It was interesting to know of the Ribble Valley Labour afternoon workshop and evening band 'gig' of Saturday 16th September in Clitheroe. As only Labour Party members could attend either or both events, that ruled me out. I would have liked to see in practice the Economics workshop being assisted by Lancaster & Fleetwood MP Cat Smith. I was intrigued by the intended use of dice and Monopoly money to arrive at "innovative ways to challenge Tory thinking".
People may wonder if there is some post-event feedback for the wider public, on such innovations revealed for economics awareness training?
Other important people attending would be a (Labour) councillor from Preston city council. But an obvious question is, why weren't any Labour councillors invited from the county council? Surely they, and indeed their LibDem supporters, could have added perceived value to the workshop discussion – notably how to run a county council badly between 2013 to 2017 and bring chaos, and then sink further as primarily a protest party bereft of sound policies for community good.
Their record speaks for itself – raising LCC council tax each year by just below the percentage that would otherwise trigger a local referendum, while slashing services and spending unwisely – eg closing around half of the 70-odd public libraries (unnecessarily), introducing a 'transformation' top-heavy management structure (with layers of directors) now admitted by all parties to be not fit for purpose, spending millions of pounds on external consultants, receiving from Ofsted an unsatisfactory verdict on LCC Children's services, needlessly cutting transport for vulnerable people to day centres, the draconian cutting down of LCC subsidy for needed rural bus services, etc etc.
How different and refreshing it is since the Lancashire Conservatives, led by CCllr Geoff Driver CBE, took overall control of the county council from the May 2017 elections.
Libraries destined to re-open as promised including Whalley, by or before March 2018, with sustainable, on-going funding from various savings. Subsidy budget countywide for bus services being increased by 50%, enabling wider and better services particularly for rural communities from December 2017. Increases in programmes of highway maintenance. The non-working of transport to day centres to be sorted. The overall financial challenge is being addressed.
Budgets savings are being found and used, eg from efficiencies, recurrent underspends (eg job vacancies not needing to have been filled for at least 3 years), income generation and service change, rather than currently any new 'cuts' to services.
And a proposed Senior Management restructure for the near future onwards, with service delivery focus and financial acumen & leadership necessarily at the top, to enable LCC to turn around and move forward for the people of Lancashire it serves.
A hand of co-operation and friendship is available for those supporting the turn around, rather than trying to block progress by thoughtless or careless smears.
County Cllr Alan Schofield
Ribble Valley South West