Fringe Box

Socialize

Twitter

Letter: Lib Dems Should Reflect on Who Exactly Is Misleading the Public

Published on: 29 Jan, 2025
Updated on: 29 Jan, 2025

Report on Council’s Partnership Benefits

By Philip Brooker

leader of the Conservative group at Guildford borough Council

Claims in recent articles in The Guildford Dragon NEWS that the Lib Dem leaders of both Guildford and Waverley Councils assert that they “wanted to address questions from residents (and political opposition) in an open and fair way and attempt to remove political commentary by asking an independent body to conduct the review,” do not stand up to scrutiny.

During 2023, I asked at a full council meeting whether a cost-benefit analysis on the collaboration had been carried out. The answer was no.

I then asked whether the Lib Dem council would carry out such an analysis. The answer was again, no.

In early 2024 a report by SOLACE (Society of Local Authorities Chief Executives) into Governance Issues at GBC reported that there should have been a cost-benefit analysis before the collaboration was implemented as there should also be on all major decisions. Thus, it was the Conservative opposition and the SOLACE report that forced the Lib Dems into a U-turn and commission an analysis.

We fully accept the independence of the report, as far as its remit allowed, and agree that on direct costs £101,000 per year, per council has been saved (0.002 per cent of the GBC’s General Fund Budget – or the cost of a single medium ranking officer).

Where the report falls down is on consequential costs: these are costs incurred elsewhere through poor decision taking by overstretched staff.

On these matters the report only states “whether [consequential costs] has come at a wider cost to both councils is harder to answer” and: “Ultimately, it is impossible to state with certainty that the overall position of GBC and WBC is better or worse as a result of the collaboration”.

Added to this is the attestation from the previous chief executive of both councils at the time, and published in the Heminsley report), that the impact of the collaboration placed a “fundamental strain on senior managers being able to access information and [being able to create] a healthy and functioning governance environment”.

In other words, the jury is still out on whether this has been a success or not.  The public, no doubt will judge for themselves and will surely take into account the recent disastrous financial performance of GBC leading to the issuing of a warning of bankruptcy in 2023, and the misallocation of around £30 million.

That this had nothing to do with diluting senior staff numbers brought about by the collaboration, is hard to imagine.  Therefore, the Lib Dem leaders at both councils should look long and hard at who, exactly, is misleading the public.

The Lib Dems at Waverley and Guildford have demonstrated exactly how not to carry out a merger but are, nevertheless ploughing ahead with further integration despite the current Government seeking to replace this catastrophic collaboration with a unitary council.

I have no doubt that the public will reflect on this debacle and duly elect a cost-conscious and efficient Conservative led unitary council.

Share This Post

Responses to Letter: Lib Dems Should Reflect on Who Exactly Is Misleading the Public

  1. Jane Austin Reply

    January 30, 2025 at 9:24 am

    Cllr Brooker makes excellent points here.

    When the opposition do their job via constructive scrutiny of the actions of the administration(s), we are accused of “misrepresenting”, because what we uncover is inconvenient.

    We see time and time again that the role of opposition and the role of scrutiny is undermined and branded as misleading by the Lib-Dem led political leadership of these two councils.

    Opposition via questioning, scrutiny, offering our view – they are all vital parts of local democracy.

    The leaders of GBC and WBC would perhaps perform better in their respective roles if that was understood. Rather than accusing us of misrepresenting facts we uncover from reports and offering our take on behalf of residents, they could (even rarely) take into account what we say.

    We are simply doing our job.

    Jane Austin is a Conservative borough councillor and leader of the opposition at Waverley Borough Council

  2. RWL Davies Reply

    February 1, 2025 at 8:07 am

    Lib Dems and other councils in many locations have a strong track record in demonstrating how not to carry things out.

Leave a Comment

Please see our comments policy. All comments are moderated and may take time to appear. Full names, or at least initial and surname, must be given.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *