Cabinet consultation dogged by Tories' 101 responses

The Labour opposition today reveals that 101 of the 197 responses to Broxbourne Council's recent cabinet consultation came via the Conservatives, over half the total.

The vast majority of the people backing the decision to replace cross-party committees with a one-party Tory cabinet did so on forms and standard letters prepared or distributed by or on behalf of Conservative councillors, not on the council's own survey forms used by members of the general public.

Of the 147 people claiming to favour the cabinet option in the survey presented to last month's stormy council meeting, 101 came from Conservative councillors, their close relatives or other people using forms prepared by the Conservatives instead of the council's own forms.

Revealing the figures for the first time today, deputy opposition leader Councillor Richard Greenhill (Labour, Waltham Cross) said:

"The Tories are selling voters a pup with these 101 dodgy responses. Not even Cruella de Vil would dare take democracy to the dogs with such a blatant sham.

"Discounting the 101 Tory-connected responses, only 46 people backed the cabinet option, less than half of the 96 people who appeared to respond independently of any political party.

"This shows that it is a complete myth that there is massive support for a one-party council from the general public. The Tories have shown themselves willing to mislead people about the true feelings of the general public. Worse still, the Tories were willing to waste taxpayers' money on a sham consultation instead of protecting the vital frontline services that they are now set to cut.

"This proves what we warned of at the public meeting: the Tories in Broxbourne are out of control in their quest for total and permanent power."

On 30 December, the council voted to switch to an all-Tory cabinet after the May elections. A report to the meeting stated that 197 people had responded to the council's consultation and that three-quarters had voted for the cabinet option.

But Labour councillors can today reveal:

• 15 of the responses came from Tory borough councillors, including the council leader
• 14 of the above 15 councillors voted on the consultation despite having participated in the consultation themselves
• 9 more responses came from the people in the same households as Tory councillors
• 2 further responses came from Conservative county councillors
• 75 other responses came from other people using non-council forms identical to those used by Conservative councillors, instead of original letters or the council's own printed forms or email.

Only 46 people supported the cabinet option by non-standard letter, email or the using the council's own forms. There is no way of knowing how many of these too were Conservatives who chose to use the council's official form. We fear that many of them were also politically driven. But it is already clear that the overwhelming majority of responses (nearly 70% of the 147 cabinet supporters) were organised by or on behalf of Conservative councillors rather than coming from independent members of the public.

Report filed 17/03/2011

An open letter to the Prime Minister
Vote to save Urgent Care Centres
EXCLUSIVE: Council overcharging for more than HALF A MILLION purple sacks every year
Urgent Care Centre campaigners deliver letter to Prime Minister
Opposition welcomes auditor's findings on unlawful councillor allowances
Government support for campaign to axe sack tax
Hospitals plea to PM as Labour demands local resignations over care centres betrayal
Labour takes the fight to the Tories as Waltham Cross councillor stands in Theobalds ward
Shock at Tory betrayal over Cheshunt Urgent Care Centre
Tories defy council policies to grant planning permission for pool demolition

Return to home page