Who is listening to the voters?

I have just see the latest campaign leaflet/ party propaganda from the Liberal Democrats in Dogsthorpe ward.

It states, quite clearly, that they have saved the Citi 5, Dogsthorpe to Cardea, service whilst Labour Councillors ‘sat back and did nothing’.

Let’s just say that this is an ‘exaggeration’ of the truth. The Citi 5 service was never and isn’t under threat as it is a commercially viable route operated by Stagecoach and receives no public subsidy.

Cllr Nick Sandford knows this. We both sit on the same cross party working group for Peterborough City Council. The group was tasked with saving £150K from subsidised services only but not including any services such as Dial a Ride etc.

Cllr Sandford and I will continue to sit on the same working party as we agreed to keep all subsidised services under review so why is this ‘exaggeration’ appearing?

Could it be that Cllr Bella Saltmarsh has had no support from the party she joined less than a year ago? Indeed, I have done more casework with her than her fellow party members, as my first newsletter last August clearly illustrates, and this is all they can come up with to support her?

Could it be that the Liberal Democrats, unlike Labour, have not held any street surgeries in the ward? Sitting in a community hall isn’t getting out there in the community, in my view.

Could it be that, apart from the odd newsletter from the PPC, Becki Sellick, the Liberal Democrats have singularly failed to communicate with the ward residents which was a feature of the old independent ‘Liberals’ for many years?

Or, could it be that it is a

cynical attempt to fool resi- dents into thinking that the Liberal Democrats provide meaningful opposition in the council chamber when, in fact, as the third largest party (down by two councillors, by the way, as they have joined the Labour party to get things done in their wards and to provide meaningful opposition to the Conservatives after 18 years’ of their taking the residents of Peterborough for granted at election time), do little apart from conduct surveys to do

little with them? In addition, the Liberal Democrats have been using the council’s postal service for the surveys. Cllr Brian Rush is asking a question on the very subject at full council The question being is it right for any political party to be asking you to pay for their propaganda during such times of financial austerity here in Peterborough? I think not! Could it be due to a paucity of fresh, innovative ideas to help every resident of Peterborough to feel proud of our city once again?

Cllr Dennis Jones Labour Dogsthorpe ward