This week’s General Purposes Committee started with the Chair welcoming the newly elected Councillors for Walsden ward and announcing that this was good for Labour because it gives them a majority of 8 on the Council. I asked whether it’s good for the people of Todmorden because that’s what the Town Council should be about !
(I didn’t mention the poor attendance at the recent full Town Council meeting when I think that there were something like 5 of their 13 Councillors mssing).
I’m pleased that the Cttee proposed to recommend that the Council continues to fund 2 PCSOs and accepted the Police’s request to provide half the funding (instead of 30%). The Police probably gave as much of a promise as we can get that they won’t abstract (take them away) from Todmorden unless they really have to.
There followed an examination of the Deputy Mayor’s chain and a discussion about the loss of a link chain on the Mayor’s chain.
But then there should have been a discussion of some broad proposals about flooding that I had put on the agenda at the last meeting but this was overtaken by a detailed discussion about the emergency response and a decision to set a Working gorup up consisting entirely of Labour Councillors. This is in direct contradiction to their actions indismantling all the previous working groups at the beginning of the year. Is this a case of “we can if we want to” ?
I’ve lived in Tod’ for 19 years and in all that time the town has remained the same, a dump, nothing gets done, no one makes a decision, no vision.
A classic case is the wasted unused space where the Medical Centre was, why isn’t used for parking, even if just for the rail station or the market traders? And that “garden”, what a sight and waste of money.
Tod could form part of a “golden triangle”, Hebden Bridge, Howarth and Tod, a great tourist/shopping experience, Tod taking the strain off the other 2 towns, both of which have parking difficulties.
More Labour councillors, more of the same then.
You’ve seen in my latest news item from the Town Council, that I’ve put the information about the workshops for the Neighbourhood Plan: do come along and have your say !
I have asked for the old car park area at the back of the old Health Centre to be made available for parking again – I think that it’s annoying that entry (by car) is prevented by the large stones. But I was in a small minority asking for that – but I’ll keep trying !