A surprising development today – the Greens (Diane and Michael Hoy) and the Rochford Residents (Christine and John Mason) have announced they are joining forces to become the largest opposition group in the council chamber. This means that one of them will chair the important review committee, and the number of committee places for each group will have to be recalculated. This is their joint statement:
Rochford District Residents and the Green Party have today formed an alliance on Rochford District Council.
The Group will be called ?Green and Rochford District Residents? which means that this Group is now the main opposition to the Conservative controlled Administration by being the largest opposition Group.
Over the last three years the Liberal Democrats Party has been the ?Main Opposition? in Rochford but this may not have been as effective as it could have been possibly due to the Coalition in Government blurring some political policy boundaries.
Both Rochford District Residents and the Green Party feel a more robust Opposition is called for in the interests of residents across the whole District.
Both Parties will remain entirely separate in Elections continuing to remain true to their own objectives.
The last three years have demonstrated that our two Groups can work well together when polices coincide but believe that formal co-operation will lead to a more effective and positive questioning of the Conservative Policies which will lead to an improvement in outcomes for residents. Examples of this can be found in our joint opposition to the abolition of FREE Saturday Afternoon Parking and the questions that residents of the District are regularly raising about the capacity of infrastructure to sustain the house building quotas in the Rochford Core Strategy.
The Group Leader in Council will be John Mason and the Deputy Group Leader will be Michael Hoy.
This is not a joining of political parties but an alliance in the Council Chamber.
Each member of the Group will continue to represent their own Wards and the parties will campaign separately as before remaining true to their core objectives.
I welcome this , and frankly wish it could be a 13 strong group united to oppose the party whip dominated style of the RDC chamber ; for example when did the chamber vote to cancel the promised “new and enhanced facilities for RTS&SC ” recently confirmed by the leader Cllr Cutmore ?.
Would the RTS&SC like to comment here about when, how and from whom they learnt of the change?
From Officers of the Council or Councillors?
There has certainly been no further discussion or decision made by the Council.
Would the Conservative Administration like to comment here?
Jim Cripps – http://www.lgo.org.uk/making-a-complaint/