Some might have noticed our Dear Leader, John Campion’s claims that the full council chose his ne-er-do-well gang-of-six cabinet. Well after next week, he need no longer pretend. Next Wednesday (Dec 1st ) there will be an extraordinary council meeting to decide on a change in the way our council is run. Sadly, the decision can only be a bad one.
Thanks to government legislation brought in before the general election, the council must decide whether (a) to have an elected mayor or (b) a “strong leader. The latter is the probable Wyre Forest outcome but both options set in stone the right of the leader to appoint his/her cabinet without dissent.
Now some may say this means no change. After all, despite his protestations to the contrary, no council opposition group can vote down John Campion on the cabinet members he wants and his own team wouldn’t dare. But this stupid idea lets him do it legitimately – unless a few hundred angry people go down to the Civic Centre next Wednesday evening and demand the council agree to a mayor elected by the public. Who fancies standing?
There is light at the end of the tunnel, however. On Monday, the Localism Bill was announced which, should a council so desire, makes it possible to end the dictatorial Blairite cabinet system and return to committees. It will take about 18 months to get through, so we have a long campaign to ensure that the one-party cabal that runs our district and our county into the ground is never allowed to do so again.
Neville Farmer
Parliamentary Spokesman
Wyre Forest Liberal Democrats
