Torys Grab Power on the Fire Authority

One of the first moves the new Conservative leaders of the County Council have made is to grab both the Chairman and Vice Chairman’s positions on the joint Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Fire Authority.

Over the years it’s appears an unwritten rule was applied that the Chairman would be a County Councillor while the Vice Chair would be held by a member from Stoke-on-Trent City Council. How things have changed!

One only had to listen to Councillor Derek Davis's (Lab) speech at the July County Council Meeting to see that this might not have been a good move. Councillor Davis suggested that politicians from Stoke were now considering whether they should continue with the joint service or go it alone with their own Stoke-on-Trent Fire Brigade!

Unfortunately Philip Atkins – the new Conservative Leader of the County Council – brushed this idea aside and said that enquiries had been made by Cllr Len Bloomer - the new Chairman of the Fire Authority - and that no such rule did exist and as the Conservatives were clearly in control they would rightfully take both positions.

Only time will tell if Stoke do decide to go it alone and the effect such a move would have on the service the rest of Staffordshire would get.

However what is clear is that the Conservatives now intend to grab every last scrap of power for themselves!!!

Childish Comment – A Warning of Things To Come Perhaps?

Within hours of the count being finished the first mind blowing comments were published by one new Tory County Councillor - Mark Heenan (Stafford Central) - on the Stafford Forum blog. While perhaps the childish contents of the last paragraph of this post reflects Marks age (late 20's) it certainly leaves me feeling a little uneasy that this immaturity will need to be channeled into making decisions on the County Council. Another question that must be asked is whether the secrecy of the election process - to which Mark was privileged to be a admitted to - should be broken in this way?

Judge for yourself ........

Thanks to everyone who's congratulated me. It was probably one of the weirdest counts I've evr been at. We (the Conservatives) took all 9 seats in Stafford Borough and 49 of the 62 seats in total. A Group that large can be pretty mental, and as has been pointed out, in four years you'll know who to blame - IF we've done a poor job that is.

I was shocked that Labour got so close. I felt certain the Lib Dems were the main threat. With a majority of only 68 it's pretty clear I've got one term and one term only, so I'd better get on with stuff...

As for spunking cocks, I feel I must reveal the precedent that was set during the two counts. In the Local Election, there was a ballot paper with a non-spunking cock in the box, which since the entirety of the mark was within the box did count as a valid vote. In the European count however, a cock within one box was spunking into another box, and was rejected as "void for uncertainty". So now you know - be careful where you spunk.

http://www.staffordforum.com/viewtopic.php?id=2830&p=2

Keeping an eye on the Tories!

Well Friday was certainly a day to remember. Everyone I spoke to before yesterdays election said that the Labour Party in Staffordshire would get a hammering, but I don't think anyone was prepared for what actually happened. By early afternoon it was clear that there was a Tory landslide and the County Council was under new control. In the end the Tories won 49 out of the 62 council seats!

One has to ask if such a big majority is a good thing as there is now no real opposition, and all their plans will be drawn up and agreed behind the closed doors of their political group meeting.

In the run up to the election the Tories in Staffordshire made a long list of promises and this blog has been set up to keep an eye on them and what they are delivering. If they fail to keep their promises the fact will be flagged up here, as will gossip about what is happening in the Tory camp!