Letter: My Former Leader’s Approach Needs to Change Radically

Published on: 30 Oct, 2018
Updated on: 31 Oct, 2018

From Colin Cross

Independent borough councillor for Lovelace

It is regrettable that Cllr Reeves chooses to offer her support for the Wisley Garden Village bid.

Surely as opposition leader and chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee, she should be questioning why this application has only now surfaced after being a well-kept secret since August.

It is strange indeed that, instead of offering scrutiny to what appears to have been an opaque process, at best, we are advised the bid could provide “a much better quality of design and better infrastructure”. Why highlight these issues when there is no way to ensure that will happen and how relevant is that anyway?

We are told that delaying the bid so proper scrutiny could take place would mean it would be too late to apply for the funding, but surely that is precisely the problem – this report is being submitted so late that nothing more than a quick rubber stamping (and to hell with due process) can be permitted.

But in her joint roles, she should indeed be carrying out those official duties of constructive opposition and rigorous scrutiny. This seemingly ongoing tacit support for much of what the GBC Executive gets up to has gone far enough and badly needs to change, and to change radically.