“Reflections and Resolutions”: Cllr Janet Clowes (CEC Conservative Group Leader) prepared the following article for the Macclesfield Express which was published today.
“As we enter a new year and reflect on the previous 12 months, it’s fair to say that from any political perspective, 2019 was eventful!
For Conservatives the May elections were disappointing. We secured the most elected members but not enough to retain overall control and as is well known, Cheshire East Council is now led by a Labour/Independent Coalition. Judging by the significant feedback on the doorstep in December, this ‘unexpected consequence’ of voting Independent was unexpected for many; a common refrain being “I voted Independent but got Labour!”
Last May, Conservatives learned on the doorstep; that Residents were justifiably angry at the failure of the Tory Government to secure Brexit and we listened both locally and nationally. Even those who voted to remain, were concerned at the apparent reluctance of MPs to honour democracy and the people’s EU Referendum mandate. Conservatives in Local Councils across the UK bore the brunt of the Public’s frustrations with Westminster - a message that was clearly received!
As Summer rolled into Autumn, our National Party saw a change of Leader and a robust challenge to “Remain” factions within Parliament, culminating in the December General Election.
The nation is still reeling from the results, as Labour and Liberal Democrat representation at Westminster was decimated and as Boris Johnson immediately moved forward with the majority needed to meet the Conservative Party’s election commitments.
CEC Conservative Members are delighted with the result but in addition, feel fully vindicated that the hard lessons local councils transmitted to Westminster in May, were accepted and responded to in ways that the electorate felt able to support in December.
So what does the political environment promise for 2020? At Cheshire East level, last May’s full Council saw cross-party consensus to bring forward both a Committee System of Governance by May 2020 and that Cheshire East Council acknowledge the climate change emergency - CE Conservatives continue to stand by that consensus – they were promises we made to the electorate and must be respected.
Cllr Sam Corcoran (CEC Leader) reaffirmed only last week that the local Labour Party “...have a real opportunity to implement (their) policies in Cheshire East and make a real difference to local residents”. Our role as the Conservative opposition, is therefore to make sure that they do bring forward meaningful and sustainable policies.
To date, the coalition has successfully brought forward the rolling policy programme of the previous Conservative administration (which we applaud), but we must wait to see what the second phase of the Local Plan (the SADPD) looks like in the summer and how the budget for the next 3 year period will be managed, - remembering that despite claims of ‘black holes’ and £8m deficits, the Conservative administration left a fully internally and externally audited balanced budget.
But the most important policy programmes for 2020 are those that we agreed together last May; the first, that a sustainable and comprehensive CEC environment strategy, (originally planned for last July), accompanied by a robust action plan will come forward in 2020. This must clearly outline the timeline for carbon neutrality across the Council’s activities by 2025 with realistic, borough-wide initiatives in conjunction with our wider community, civic and economic partners.
Secondly that the CEC coalition honours the manifesto promises of its’ Independent Members to implement a wholly proportionate committee system of governance within 12 months. This will ensure that Cheshire East Council is run through a system that accurately reflects the residents’ mandate of last May and in turn, offers assurance to those residents who are aggrieved that they “voted Independent but got Labour”.
In short, CE Conservatives have a dual role, to lobby our own national Government and MPs to ensure they deliver not only on Brexit but on the Domestic Policy Agendas, whilst also holding the ‘not so new’ Labour/Independent Coalition to account, ensuring they too deliver in May 2020 what was promised last May and that they work constructively with our five Conservative MPs, to whom our residents have given a clear and unequivocal mandate for change.”
