I WRITE to support some of the points that district councillor Terry Glastonbury, Alvington, Aylburton and Lydney West, made in your columns last week, which may come as a bit of a surprise even to his good self.
I especially support the point that he wants the councillors of Forest of Dean District Council to work together for the good of the Forest of Dean.
I must say his point about telling employers that the Forest of Dean is a good place to live and work in is something some of of us have been doing for the biggest part of a decade, which is the very reason some of us were re-elected.
Mind you, with the new Conservative group on the council continually heaping tirades of abuse on everything that existed before, I do not see much evidence of a 'working together' spirit.
More of the fact of them speaking with a forked tongue, or, in other words, saying one thing and then, in actions, doing something completely different, just in most cases to dance to the tune of Mark Harper.
With regards to the remarks of Mr Harper, Prospective Conservative Candidate the one the local Tories of the time never really wanted, the 13 per cent tax increase at Shire Hall was high, but it was also average in county councils across the country.
In fact in most cases where the rates were higher it was in Conservative controlled councils, for instance Somerset 15.7 per cent, East Sussex 20.4 per cent – so much for these Tories taking tough decisions when in local government office.
It has never really amazed me too much that, the real reason Mr Harper spends more time on local government issues than on the all-important issues of national government is because the Tories have little or no national policies.
The reason for this is the huge mess they made after 17 years of government last time. Anyone remember the poll tax, and the 4.5 million unemployed and these were the figures they admitted to.
With a leader like Ian Duncan Smith, being, in my opinion, the best thing that ever happened to the Labour Party, it's no wonder dear Mark stays on local issues. And he accuses me of turning things upside down!
It would still be nice after all these replies to find out just what Mr Harper's 14 new 'kids on the block' are actually going to do at the Forest of Dean District Council except moan about the previous administration.
Judgements like the one in May can also be reversed Mr Harper, especially when the ones elected can be put to the test of office. – Graham Morgan, county councillor, Cinderford.