Sunday 28 November 2010

The natives are revolting

Councillor Roy Bullock MBE, Leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, refers to the electorate as the 'natives'. Fellow Conservative councillors with serious concerns about the proposals to demolish the town hall/assembly hall/library/police station/museum/adult education complex are described in a leaked e-mail as the 'enemy within'.

Dennis Healey stated that when in a hole it is essential to stop digging.  Roy has not heeded this advice: instead more excavators are being employed.  The Council meeting on 30th November will provide a further opportunity for Roy to dig even deeper.

Why bring the opprobrium on his head?  Roy has been a dedicated public servant on the borough and county councils.

A demonstration is planned  outside the town hall on 30th November before the special council meeting called to consider the petition opposing the demolition of the civic buildings.

Just as Europe has been and continues to be a divisive issue nationally for the Tories, so the fate of the town hall is dividing local Conservatives  and will continue to do so.  Next May's local elections will be interesting. Roy's seat will be fought next May and he can expect a concerted effort to topple him.  I don't give the rest of the Tory candidates much hope as opposition to the town hall proposals will grow and grow.  It is known that some of Roy's cabinet colleagues are unhappy with the current state of affairs.  Who will have the guts and determination to lance the boil?

There are other issues: the demolition of the bandstand in Calverley Park and the  barmy decision to move the tourist information centre into the Gateway.

Clearly some local Tories have not taken on board what happened in Cranbrook. There, badly handled proposals concerning the future of the council's Cranbrook offices, led to the electoral defeat of Peter Davies, an excellent councillor.

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