Would-be leader must listen to us

The prospect of Cllr FitterHarding replacing a “boringly competent” leader and giving us “clear direction” should alarm residents of the cathedral city [‘Rebel Tory says ‘I’m the man for the job’ after bid to remove leader’, Gazette, August 27]. Cllr Fitter-harding was an effective deputy to Simon Cook until May 2019 and a strong advocate of two financially disastrous projects, the acquisition of Whitefriars at a price at the top of the market and the council’s financing of the West station car park.

The station car park was decisively rejected by the Canterbury Forum, as was Cllr Fitter-harding’s other pet scheme to tarmac over the Wincheap meadows. Cllr Fitter-harding’s clique, none of whom represent a city ward, simply ignored our environmental concerns. To paraphrase Sir John Major, our city will be as safe with Cllr Fitter-harding as a pet hamster with a hungry python.

Cllr Fitter-harding cannot claim democratic legitimacy. The Conservatives in May 2019 lost every city seat except that of Lord Mayor Terry Westgate.

And he voted to keep Cllr Robert Thomas as leader. This bodes ill. The West station car park provoked a minor but passionate demonstration. The proposal to tarmac over the Wincheap meadow produced a more vociferous and mildly disorderly protest.

Cllrs Robert Thomas and Neil Baker have always understood our deep-seated opposition to environmentally destructive projects. They have respected the strong environmental commitment of most residents of the cathedral city. If Cllr FitterHarding ignores our beliefs and rides roughshod over us, protest and civil disobedience will be our only recourse. Cllr Fitter-harding would do well to reflect on a paraphrase of another memorable line: “Like the Roman, I see the River Stour foaming red with much blood”. Joe Egerton

Palace Street, Canterbury

Cllr Fitter-harding clearly has a high opinion of himself, though on the basis of what is not quite clear. Ambitious enough to believe that he can solve the council’s financial problems single-handedly, he

has conveniently forgotten that he was the cheerleader for both Station Road West’s carbuncle car park - the reason he was voted out of his seat in May 2019 by the electorate of Blean Forest - and the ANPR car park scheme. The SRW car park construction was, of course, significantly over budget by a seven-figure sum, and the ANPR scheme cost an eye-watering £235,000 more than had been forecast. Yet according to him, these are the credentials that show he is the man to bring financial stability to our district. The arrogance with which he dismisses the work of the thoroughly competent and amiable Cllr Robert Thomas is quite shocking: “He has taken our council as far as he could”, judges Fitter-harding, who, we should remember, has voted in tandem with Cllr Thomas since his resurrection in the by-election late last year, with never a peep of protest previously.

So what are we to make of Fitter-harding’s promises? We won’t be turning the lights out, he says, which is nice. This will be achieved, somewhat miraculously, simply because he “can communicate and look at the bigger picture with a vision for the district”. What, I wonder, was stopping him from using those skills for the benefits of the residents previously? In any case, I have news for him: it will take more than vision to close the £12 million hole at the heart of the council’s finances.

Among other things it will take a leader - and a ruling group - prepared to fight hard against Conservative government cuts. If, as many suspect, Cllr FitterHarding’s ambition extends to standing for Parliament, can we really believe that he will champion our cause against the government he so obviously yearns to join? Are we seriously to believe that he alone can solve our problems? Or has his messianic vision perhaps exceeded his grasp?

Cllr Dave Wilson (Lab) Stodmarsh Road, Canterbury