STATE OF TAMWORTH DEBATE - 2003
(Madam Mayor...)
VERY OFTEN PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND THE COUNCIL......
We all want a better Tamworth. But Council successes can be passed over because people tend to judge by the failures.
As a Council our powers are very limited. At least I understand that. But there are many things PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND. This is what concerns them.
TAKE ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND why victims of anti-social behaviour, violent disorder vandalism should go through so much fear, suffering, why must they spend hours, days even weeks of their time meticulously writing reports, gathering evidence, taking pictures .... only to see what appears to be nothing being done about it and even worse, to be told nothing.
Data is not recorded nor used sufficiently well. There may be complaints and evidence over twenty years, but the paperwork is lost and officials only seem concerned with the last set of incidents.
Information does not follow anti-social families around. Effectively, once they have moved to another house, they seem to have a clean slate to start all over again. New neighbours have no right to know anything.
Housing Office officials have neither the time nor the budget to deal effectively with anti-social behaviour. Co-operation between Council, Social Services, Police and other authorities is bogged down by data protection and other rules. In the eyes of ordinary people all this is nonsense.
I am sure some changes in Council Policy which could help deal with anti-social behaviour.
AND THEN PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND .....
...... The Council's "Best Value" Reviews. The only result of these best value reviews seems to be to close down or off-load all of the towns community assets. This at a time when the council claims to want to be closer to the community. The suspicion is that, to the Council at least, the term "Best Value" puts a cost on everything and a value on nothing.
PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND how we can do this ... and cut service levels for the elderly, and raise charges four times the rate inflation for other council services whilst at the same time doubling our own pay.
And when a pavement, pipe, trees or litter needs attention PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND why it takes so long. THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND different departments, their separate budgets, the County or Town, Water, Gas and
other authorities.
And why should people have to understand all this?? We should get our act together!
Changing Council Policies to help get things done better is a must. I know progress has been made with the Council Works team.
I would like to get more involved in an overall policy review. But far from finding out how to review and change policies, I have yet to find out what they even are!! I've asked, but there seems to be no single record of the laid down policies of Tamworth Council. So as a first priority I would like to see a single document laying down what Council policy is
across the board ..... and that to be available to anybody.
Thank you Madam Mayor
