IS THE COUNCIL BLOATED?

With monotonous frequency, the issue of the size of Tameside Council and the number of councillors has once again reared its ugly head.

The argument, as always, is that we need less councillors and I completely and wholeheartedly agree with this view.

As it stands, Tameside has 57 council members, with a small cabinet which makes all the decisions. The rest of them are left on the back benches. This effectively means that many councillors have practically no say in the decision making processes at the council. More often than not, every policy is rubber stamped along party lines; effectively by members of the inner circle, (the cabinet) who, if you will forgive my mixed metaphors, rule the roost with an iron fist.

However, in a recent move to challenge the status quo and save Tameside taxpayers money, Cllr Bell, seconded by Cllr Walsh, freshly proposed, “That this Council instructs the Electoral Commission to look at the possibility of an Electoral Review into the reduction in the number of Councillors per ward, from three to two, in the Borough of Tameside. Due to the savings this would accrue in times of austerity.”

He went on to say; “…two Councillors serving roughly 9,000 people would be a sensible way forward in the administration of this Council.”

On hearing this, Councillor Taylor, took to his feet and seconded by Councillor Cooney raised his voice to counter the proposal saying; “That this Council wholeheartedly supports the Boundary Commission in equalising the number of electors each Councillor represents; reflecting community identity. However, the recent census shows we have a rising population and electorate. Any reduction in councillors is a smoke screen to disguise the impact of over £100 million of cuts imposed by Central Government affecting all our services including libraries. This is a cynical ploy to stifle democracy at a time when the Tory-led Government policies are damaging the country and making residents significantly poorer and when the most vulnerable need elected members to stand up for them against this Tory-led Coalition”.

Upon being put to the vote, Cllr Taylor won! But there’s no real surprise there – as we all know they are not going to readily agree to any cuts on themselves. They look after each other and dish out the gravy to their chums.

Having said that, I must agree partially with Cllr Taylor, because I do think that Councillors have a responsibility to make sure their decisions are in the best interest of their constituents.

But consider that New York City has 51 councillors, a number comparable to ours; however the city has a population of 8.4million. Which means each New York councillor looks after approx 165, 000 residents. Tameside councillors look after an average of 3500!

CITY/TOWN	POPULATION	COUNCILLORS	RESIDENTS PER COUNCILLOR
NEW YORK	8.4 million	51	165,000
LONDON	7.6 million	25	304,000
TAMESIDE	219,000	57	3855

While wider changes could be made, 57 to 38 could be done with little or no disruption at all, and the immediate saving with all the overheads would be something like £300,000 per year! If they did that, who knows, we might take the council a bit more seriously!”

If they looked after their electorate instead of themselves or their political masters in Whitehall, there may not be the current amount of vitriol levied against them. In some wards out of the 3 councillors only one is worth their salt. And their behaviour at meetings is a disgrace to civilised people!

It is high time these members of ‘The Self Preservation Society’ stopped playing political Ping Pong and blaming everyone but themselves for their own ineptitude and woeful governance over 30 odd years or more. In Tameside there are too many that have been doing too little for too long.

As the saying goes: A superabundance of talented people, skilled in the preparation of gastronomic concoctions, will impair the quality of a certain potable solution made by immersing a gallinaceous bird in ebullient H2O and adding a variety of nutrients and seasoning before straining and serving.