When politicians resort to name calling you know that they are losing the debate.
Conservative councillor Simon Hoar calls the Waddon Labour party “a joke” for raising the concerns of residents in Croydon regarding the significant growth of fly tipping after the £1m cutback to teams dealing with our local street environment.
The deteriorating quality of the street environment is not “a joke” for residents who pay out their hard earned cash in council tax in return for services.
Sadly the quick default to such name calling is all too typical of the exchange of personal insults and bickering that supposedly makes for discussion in our town’s council chamber.
It would have been so much more constructive if the councillor had explained his thinking behind why tackling fly-tipping is a lower priority than a new £140m council headquarters, a £176,000 sound system to replace an already functioning system for the town hall chamber and £3.1m for replacement furniture for the new HQ when the furniture in the old Taberner House is still regarded as good enough for teachers who actually deliver a front line service.
Residents will feel that with such an unexplained perverse set of priorities that an unfortunate practical “joke” is being played on them by the Conservative controlled council.
Croydon Council needs a mature approach to delivering services with value for money in mind.
Andrew Pelling; Waddon Labour Party
- What do you think? Send your letter to: letters@croydonguardian.co.uk.
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