Island Conservatives can't hide their broken council promises

8.36.00pm GMT Sun 15th Feb 2009

In a published letter in the County Press Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate, Jill Wareham, highlights the litany of broken Conservative promises since ruling at the Town Hall.

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The Editor

County Press

10th February 2009

Dear Editor

Listening to Jeff Manners advice to take a large dose of reality (CP letter 06.02.09) I'd like to share with him and J Keith Hook, Vice Chair of the Conservative Association (CP letter 06.02.09) some truths and untruths. I assume Mr Hook was part of the leadership of the Conservative party when putting their manifesto together 4 years ago which promised to improve Island roads and pavements, offer 50p fare for children and young people, keep the three tier school system and maintain local village schools, discontinue the Red Carpet and place good value for money as a cornerstone of their policy. The reality is these are all broken promises. Four years on and the roads are in an appalling state, many of them too dangerous to drive on safely, the 50p fare has doubled, the school debate has been tortuous ending in a U turn and proposed closure of village schools, and Ernie's Red Carpet is still there, albeit a little faded.

Would Islanders agree that good value for money is:

• spending an extra £3 million on doubling the number of highly paid officers in the Council,

• paying interim staff nearly £1 million,

• using £4 million on early retirement payoffs,

• Councillors awarding themselves pay rises averaging 38% which cost an extra £589,000 per year,

• wasting money on an ever enlarging PR department telling us how good they are,

• spending over £1.3 million on the Undercliff enquiry and losing the funding of £13 million for the new road.

This Council has received good settlements from Government over the past three years (14.8% in its Formula Grant, well above the English average of 9.2%) but still keeps digging into reserves and borrowing millions. Many of the lower paid Council jobs are going and services will be cut. Why hasn't the allocated money been spent on road repairs - I really would like to see what this Conservative run council has to show for its shocking waste and financial mismanagement over the past four year.

There's your reality check. It just goes to show what strong leadership gets you - a few toilets and a million pot holes.

Yours sincerely

Jill Wareham

Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate