SHARED GAMBLE CONFIRMED

They say a week in politics is a long time!

Last week, during an extra-ordinary meeting of Thanet District Council called to discuss 'shared services' in East Kent, proposals for changes to council housing, waste collection and support services were over-confidently pushed through by the ruling Conservative administration, despite very serious concerns outlined by Labour group members.

Last night, at a council meeting held to discuss the 2010/2011 TDC budget (at item 12 - Annex 3 - the Financial Risk Assessment - pages 121 & 122) council officers reported 'shared services' as probably the largest risk facing the council to date and that the likelihood of shared services not being progressed is also deemed to be high risk.

As Labour Group Leader I repeat "decisions were made at last weeks rushed extra-ordinary meeting that will significantly change the shape of local government here in Thanet. They were made hurriedly and without proper consideration of the long-term consequences. The current Conservative administration obviously wants rid of these services which it is finding increasingly difficult to manage. To cover this Conservative leadership's abject failures, the residents of Thanet could be left with the worst of all worlds - distantly managed and expensive services over which they have little or no control".
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Last week's meeting - 18/02/2010

SHARED GAMBLE

Having lost effective control of several key services at TDC, the Conservative administration has now launched the authority into the unknown following Thursday's full council meeting held to discuss shared services across East Kent. Decisions were made that could see TDC tied in to long, expensive and binding agreements with it's neighbouring authorities with no clear financial savings yet established, but substantial financial penalties should the ventures prove to be failures.

For the past week or so council members have been bombarded with a relentless series of hefty documents, one arriving at their homes by last minute post on the day of the meeting and yet another on their respective benches as they walked into the chamber for the debate, and no time allowed for members to read it properly.

Throughout the debates on council housing, waste collection and support services, Labour members warned of concerns that matters were being rushed and decisions being made without fully considering the long term effects and costs the changes will make for ratepayers in the future.

Labour members also voiced serious concerns regarding the loss of local democratic control of services, especially as major decisions could now often be made by just a small number of council Chief. Executives with the district's council leaders. That would mean no political balance on key matters and leave all the other elected councillors in several districts with little or no say over services which residents had elected them to control.

Jobs could also be lost to Thanet, as due to our geographical position any centralising of management would be unlikely to be based here.

Several common-sense amendments were put forward by the Labour group that met with strong resistance from the Conservatives, but in the end the Labour's crucial claim to review the results of the consultation process with tenants and leaseholders on housing changes with a final chance to ballot residents was finally accepted.

Labour Group Leader Cllr Clive Hart said "decisions were made on Thursday evening that will significantly change the shape of local government here in Thanet. They were made hurriedly and without proper consideration of the long-term consequences. The current Conservative administration obviously wants rid of these services which it is finding increasingly difficult to manage. To cover this Conservative leadership's abject failures, the residents of Thanet could be left with the worst of all worlds - distantly managed and expensive services over which they have little or no control".

Published by the Labour Group Press Office - 44 Northdown Road, Margate, Kent, CT9 3DP.