The Willicombe Farce Continues
6
Nov
It doesn’t surprise me in the least that Alan and Jean Willicombe are going to try and ride out the storm over their move away from Swale to Lincolnshire whilst retaining their seats on the Council.
According to today’s Sittingbourne News Extra, Mr Willicombe is quoted as saying that he and his wife have no intension of changing their position... I’m going to carry on as I said I would.
Clearly public opinion counts for very little where they are concerned and with little public support other than from Council leader Andrew Bowles, fellow Councillor Mike Whiting and now MP Gordon Henderson, they are clearly out on a limb here, but then what is there to loose, other than the £9,500 plus expenses they get paid each year.
The growing farce that the pair can according to Cllr Bowles , Mr Henderson, et al “continue to represent their constituents in the same excellent way they have in the past” is quite ridiculous.
Not only have both of them been removed from dozens of committees, which substantially reduces their workload and requirement to attend meetings, but the Tories have felt the need to provide on the ground support via two substitute Councillors.
In what shape or form that this be construed as anything other an outright admission that it is practically impossible to continue to provide the same level of service as before.
Critics’ have reminded us that Alan Willicombe was during 2007 at the centre of a police investigation into alleged election fraud where it was claimed he coerced a woman into signing a proxy voting form, but the investigation was subsequently dropped.
Sadly this is incredibly damaging for local politics and just confirms wide held beliefs that politicians don’t listen or care and once elected there is quite literally nothing you can do about it.
Yes the poor people of Tunstall and others that live in the Woodstock ward must resign themselves that they will suffer from a second rate service until the next election.
Andy Hudson
Sittingbourne.Me
According to today’s Sittingbourne News Extra, Mr Willicombe is quoted as saying that he and his wife have no intension of changing their position... I’m going to carry on as I said I would.
Clearly public opinion counts for very little where they are concerned and with little public support other than from Council leader Andrew Bowles, fellow Councillor Mike Whiting and now MP Gordon Henderson, they are clearly out on a limb here, but then what is there to loose, other than the £9,500 plus expenses they get paid each year.
The growing farce that the pair can according to Cllr Bowles , Mr Henderson, et al “continue to represent their constituents in the same excellent way they have in the past” is quite ridiculous.
Not only have both of them been removed from dozens of committees, which substantially reduces their workload and requirement to attend meetings, but the Tories have felt the need to provide on the ground support via two substitute Councillors.
In what shape or form that this be construed as anything other an outright admission that it is practically impossible to continue to provide the same level of service as before.
Critics’ have reminded us that Alan Willicombe was during 2007 at the centre of a police investigation into alleged election fraud where it was claimed he coerced a woman into signing a proxy voting form, but the investigation was subsequently dropped.
Sadly this is incredibly damaging for local politics and just confirms wide held beliefs that politicians don’t listen or care and once elected there is quite literally nothing you can do about it.
Yes the poor people of Tunstall and others that live in the Woodstock ward must resign themselves that they will suffer from a second rate service until the next election.
Andy Hudson
Sittingbourne.Me