Peter Steen

Leader, Rossendale Conservatives

I AM hoping that on the Covid 19 front the sunlit uplands may be in sight with the roll out of the vaccine.

I and members of my family have received the first dose with no ill effects and as a volunteer at the St Peter’s Medical Centre I have witnessed thousands of people receive the vaccine and have heard nothing but praise and hope for the future.

I have great admiration for the thousands of professionals and volunteers nationwide for their efforts, and would encourage everyone who is called to take up the offer for their own safety, that of their family and friends and to allow the country to reopen and return to business.

In my last column I attempted to predict the narrative of the recent Budget Council and from what I heard on a rather intermittent Zoom link they could have used the column as a script.

The meeting opened with the Cabinet Member bemoaning the ravages caused by Covid and the parsimony of Central Government.

We were then treated to Cllr Alan Neal’s annual monologue on the reduction year on year of Rate relief grant, comments supported by Cllr Walmsley, but neither of them seemed concerned that the grant is A) provided by the ordinary tax payer nationwide, nor B) that the reduction in grant is dwarfed by losses incurred by the current administration as mentioned in my last column.

One major financial loss I didn’t mention was that caused by the failure of the Wind Farm application.

If passed it would have brought a Capital Receipt of circa £1 million and annual revenue receipts £760k per year for 25 years.

Unfortunately, due to the volume of objections, the application was reviewed by an independent planning inspector who the planning procedure carried out by RBC was flawed and the wind farm and income was lost.

I did enquire at the subsequent council meeting if the relevant Cabinet Member would be considering their position.

From the howls of anguish from the Labour side of the chamber one would have thought I had suggested they be bound thrown in a cart and dragged off to the Guillotine.

At the end of the Budget debate the vote was taken and two Councillors voted against the budget.

Whilst it is their democratic right, neither had on the night nor before had offered any other option for paying for the services RBC supplies or what they would cut to balance the budget.

Virtue Signalling can bring a warm glow, but “butters no parsnips”.

Being a Local Councillor sometimes requires making unpopular decisions.

If someone is not willing to make them step aside and leave it to someone who can.

» ● This will be my last column for a while as pre-election purdah soon begins.