.Early election required, Government needs to enforce change to save dying communities from further exposure to rogue players.
On Tuesday April 30th 2024 the very pro conservative top newspaper The Times ran out their performance data based ranking of Councils in England two days before the local government and regional mayors elections.It shows that Northumberland County Council has slipped further down the rankings into 300th place only one place above the in trouble Nottingham City Council who are holding up the pile.
This Council who sat within the top 20 group of all purpose unitary authorities when run by labour between 2013 and 2017 has spiraled out of control in recent years, failed to deliver on their promises, never achieved any form of Best Value on behalf of residents and screwed County householders each and every year since gaining office by constantly issuing above inflation Council Tax rises.
It's been a Council in the doldrums simply managing by sucking the purses of its residents dry but this year were caught attempting to depleted their cash reserves to a dangerously low level leaving its treasury department sitting in an extremely low position in the rankings along with the complete and utter measurable failures within Planning, Waste Management, Highways with only the delivery of social care pulling them from rock bottom place in the performance rankings.
Complaints from the public are at an alltime high especially in the Street Care maintenance section of the Council with litter, fly tipping and pothole statements of dissatisfaction on the Government sponsored website ‘Fix my Street.com’ pouring in daily.
The problems are even more galling for the public particularly those who are former and current local government workers as they are aware that the Leader of Council was the leading improvement peer of the Local Government Association in the North for many years and was paid handsomely to tell other Councils how to develop and drive improvements right across their services. So in Northumberland proof exists that cobbler's children are worse shod as the failures of the Council increase daily and the statement from the Cabinet members and their leader remind one of Pinocchio's nose.
The Council will only improve for residents with a new Council being democratically elected in by residents and with people's confidence in the Conservatives being permanently damaged. Labour should make a comeback and resolve many of the failures this council in denial has developed over the last seven years.
The Government needs to call time on this Council early and let the people decide who should and can drive improvements without the interference of an aging LGA Peer Leading the Council who has forgotten to practice what he preaches.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/8a31933e-b16e-44df-b745-0d5e5108eec3?shareToken=a9e6331a245aae6206ba3159fad52fe6
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