Cllr Will Candy is the Chief of the Conservative Group on Wandsworth Council.
Labour handed its a hundredth day in charge of Wandsworth Council over the summer time. It’s been a lesson in how shortly a Labour administration can unravel 44 years of excellent Conservative governance.
Since I used to be elected the brand new Chief of the Opposition in Might, I’ve stated we’ll work with Labour the place it is smart for residents – persevering with the funding in parks and the atmosphere that we began, as an example. And our hardworking Conservative councillors are nonetheless delivering of their communities.
That doesn’t imply letting Labour off the hook. Residents are tightening their belts and the brand new Council ought to do the identical. As an alternative, the Labour Council has dropped worth for cash like a stone. We’ll be working constructively to get them to alter course.
Labour’s £1 million self-importance undertaking
In its first 100 days, Labour allotted £1 million to provide its Chief 4 further employees for the subsequent 4 years. We have been ready to provide them a good listening to, however – regardless of us repeatedly asking for the element – it’s unclear what these employees will do – that tons of of current council employees don’t do already. It’s a £1 million self-importance undertaking.
The one native resident whose life that £1 million goes to enhance appears to be the Labour Chief’s.
Labour’s guarantees on Council Tax
In its first 100 days, Labour has backed away from the largest promise it made in the course of the election – to chop council tax subsequent 12 months. It’s all the time necessary to maintain guarantees, and particularly throughout elections, when residents place their belief in politicians.
Wandsworth famously has the bottom Council Tax within the nation. With neighbouring Labour boroughs charging twice as a lot, Council Tax grew to become the battleground subject of the election. Labour stole our garments by promising voters the “Identical Low Council Tax”.
However with days to go and barely a whisker between us on the marketing campaign path, Labour raised the stakes by promising to chop Council Tax by 1 per cent subsequent 12 months. In such a decent election, it made a distinction.
In its first 100 days, Labour has, astonishingly, twice refused to substantiate they’ll make that lower.
Labour’s waste
In its first 100 days, Labour has been on a spending spree. However spending cash just isn’t the identical as getting outcomes.
Labour can’t clarify how their £100,000 “residents’ meeting” on air pollution will really make the air cleaner or what their new “champions” (Labour councillors paid £2,800 further every year) will really do. Nor have they justified £100,000 in new grants to be doled out by a Labour councillor with out the standard checks and balances by the cross-party grants committee.
Labour has shredded our flagship coverage to construct 1,000 new properties without charge to taxpayers by constructing a mixture of shared possession, market and social housing. They’ve switched the shared possession and market properties to social hire and now they’re planning to cancel our superb Alton property regeneration undertaking, disappointing 1000’s of residents.
Labour’s summer time of strikes
In its first 100 days, Labour marched with the GMB union. The identical GMB union whose parking warden strike is alleged to have value the Council tons of of 1000’s of kilos in misplaced income. Labour additionally joined the picket strains of the rail and Tube unions, siding in opposition to native residents who wished to get to work, college or hospital.
Labour’s magic cash tree
In its first 100 days, Labour has begun to plunder the Council reserves to fund its spending spree. That’s cash we have to shield residents from debt and to handle emergencies, as we did throughout covid.
After we ran the Council, taxpayers’ cash was not spent with out us being certain it could make a distinction for residents. We aren’t in opposition to supporting the brand new Council the place it helps residents, however Labour’s method is to splurge with out explaining worth for cash.
The Wandsworth motto – ‘We Serve’ – is a reminder of the job politicians are there to do. Labour should maintain their Council Tax guarantees, ditch the £1 million self-importance undertaking, and give attention to worth for cash.
