BHANGEELAAR! Campaign for a democratic Tower Hamlets Council challenges the CONDEM Tories on Tower Hamlets Council on their true role...

QUOTING from the Guardian's LONDON BLOGGER Dave Hill


Tower Hamlets: Conservatives ask Labour to 'work with us in best interests of borough'


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Comments (9)
A reliable Conservative source tells me that Peter Golds, leader of the Council's Conservative group, has "had an approach from a third party" to meet Lutfur Rahman, presumably with a view to some form of co-operation. This seems unlikely to occur in view of the following open letter to the Labour group members from Golds and his seven fellow Tory Councillors:
Dear Labour Councillors,
With the election of an independent as the borough's first directly-elected executive mayor, the composition of the council and the balance of power within it has changed. You now find yourselves in opposition and a man who does not so much have skeletons in the cupboard, but rather allegedly a whole walk-in wardrobe full of them, is now in charge of the £1 billion a year budget.
Rather than dwell incessantly on how we got here, we as councillors should look to what we do next to protect and enhance our borough. We have all been elected to serve the best interests of the residents of this borough, and that is something that we know many of you take as seriously as we do.
It is our duty, therefore, to provide effective and robust scrutiny of the directly-elected mayor and his cabinet. To provide healthy, critical and constructive opposition and to ensure that the disinfectant of daylight shines into every corner of the Town Hall under his leadership. That's what we as Conservative councillors have done ever since we became the official opposition and what wewill continue to do.
To this end we call upon the Labour councillors to work with us (where appropriate) in opposition to provide the checks and balances that is the hallmark of British democracy. We would expect your support to extend to (but not be limited to):
- Supporting and undertaking regular call-ins via the Overview and Scrutiny process
- A commitment to move key planning and licensing meetings to venues around the borough and in close proximity to the areas affected by those decisions, to give residents more of an opportunity to see our work as councillors and to generate greater participation in these decisions.
- Support for a resolution to move Cabinet meetings around the borough.
This situation is an opportunity for the responsible majority in our borough to demonstrate that the democratic and mainstream political parties will organise for the benefit of the residents of Tower Hamlets whilst still maintaining our individual political integrity.
Yours sincerely.
How should Labour reply?