Letter to the Courier responding to a letter from Jonathon Timbers regarding Lib Dem Cllr Janet Battye, observing that the principle reason Cllr Battye is unable to give power to people such as himself is because the Lib Dems have never held power in Calderdale–it is their stated objective to devolve power and make services more responsive.
Full text below the fold:Dear Editor,
As a champion of the democratic principle, I am always dismayed and frustrated by the confusion experienced by local people when confronted by several tiers of local government, an array of more or less accountable bodies and the views of politicians who may, or may not, have any power over a given situation.
Your correspondent, Jonathon Timbers (Avoiding the Specifics, Letters 20.3.08) displays just such confusion over the role of his Ward Councillor, Janet Battye (Lib Dem). While he applauds the Lib Dems for attending lots of meetings and canvassing the views of local people, he complains that over the last twenty years nothing has happened to “shift power into the hands of the likes of you and me”. Indeed, Jonathon, I couldn’t agree more. But the Lib Dems have never held power in Calderdale in the last twenty years. The Council has been dominated by either the Labour or the Tory groups. They do, however, have a coherent set of principles and policies. All they need is for enough of those people who yearn for more of a local say to give them their vote and things could really begin to change. Jonathon says that their involvement doesn’t achieve a lot “other than an exercise in building good will” and that “benefits the party and not the people”. Well, how else can you build support with the electorate and gain the mandate you need to change the system unless it’s by goodwill and increased party support?
I for one have seen Janet in action on Calderdale Council. As the new leader of the only opposition to the cosy Tory/Labour consensus, she’s forever challenging the ruling groups on their decisions and checking to see if they are delivering on their commitments. And, until such time as the Lib Dems gain control of Calderdale Council, we should be very glad that we’ve got someone as “tenacious” as Janet holding the ruling politicians to account!
Yours faithfully
Hilary Myers
