Reasons for standing
Why did you decide to
stand for Cornwall Council in Redruth South division?
I have had a latent ambition to stand for Cornwall
Council for a number of years and then, recently, I read an article which
suggested that the community needed and wanted leaders who
- could and would take decisions in the best
interests of Cornwall and not of any political doctrine
- make decisions based on common-sense and by
taking the views of the electorate into consideration regardless of political
persuasion
- wouldn’t be afraid to ask questions, even
tough and awkward ones, in overview and scrutiny panels
- were prepared to take corporate responsibility
for the Council’s decisions and their implementation without running away or
burying their heads in the sand.
I thought for a moment … then said “That’s me!”
What qualifies you to be a
good Cornwall Councillor for Redruth South?
I have been a Town Councillor since 2004, serving
the Redruth South Ward between 2004 and 2007 and, likewise, the Redruth North
Ward from 2007 until the present time.
I have also served the community as Redruth Town Mayor during the years
2010-2011 and 2011-2012.
This ‘apprenticeship’ has resulted in a very good
track record of performance and delivery and I am renowned for listening,
hearing and acting on the views of the people I serve.
I also have a thorough understanding of how a Local
Authority works through both my service as a Town Councillor and Mayor and as
an Officer of what was then the Cornwall County Fire Brigade and Cornwall
County Council from 1987 until 2009.
Views on Local Government & Democracy
Do you believe that
Councillors’ allowances are too high, too low or about right?
This is a difficult one for me having been an
‘unpaid’ Town Councillor for 9 years and an individual who gives a great deal
of his time currently and freely to working with a number of charities. However, I’m a great believer in the saying
that if a job’s worth doing then it’s worth doing properly! I know that I will give 100% and do my best
to do it right. On that basis I believe
that the allowances are slightly too low if anything, but in these difficult
economic times we all must tighten our belts.
Usually there is a low
turn out at Local elections in Redruth. How do you think you could engage
people more to get involved in local politics?
People are clearly disenchanted with national
politics and politicians. There is an
obvious distrust, whether that be caused by the expenses scandal; the lack of
clearly defined policy; manifesto changes or, maybe, even personalities. I believe that distrust has fostered the
apathy that exists and has worsened the situation nationally and locally.
I have a very strong view that party politics
should play no part in the workings of any Local Authority. I would encourage the local electorate to
seize the opportunity of the local elections to elect community leaders who
will listen and respond to the views and needs of the community in which they
serve ... an Independent Council for Cornwall.
If you are elected, how
will you keep in touch?
I will keep in touch in a number of open and
transparent ways, particularly by engaging with the community face-to-face and
at every opportunity. Some of these
opportunities will be created through a regular ‘surgery’, home visits, social
media and the publication of my home address, private telephone number and
e-mail contact. I will endeavour to
continue my meetings and work with all of the community groups that I am
currently involved with – by way of just one example ‘Friends of Victoria
Park’.
Welfare Reform
The Government is reducing
welfare benefits and the Council has decided to charge people who previously
received Council Tax benefit. Do you agree with what they are doing? How do you
think this will impact the community in Redruth South? What are your ideas for
dealing with these impacts?
A number of matters ‘collide’ here, sensitive
matters that affect not only Redruth South, but the whole nation.
Clearly there is a need for Welfare Reform as none
of us can live in an economic climate where, in effect, the country and, maybe,
the Unitary Authority might be threatened by bankruptcy yet benefits are being
given without a thorough assessment of need.
I believe that there is something morally wrong, if nothing else, living
in a society where some appear to be claiming benefits and living the life of
Riley whilst others struggle to make ends meet though in full and gainful
employment and without such financial support.
The dilemma I have is how do we protect and support
those in our community who are the most vulnerable, desperate and in genuine
need – I and you both probably know of families where the work ethic doesn’t
exist and other families where everyone works and yet life is a continual
struggle.
Am I in favour of some form of means testing, well,
whilst I know it will make me unpopular in some quarters, on balance I have to
say that I am.
Priorities for Cornwall & Redruth
Are you satisfied with the
way Redruth Town Centre is developing? What do you think could and should be
done to invigorate the town?
Well the short answer is no, despite the incredible
efforts of the Town Council, some of its Members and Officers. Your Town Council has invested significant
resources in both the post of Town Development Manager and in partnership with
a number of other ‘good souls’ from the community by trying to promote the town
and increase footfall by the building of the ‘Events Programme’ and other
initiatives.
