... they all say something to get in..then once they are in they go back ontheir words or proposed deeds ...
This is simply not true.
I have seen simply three sorts of councillors:
1. Those that know what they are doing (or keep quiet and ask the competent ones how to do things until they are ready to act on their own), or;
2. Those who are too stupid or lazy or inexperienced to ever get things right and who just don't know what they are doing, or;
3. those who have been around a long time and who fall into both camps because whilst they've got a few things right, they're too stupid and over-confident to realise that everything else they touch goes wrong because they got involved.
In my opinion, all councillors try to achieve what they say they intend to do ...... but:
Those in camp 1 get on with the job and get things done or do after learning what to do, though they may find that some things can't be achieved because things have changed since they started.
Those in camp 2 never understood what they were talking about anyway. Jackie Reed was a prime example. She actually stated in her town council election material that she intended to ensure thar more affordable homes are built, yet the town council has no involvement in that activity whatsoever (except to comment on planning applications which were dealt with by the district council anyway) and so she never got involved in any such activity - ever.
Those in camp 3 are the most dangerous because they've learnt to manipulate the system regardless of their faults and stupidity. Usually, they will blunder from issue to issue trying to look like movers and shakers when actually all they do is cause arguments based on their own misunderstandings, muddles and outright lies.
Westbury Town Council had an abundance of those in camp 3 until the big clear-out at the last ordinary elections in May 2007.
The recent resignations means that the town council now has a majority in camp 1 who are becoming more experienced and more effective as time goes by. Unfortunately, Horace Prickett's resignation this week means that a top quality councillor has left .... but he was around long enough whilst the newcomers got up to speed .... and I would expect some good quality people will now be co-opted .... and they will not be Conservative Party activists blindly following some dogma thought up behind closed doors ...
The town council is now functioning as it should - at last .......
ChatterBox