Ian Middleton responds to Labour and Conservative Councillors in the Banbury Guardian

Original letters in the Banbury Guardian

I feel compelled to respond to the two letters last week from Kieron Mallon and John Christie replying to my criticisms of them in a letter the week before.

Firstly Mr Mallon's characterisation of the agreed budget as a compromise was somewhat disingenuous. Most of the original cuts remained in the agreed budget with only some of them moved to a category called 'unspecified cuts'.

Of course it remains to be seen if any of these 'parked' cuts are eventually re-instated throughout the year, but that is a distinct possibility. Moreover the majority of the cuts to children's centres remain. These were highlighted this week when the Prime Minister's own mother lost her job after the children's centre where she worked closed.

Mr Mallon's refusal to see any of this as something he and his Conservative cohorts owe the people of Oxfordshire an apology for is of course between him and his conscience. I trust those voting in the forthcoming local elections in May, will remember his intransigence when they step into the polling booth.

John Christie accuses me of 'political posturing' which seems odd coming from a member of the supposed opposition. I agree with him that the savage reductions being imposed on all councils are rooted in the Conservative government's blinkered mantra of cuts and more cuts, shackled as they are to a one trick pony Chancellor who has set himself unrealistic goals that we all have to pay for.

But coming after Labour's support for the budget, his comments seem to me like wanting to have his political cake and eat it. One might assume that, as the official opposition, the Labour Party might have engaged in some politicking of their own and stood up to the Tories over these cuts rather than help push them through.

As for the cuts being forced on the council by law, this may be true, but as I and other Greens have suggested, a mass refusal by councillors to participate in the government's dirty work may have sent out a more appropriate message than the almost total capitulation we saw.

I agree the arbitrary threshold set by central government on council tax increases is a political ploy, but as a fiercely democratic party, Greens see a referendum as an opportunity for local people to have a say in what their money goes on. Just because no other council has ever given people that right, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be the first.

I'm sure Mr Christie is just as aware as I am that the feedback throughout OCC's consultation on the cuts was that people would be prepared to pay more in local taxation if they saw that money going towards maintaining essential local services. Indeed at one public meeting a show of hands categorically confirmed this.

I'm surprised though at Mr Christie's assertion that the Green Party were invited to contribute to agreeing local policy. I wonder how he feels the deliberate exclusion of our leader from semi-secret, closed County Council meetings between his leader and those from the Tories and Libdems facilitates that. It certainly doesn't seem like a particularly accountable process to me.

But I'm glad to hear he welcomes our contribution to the discussions over unitary authorities, and I look forward to news that all parties will now be fully involved in open and transparent discussions on these important changes.

Ian Middleton

Prospective Parliamentary Candidate
North Oxfordshire Green Party