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Originally Posted by Robert  You need to market the idea of a unitary authority better. It just looks like sour grapes from the Lib Dems as an easier chance of getting more power ... It just looked strange in the papers for me to read of the Lib-Dem group saying it was a way of removing a Labour stranglehold on Burnley |
I'm the party's press officer and have no recollection of this. Are you able to say which paper and date? It would be a gross perversion of democracy. Unity Authorities must be in the interests of residents, not political parties. In fact, I'm pretty sure it would be illegal.
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Originally Posted by Robert I understand the finances etc. but people are baffled as to why council tax increases are so high and why services like bins appear to have to have been cut back. For all the reasoning etc. and I'm sure you are doing your best it still will seem unsatisfactory. |
Yes, sadly so. Few people realise that the Government funds Local Authorities through the Revenue Support Grant and that Council Tax makes up only a small proportion of the total. At the same time, wages are negotiated centrally and Local Authorities have no control over them. When the RSG goes down in real terms and wages go up, as happened last year, the money has to come from somewhere. When services are already cut to the bone, guess what, it comes from Council Tax payers.
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Originally Posted by Robert I'm sure you are aware of a few elected BNP officials in Burnley who on the whole are doing the job expected of them and have been asked to give comment to outside bodies etc. They can't be ignored and the national image of the BNP aside, the current four when looking at them as just councillors are able to put across the views of what may be a minority of people in Burnley but I feel are vital in being middle men to people in Burnley disenfranchised from mainstream politics. Even if the BNP councillors go, they will still retain a core vote and will still appeal to people in Burnley disenfranchised from mainstream politics, they should not be ignored. I like to think of them as a safety valve. |
I will say that three of the four are essentially honest, down-to-earth people who, with regret, are misguided on issues of cross-community friendship. I disagree with their views, but of course, uphold their right to hold them. One of the councillors and most of the activists in the party - sorry, but I have to say this - are complete nutters.