Making a difference to the people of Medway

Deputy Leader Alan Jarrett: Government policy drives our decisions

Article posted on Friday, 5 June 2009

Change is one of the challenges with which politicians are faced. The Conservative administration in Medway has been confronted by difficult options many times since 2000, but on each occasion the promised benefits have been realised.

Three of the most difficult challenges that come to mind are the changes we have made to how our care homes have been set up and managed, the introduction of academy schools and, most recently, the consultation on primary strategy for change.

There are a couple of common threads that tie these together. Firstly, there is the lack of adequate government funding for adult social care, which forced Medway Council to review how, where and when it provides social care. Academy education and the review of the primary schools have also been driven by government policy.

With these three examples it is evident the birthplace for these problems has been in Westminster rather than Medway.

The second of these common threads is how local Labour councillors and MPs have reacted to the challenges. You would have thought they might be supportive of their own government’s policies, but no such luck.

In all these instances – adult social care, secondary education and primary education – they have chosen to man the barricades and rather than do their best to reassure and calm people they have chosen to make matters worse. Street protests, petitions, public meetings and disrupting meetings have all been urged on with apparent glee by some Labour politicians who should really be working to ensure we all do our best for the people of Medway.

While Conservative politicians have done all they can to put in place the policies forced on us by government, it has been the role of opposition to cause as much disruption as possible to the process.

The current example is the consultation exercise we are trying to carry out regarding the primary strategy for change.

Labour members are trying to stop us even consulting, when in the past they have complained that we do not consult enough!

It is sad when politicians prey on the natural concerns of parents and children alike to further their own political ends, when as corporate parents we should be doing our best to allay those concerns.

Cllr Alan Jarrett is Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group and represents Lordswood and Capstone