What else can be done? My view is that the Unitary Authority should invest capital –
maybe just a slice of what has been/may have been invested in Eden, Newquay
Airport, the Stadium for Cornwall or Falmouth Harbour - in the Redruth Action
Plan which they have previously adopted as the Strategic Development Framework
for the town.
Traders, businesses and the Chamber of Commerce
should be encouraged, again in partnership with the Town Council, to
participate more freely in the obvious development needs of the town. Maybe, the business community should pursue
the Business Improvement District (BID) scheme which has been successfully
implemented elsewhere in the County and Country.
Other things to be considered are the cost of Car
Parking and Business Rates which are both high and at an unacceptable
level.
What do you see as
Cornwall’s main priorities over the next 4 years and how can Cornwall Council
help to address them?
To grow stronger communities through the building
of affordable homes to rent and buy, not only to meet local needs, but as a
driver for employment, regeneration and the sustainability of communities.
To make further capital investment in the ‘Local
Transport Plan’, connecting people, communities, businesses and services and
alongside the roll-out of the Broadband Super Highway.
To invest in and promote the sustainable use of low
carbon technology and our natural resources such as solar and wave power in an
effort to reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
To devolve some powers and responsibilities to the
Parish and Town Councils with the transfer of assets, services and budgets as
intended under the ‘Active Partnering’ initiative.
Cornwall Council has
frozen Council Tax again for next year and is plan ing to make some budget cuts
in order to balance the books. This looks likely to mean reductions in some
Council services and result in some job losses. Do you agree with the decision
to freeze Council Tax for another year?
No! This
freeze in Council Tax will, no doubt, result in a further reduction in the
scope, quality and frequency of services to the community. It is also likely to cause the
cessation/closure of some services and further job losses and
redundancies. More people on benefits,
a greater loss of skills and experience and a bigger demand on the welfare and
caring services which remain.
What do you consider
should be the main principles underpinning financial strategy for 2014/15 and
beyond?
My starter for ten would be a zero-based budget
approach. I mean by this that rather
than just adding inflation or growth to the previous year’s budget as a given,
each service and budget manager should be required to identify the needs of the
community and the service (quality, standards, frequency etc) before
identifying by estimate the cost of the provision or supply.
This approach together with an improvement in
efficiency and performance could/would release financial and possibly human
resources to be better utilized elsewhere within the Council.
Health and Social Services
There is a policy agenda
to bring Social Care and Health services together. What do you see as the main
risks and opportunities for Cornwall arising from this?
The merging of Social Care
and Health Services may provide an opportunity to resolve the gaps between the
two services which currently put the more vulnerable at risk. A combined service and budget may provide
more joined-up care across the hospital, mental health and care sectors. The proposals could also see Cornwall
Council being much more involved in making decisions about the Health Service
and the possibility of Hospitals expanding into the community and potentially
running some of our Care Homes.However, there is a risk that
the clinical commissioning groups (the new bodies taking control of Health
budgets) could be undermined with, potentially, some power being taken away
from Doctors and Nurses.
Law & Order / Public Safety
What are your views on how
policing works in Redruth South? How could it be improved?
Firstly, I have to say that I was totally opposed
to the Police and Cornwall Council ‘pulling the plug’ on the very active and
regular Redruth Partners and Communities Together (PACT) meetings. These meetings were initially replaced by
the ‘Have your Say’ postcard campaign and then by the recent (now annual)
survey under the Safer Cornwall umbrella.
However, I await the outcome of the survey, its action plan and its
implementation before making a final judgement.
In respect of Redruth South, I am aware that there
are outbreaks of crime and other anti-social behaviour in, but accept the local
Police statistics that it is not as prevalent as in the Town Centre or Redruth
North. I have a strong view that fewer
numbers make it no less important though.
Also, it is evidenced that crime and anti-social
behaviour create fear for the elderly and other vulnerable individuals and
groups of our society. The presence of
Police Officers and PCSO’s on the streets and in the community fosters a sense
of security whilst reducing that perceived threat and fear. More importantly it reduces the frequency of
such events and encourages the community to report suspicious individuals and
criminal activity.
I would hope that in the near future I will be
given the opportunity of meeting both the Sector Inspector and the Police and
Crime Commissioner to raise both my personal and the community’s concerns over
the reducing Police budget and the impact that this is having on Police numbers
and their visibility.
