What’s going on?
Why have three local Conservative councillors resigned from the Conservative Party in order to become Independent councillors? The citizens of Chichester need an answer.
Chichester district councillors Martyn Bell and Chris Page have resigned to become Independent members, and Louise Goldsmith, the former leader of West Sussex County
Council, has also resigned from the political party.
In addition to her concerns about the tardy response of the Conservative Party to the issues of climate change and the environment, Ms Goldsmith has also cited “recent events within the Chichester Conservative Constituency Association which have made me question whether I want to remain a member of the Conservative Party or not.”
Councillor Page also said that “his beef was with the Conservative Party outside of the district council.” Moreover, “two councillors, who Mr Page described as hard working, have been deselected”. What, precisely, has been going on? Who, outside the district council, deselected these two hardworking councillors, and for what reason?
Why will they no longer be allowed to stand under the Tory banner? Precisely, what recent events within the Chichester Conservative Constituency Association have led Councillor
Goldsmith to question whether or not she wants to remain a member of the Conservative Party?
It is impossible for your readers to deduce from the Observer’s reports, whether these resignations arose from these councillors’ concerns by the attempts by the Westminster administration to override local decisionmaking, by deploying politically-biased algorithms for national quangos to use when administering housing and education policies; or whether they arise from the financial and administrative challenges which will emerge locally from the UK’S uncertain economic and cultural future, in which our principal trading partners may well lie outside Europe, and in which our food standards may have to fall in line with those used decided in the USA.
What role, if any, has the Red Wall MPS Blue Barricade Whatsapp Group played in all these divisions?
Locally, Chichester’s citizens will be concerned to ascertain the answers to two key issues.
How will the loss of overall political control by the Conservatives affect the party’s tight political control, by means of the cabinet system, with its fiscal and administrative management system, over CDC’S local agenda?
And second, do any of Chichester’s disaffected Tories intend to stand as independent members in next May’s county council
elections?
May I suggest therefore, that the Observer commissions one of its top reporters to investigate these issues and report back to your readers? VINCENT PORTER
Highland Road Chichester