The Dragon Says: When Governments Don’t Work We All Lose Out

Published on: 17 Nov, 2018
Updated on: 19 Nov, 2018

The culture of secrecy at Guildford Borough Council has finally been admitted by the Liberal Democrats. That’s good, but a lot more action will be required by them for we residents to be convinced that they truly intend to force real compliance with the principles of public life, the Nolan principles as they are known. Let’s hope it is a new start.

The council’s instinct to reveal as little as possible could not have been more starkly demonstrated than in the recent debacle over the bid for government money to help plan a “garden community” for the former Wisley Airfield site.

It is well known to be a controversial area. Local residents have been determinedly campaigning against a major development for years. They felt they were being let down by a Conservative leadership intent on including a strategic development for thousands of new homes on the former Wisley Airfield in the Local Plan, regardless of local opposition.

Such was the strength of feeling among residents that they performed a political somersault in 2014, overturning a huge Conservative majority to elect a Lib Dem councillor who has been unequivocally against any such development. They returned him again in 2015.

But although the council voted unanimously against a proposal put forward by Wisley Property Investment Ltd and successfully argued against it being allowed on appeal, the settlement remained in the Local Plan.

Fast-forward to this summer. Council officers decided in August to make a bid for government funds to help with a proposal for a “garden community” at Wisley. Their decision had the blessing of the council leader but no councillor was told. Two months passed then, on October 19, he decided that he would not use his delegated powers and the matter had to go before the Executive. But no councillor was told.

How can any of us have the least confidence in a council that shows so little respect for its own councillors, let alone the residents of the borough?

How can any of us have confidence in a council Executive which shamefully votes through, unanimously, a recommendation based on a report that other councillors clearly had no time to consider or discuss?

How can any of us have confidence in a council leader who is unable to make an obvious judgment that something had gone seriously wrong and that respect for democratic process was more important than an iffy bid for government money?

If realisation has really dawned now in the Lib Dem camp they need to act quickly and decisively if they are to restore any belief that they are a proper opposition.

The Guildford Dragon NEWS has been saying for years that there is a real problem over a lack of transparency and openness. Increasingly others, some of them councillors, are now saying it too.

To use the American vernacular, it is time to wake up a smell the coffee! The aroma is overwhelming.

Those at Millmead, including the managing director, whose woeful failure to answer our questions was worse than a “no comment”, and the Tory rank and file, on whose unthinking support the present regime has been able to rely, all need to take a deep breath, recognise the odour, and act quickly.

Failure to do so will mean not only that GBC is further disliked and disrespected but, in some quarters at least, is regarded as a laughing stock.

In actual fact, it is no laughing matter: we all lose out when our governments, national or local, do not work.

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