Fly tipping continues to blight Peterborough after 21 years of Conservative administration
Fly tipping continues to blight Peterborough after 21 years of Conservative administration

“The Conservatives, in a last-ditch attempt to hold on to power, have promised to restore something they took away 12 years ago and hope the electorate fail to notice”.

This could easily be the headline if I were cynical and there was any hope that this tired administration was not more intent on retaining control rather than stealing the, well documented, manifesto pledges from the Labour Party.

Does anyone recall, who was it now, oh yes, Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald saying that hard-hit families did not need free school meals last October half term before, quire remarkably, getting the council officers to provide support throughout the Christmas period after, who was it now, yes, the Labour party provided over 1,500 meals to schools and families during October half term?

Whilst ‘Rome’ continued to burn (metaphorically, of course, we have an excellent fire service) our Conservative administration continued to tell us everything was OK.  Similar, in fact, to the three months in 2018 when free bulky waste collections were briefly re-introduced and for them to tell us that it had made no difference to fly tipping.  Is anyone remotely surprised that three months failed to achieve any lasting results?

And of course, it isn’t a political stunt.  Is it?  Just as the countless promises being made to voters by Conservative candidates, from putting up CCTV cameras, at a cost of over £70K per camera, to building and replacing fences for private residents out of the public purse (yes, you thought you couldn’t make it up, but this is what is going on out there) to installing one-way systems for cars in (better not say the ward – just too fanciful).

Before we get carried away, do, please, bear in mind that the city has had to borrow £35M to simply balance the books to pay for essential services.  We are one of only four councils the government is prepared to lend money to because we are seen as being a better-than-average risk to pay the loan, not grant, back to them.  Now, I wonder how long it will be before this grand gesture is once again withdrawn to increase the income to pay off the loan that was made because we cannot balance the books?

Don’t believe me?  Look at the minutes of the Joint Scrutiny of the Finance committee meeting or the Full Council meetings and the words of now former (and who can blame him?) Councillor David Seaton.

It also looks like poor Cllr Fitzgerald was a lone voice in his group and thank goodness that many of the people you put your trust in to run this city have now gone and he can get back to the caring, sharing Conservatism we all know (or thought we did) and ‘love’.

I could go on, but I think I have heaped enough embarrassment on these panicking councillors and candidates.  There are Conservative councillors who will not commit to being re-elected as parish councillors until they know their fate in May such is the level of concern they may not be re-elected and their commitment to parish politics perhaps?

Whoops, I did say I wasn’t going to go on, didn’t I?

So, let’s end on a positive.  The Labour Group agree with Cllr Fitzgerald!

Pledge 8 in our manifesto is precisely that.  And we will go further.  We will address the cause of the disease, not just the symptoms.  Our planet is under pressure like never before.  Our proud city has its part to play.  Our children will pay the price for our lack of action, so we need to go into schools and show them the link between fly tipping and destroying our planet; how recycling makes a significant difference to waste disposal and how Conservative candidates that have ‘showboated’ by taking away fly tipping in white vans (not a political stunt either, of course) are in fact addressing the symptoms without any real solution as to how we can cure this disease, locally and nationally.

We support and salute you, Cllr Fitzgerald!  Just a pity some of your Conservative colleagues did not!

He says: “This is the response that people tell us.  They want fly tipping stopped”

The Labour Group totally and completely agree.  What we are very sorry about is that it has taken 11 years (bar three months) to listen and act, to admit that you were a lone voice, and that your cabinet colleagues weren’t prepared to listen to ‘people’ who desperately want to see fly tipping stopped is not only a travesty but, frankly, embarrassing.

To suggest that it isn’t a political stunt less than four weeks before the election when you see the opinion polls does smack of cynicism and desperation.

I am also pleased our MP is part of a ‘task force’ to bolt the stable door after the John Lewis and Next ‘horses’ have bolted from the Queensgate ‘stable’.  Rome, in this case Peterborough, is burning.  The streets are full of fly tipping and Queensgate and the city centre is increasingly run down, yet we are accused of talking down the city!

Bulky waste, fly tipping, city centre strategy.  All just a little, or a lot, too late to help the very people they have relied on for their votes for over 20 years.  I am sorry Cllr Fitzgerald.  We both know that your time is up.

 

Cllr Shaz Nawaz, Peterborough City Council Labour group leader

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