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If elected, my prime concern would be the town's commercial
viability which I perceive to be under threat. Our present Liberal
Democrat led council believe our town to be without a centre and are happy
to see a Tesco re-sited on the edge of town, ensuring we see things their
way—that we have no town centre!
Two years ago, over 100 people at the Annual Town Meeting were invited to
brain-storm their ideas on a 'plan for Berkhamsted by the people' and
revitalise the town centre. The Liberal Democrats found these results
'inconvenient' so Councllor Lindy Foster Weinreb, responsible for leading
that brain-storming, opportunity published them on her web site at
www.castlewharf.com.
Rather than start with you, the people, saying how you would like to see
your town developing (regardless of what difficulties this may present)
the Lib Dem majority would rather shape your pre-thinking for you.
Leadership, or diktat? Having refused to open the debate two years ago
they publish their version this month—when we are having elections! There
are some sensible suggestions in the plan, but I recall reading these in
Lindy’s report two years previously. Will you leave our town in their
hands?
In their literature, the Liberal Democrats state the composition of the
present town council as 'Lib Dem, Con, 'Others'' by which they mean
'Independent'. If they obscure so simple a word as ‘independent’, where
else in their literature are they 'massaging’ the message? They have an
inbuilt majority. Why are they so frightened by 'Independents'? Because
Independents 'get up and do'?
The Lib Dem literature bewails the failure of others to do for them. I
thought the purpose of being a town councillor was that you got up off
your butt, took off your jacket, rolled up your sleeves and got stuck in!
That's what the present sitting Independent Lindy Foster Weinreb does, or
else SUCCEEDS in getting others to work WITH her, as I did
when last on the council—and WILL AGAIN!
Working WITH people means CONSULTATION and respecting other
people’s sensitivities. Town issues must be seen as CIVIC and
TOTALLY without political input, regardless of the council's political
majority.
CARP is a case in point, towpath improvement and flower planting
being pushed through by the present Independent, Lindy, in 'jacket off,
sleeves rolled up' mode, against considerable opposition by the Lib Dems.
Realising she was right the Lib Dem's recent literature appears to claim
the glory, but politicises the relationship. Consequently, the Lib Dems
may have jeopardised future partnership funding!
According to the papers the Lib Dems once had an agenda of making it
'seem' they wanted to put in a skateboard park but that once they'd
created a 'song and dance' about it they would admit failure, ring their
hands crying ‘we tried, but others… .’ Well, they haven't
succeeded, have they? They do talk about succeeding in the future but
then, there are elections this month! How high will it be on their agenda
later? To what else will they invite opposition to fail again?
Where was the public consultation on spending £25,000 on setting up an
‘easily accessible’ information point at the Civic Centre? Is two flights
of stairs ‘easily accessible’ when you already have the Citizen’s Advice
Bureau, Dacorum’s facilities, the library and the internet?
The council needs ‘doers’ rather than ‘talkers’. Like Lindy Foster Weinreb
I am a ‘doer’ and I will do my very best for the people of Berkhamsted.
What about me? My professional life has been in printing and publishing,
with some university lecturing—and recently as a student again, reading
law. It was my initiative, at my cost that gave the Council its web site.
A year later the Lib Dems realised I was right and formalised the
arrangement. I also created the Graham Greene Birthplace Trust website.
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