Borough is not ‘broke’ on cash, only ideas
Last year I wrote in these pages that
RBWM had not run out of cash, but it may have run out of ideas that genuinely help their residents.
This year’s budget confirmed the first point with a further £100million of spending on day-to-day services along with significant capital investment across the Royal Borough.
Like most councils in England, RBWM faces a challenging financial situation but it is not ‘broke’ and has not run out of cash.
Readers will have their own views on my prediction that RBWM has run out of ideas that genuinely help their residents.
Apart from painting over zebra crossings with rainbows our councillors have asked why the cost of burials should not rise given the value of land in our borough; suggested a target should be set for litter fines to pay for services and removed the weekly black bin collections for residents depending on what type of property they live in.
I recently presented a petition to keep weekly black bin collections to the full RBWM Council and not one councillor (from any party) stood up to support the idea.
Although more than 3,000 residents signed the petition it was airily dismissed by the RBWM cabinet with one member of the administration telling me ‘get off your soapbox’.
Councillors clearly think that getting rid of this service will help residents.
Those affected by this change will be able to judge that for themselves during the summer months when council staff have said that ‘three months of turbulence’ should be expected while weekly black bin collections are scrapped.
Residents from across the Royal Borough are clearly fed up with some of our local politicians and their shenanigans.
In a post-COVID world it would be good to see our councillors make, explain and deliver policies that genuinely help their residents rather than serving their own interests or the interests of the council. RBWM has not run out of cash, but sharper minds not political shenanigans will deliver ideas that genuinely help the residents of our great Royal Borough.
Let's see if we can at least work towards this goal post COVID!