MP claims credit for others efforts

By MartinPFarmer | Wednesday, February 02, 2011, 16:17

I notice with interest that Chris Skidmore MP is calling on South Gloucestershire Councillors to freeze the council tax for 2011 to “....ensure that local people have more money in their back pocket” (Kingswood People, 22nd January). True to form, Mr Skidmore has set up yet another on-line petition this time calling for the freeze. If he is truly concerned about his Kingswood constituent’s standard of living why didn’t he create an on-line petition to oppose his Governments rise in VAT to 20%?

Mr Skidmore called for the freeze the day after South Gloucestershire Council announced that it had already planned a zero increase in the council tax in 2011. Not coincidently, it looks as if the Kingswood MP is trying to claim the credit for decisions already made by the Council.

As an aside, the Tory led Council will be rewarded to the tune of £2.8m by their colleagues in the Conservative led Government for setting a zero council tax increase, but as we’re just 3 months away from the Council elections on 5th May, I’m sure the voters are likely to see this as a sign of desperation by the Conservatives to hold onto control of South Gloucestershire.

Martin Farmer

Labour Party candidate

for Parkwall Ward, South Gloucestershire

e-mail: parkwall@sglabour.org.uk

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Comments

Lee, your convoluted logic is almost on a par with Francis Maude claiming that because Big Society is the butt of every joke in the nation, that he considers it a triumph everyone is talking about it. You can't out-maude Maude.
Martin is quite right that Skidmore's petition is nothing more than cynical politics at its nadir: a move to accumulate accolades for a decision taken by an authority left with next to no choice by a government holding a gun to its head.
Tha fact that the MP missed the boat by a day only further enhances his reputation for farce. Keep the laughs coming Chris.
What will be his next pratfall? His forest sell-off consultation I predict (which, incidentally, he launched after having voted for the legislation to stand as it is)because insider info has it Big Dave has an ordered yet another U-turn (this government is rapidly gaining a reputation for wobbling) and Caroline Spellman will be forced to make a sheepish public statement on Friday. A No 10 insider has stated: "It's a cock-up. We just did not think." The story of the coalition full stop. TIMBER!

By Feneon at 00:22 on 17/02/11
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Lee, your convoluted logic is almose on a par with Francis Maude claiming that because Big Society has become the butt of every joke, he considers it a triumph that so many people are talking about it. You can't out-Maude Maude.
Martin Farmer is quite right to point out that Skidmore's petition is nothing more than cynical politics at its nadir: an attempt to accumulate accolades for a decision taken by an authority left with little choice by a government holding a gun to its head.

By Feneon at 00:06 on 17/02/11
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A reminder that local people have until FEBRUARY 18 to comment on the council's budget and council tax plans.

The council opened consultation at the end off last August - here's a shortcut to the website page:
http://tinyurl.com/6k4b42p

On it the council declares its aim to freeze the council tax for 2011/12. For the three years after next year, the plan is for a rise of two per cent a year.

By BeckyFeather at 11:10 on 07/02/11
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Chris Skidmore urges a freezing of Council Tax and will no doubt disclaim responsibility for the inevitable cuts in Council services especially if his Party lose control this May. If the Coalition Government survives he will also shamelessly support constituents who are affected by the appalling things that as our Member of Parliament is now freely voting for. It is a bit tiresome to read of Labour's alleged 13 years of "profligacy" when the Conservatives supported their very beneficial spending programmes until 2007. The actions taken by the Labour Government in the wake of the worldwide banking crisis were proving to have been correct in that the Coalition inherited reducing inflation and increasing economic growth. George Osborne urged the approach of the Irish Government which would have proved disastrous. To say that Labour brought the country "to its knees" is manifestly absurd.

By Petersburg65 at 10:23 on 07/02/11
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I think the very last line of Martin P 's original submission is an omen!
Or, more likely, perhaps it's a prediction.

By tonio2009 at 11:52 on 06/02/11
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