Fighting like rats in a sack

Canterbury City Council is faced with an unprecedented £12m black hole in its budget and has in unprecedented circumstances - had to agree a new one in light of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Yet, just when we need leadership and some financial acumen on the council, the majority Conservative group are fighting like rats in a sack. They have form on this when one looks back in the past to the defenestration of their previous leaders, Messrs Attwood, Cragg and Gilbey.

Rather than leadership at a time of crisis we have a row at the top. And who should be emerging as King Rat is a councillor who lost his seat at the council elections to the Lib Dems.

He only got back at a by election caused by the sad death of Jenny Samper, again with another huge swing against the Conservatives. The man who masterminded a massive spend on car parks. This includes the Station Road West white elephant (cost £9m) which was due to open on April 1st - rapidly changed to the 2nd when people recognised the irony.

Hundreds of people protested against it but they weren’t listened to. And now it’s mothballed.

Then another £3m on automatic barriers in our other car parks, many of which are now closed. £12m on dead assets. There’s an unsettling symmetry between the £12m budget black hole and the £12m spent on empty car parks. Is this the sort of judgement we want from a council leader?

Cllr Nick Eden-green

Lib Dem Wincheap Ward

The disaster of misery and death in care homes might have suggested to a minister for health and social care that a chronic lack of investment, a deficit in planning, ignoring informed advice and manipulating statistics to mislead add up to a less than adequate response to a national catastrophe. Timid and piecemeal measures playing down the seriousness of an issue in the hope of minimising disturbance is – even when delivered with a cheery disposition – unintelligent and lazy.

The climate emergency will make Covid seem trivial. A massive and whole-hearted commitment to prevent its worst consequences is required. I make no assumptions about the government’s motives for giving Cleve Hill the go-ahead. They appear to have done something untypically brave and far-sighted. On this issue I shall be glad to see Mrs Whately fall back in line with the Cummings/ Johnson government...and hope for another flash of independence from her when it comes to voting to, say, demonstrate some compassion for the disadvantaged. According to theyworkforyou. com, our MP has voted 8/8 times against improving benefits for the disabled or ill, 23/23 times in favour of reducing welfare benefits, 11/11 against measures to combat climate change.

Stone St, Faversham