign to stop the Tories ending school crossing patrols – and the small, but highly effective, Labour Group on Lichfield District Council have raised more fuss about genuinely affordable housing, protecting the Greenbelt, Garrick Theatre funding and the rest of it, than the LibDems ever have!
The great risk in local elections, with our first past the post system, is that a vote for minority parties, like the LibDems or Greens, noble though they may well be, means that you end up with a Tory Councillor, rather than a Labour one – and I can’t think why anyone would want that after the brown bin tax, the Friarsgate fiasco and record Council Tax increases, to name but three issues!
Colin Ball – Labour Party Lichfield City and District Councillor for Curborough – and prospective candidate for both again in May elections.
The Candidates for the upcoming local elections on 2nd May 2019 have today been published and Leomansley voters will have the choice of Conservative; Green; Labour; or Liberal Democrat party candidates.
Leomansley Conservatives would welcome the opportunity to participate in a hustings if the other party candidates would be willing to take part in this.
We could then answer residents questions over the additional funding from central Government that has allowed Staffordshire County Council to spend more money on potholes; as well as not having to divert money from school crossings to pay for the increasing costs of adult social care.
We could answer questions on how candidates would propose to bridge the gap between the Council Tax Lichfield District Council gets of approximately £7 m per annum and its planned spending of approximately £10 m per annum on services, when monies from central Government is reducing year on year.
We could debate the decisions taken by Lichfield District Council to reduce its expenditure, such as reducing the funding to the likes of the Garrick Trust and the consequences this has had on amateur dramatic groups ability to access the theatre to put on shows.
We could debate why it became necessary to charge for brown bins when Staffordshire County Council needed to reduce the recycling credits it pays to District and Borough councils, if other services were not to be affected.
We could also debate the failure to deliver Friarsgate and why Leomansley Conservative councillors stood down to protest this; what action we took within Lichfield Conservatives as a consequence; and why the new council – regardless of what party Councillors are from – will be different.
A hustings would be an opportunity for all parties to answer residents questions on the issues affecting where we live; what Candidates would propose to do about them if elected; and to encourage a genuine debate on what is really happening.
If the Green, Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates would be willing to participate in a hustings please get in touch with myself, Andy Smith or Jamie Checkland.