LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Rotherham Council doesn’t help the workers

First up is the claim on page 3 by the cabinet member for finance that the budget is “reasonable, prudent and realistic” — it is nothing of the sort. Given the current hits to people’s finances this year council tax should be zero. If not this year, when? This is a Labour administration who purport to represent working people. In my opinion that is the last thing they do.

Let’s dig a little more. This financial year the council had an underspend of last year’s budget of £5m. I am informed that reserves, following the financially crippling years of CSE, have recovered to over £50m, mainly through the house building programme that in my view was designed purposely to raise council tax and not need. It includes an element for adult social care, when we are all aware that this is covered as part of the NI increase. Labour talk of standing up for workers, and will no doubt excoriate the government for tax increases, so why impose more unnecessary pain at this time? My impression is that is it only the public sector they care about? Has anyone ever heard them mention the self-employed? The plumbers, joiners, electricians and bricklayers who keep the country running, people who don’t get sick pay or holiday pay, who don’t get paid if they don’t work. Along with the private sector they are used as Labour’s milk cow.

Page 5 shows the staggering figure of tax payer’s money, £370,000 p.a. now reached to cover the crime of fly-tipping. For years this administration remained indolent in the face of this growing menace. It could have, as others have done, introduced a zero tolerance policy to this crime; it could have placed barriers or other restrictions to prevent vehicle access to secluded locations where tipping is rife. Instead it has taken a shiftless approach, allowing perpetrators to do as they please and get away with it.

The solution proposed now is awareness courses, well who the hell came up with that one? The next suggestion is even more preposterous — “we want to give the fly-tipping action plan a bit of a refresh and reinvigoration.” Really! We the tax payers want you and the police to introduce a serious zero tolerance approach where perpetrators are pursued, caught, given harsh punishments and stiff fines. In the article the pandemic gets the blame for the inability to enforce, I suppose it also gets the blame for letting proven perpetrators off. Simply outrageous!

Finally the letter on page 10 highlighting lying by local Labour activists concerning expenses and the home location of the MP for Rother Valley. It appears this was a lie reported by Labour attack dogs on social media, but not condemned. Mr Fletcher states he will no longer support the party until the local Labour leadership restore tolerance and respect. I suggest he will not be supporting the party again.

Truth is no longer necessary if a smear is the desired outcome. Such people are full of envy, despise anyone from a different background and revile anyone who has a different view to their own. They and their party alone are responsible for the current state of affairs in Rotherham. It hasn’t just happened since we elected a Tory MP, it is the result of years and years of neglect and maladministration. It is why we have elected a Tory MP. Don’t be surprised to see tumbleweed next time you visit the High Street and Sonoran cacti in the new pocket park.

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