Let’s talk about listening

‘We’re listening’ seems to be the new catchphrase for our local ruling party, but they appear not to understand the irony of spouting a mess of messaging all over social media, while professing to be sensitive ‘listening’ types.

Apparently, they were all ears when residents were in uproar over proposed parking charges in our local parks and the bus gate scandal.

So, that’s twice – which in the context of the countless times where residents have been roundly ignored (the Queen Street saga and Borough Local Plan spring to mind) doesn’t exactly constitute much of a track record.

I’m all for listening, but honestly don’t see much of it. Under the leadership of Councillor Johnson, about as much has changed on the ‘listening’ front as it has in so-called ‘transparency’.

Yet, the same old bombast continues, along with the familiar, unwelcome qualities of predecessors gone, but far from forgotten. How are we still watching situations play out on Zoom that would be comical if they weren’t among people who are supposed to represent us?

If only we had our own Jackie Weaver… Heading to Facebook, where our councillors’ keen ‘listening’ skills often look suspiciously like eager trumpetblowing, we’ll find inconsistencies bouncing around our newsfeeds.

Cllr Gerry Clark, for example, recently commented on an Advertiser bus gate article, stating the scheme didn’t come from council funding but Government (which is passing the buck and making yourself look redundant – quite the achievement by anyone’s standards), whilst saying, ‘unpopular schemes will not progress, whilst those with support will be subject to further consultation to see how they can be taken forward’.

Yet, active Facebooker Cllr Ross McWilliams contradicts him: “People may not particularly like something but that does not outweigh the arguments and evidence being put forward by highways/infrastructure professionals at RBWM.”

It seems that they don’t even listen to each other. Or the party line if, indeed, there is one.

Consultation should be an effective way to hive mind and open up the conversation on what is in the best interests of residents now, and those of the future.

It should be about finding ways to proceed, understanding the wants and needs of everyone and/or weeding out anything that’s unnecessary, problematic or decisively unwanted.

Our councillors are voted into their roles to represent us in these matters. But with mixed messages going out on social media, it’s hard to know if they actually understand their role in the process.

It wouldn’t be fair to drop this column into the editor’s inbox without also talking about the opposition. They enjoy a game of political football, for sure, but this time they’ve missed an open goal by not putting an alternative budget forward and giving residents something to weigh up against the existing scenario.

Instead, they are accused by the leader of simply being negative.

But perhaps they, like the many residents I speak to, are exhausted, resentful and, despite the two selfcongratulatory episodes of our council ‘listening’, feeling not very listened to at all. A time of serious hardship is coming. Show us some respect.

Perhaps a good start and some real progress could take the shape of a Residents’ Forum. One with the authority – a mandate, if you will – to assess projects before they head into an expensive consultation process.

Call it a formal ‘sense-check’ if you like, but it’s a winner on two levels: ludicrous ideas get caught and killed before an expensive consultancy gets hold of them and wrings them for every penny… and actual residents are actually listened to.

Which, by the way, is very different to just telling people you’re listening.