LETTERS: Playground politics on display

Grateful thanks to Paul Dendle for a classic illustration of the playground politics for which the Tories in general and Arun District Council in particular, are so despised.

I was twice admitted to St Richard’s during the election and unable to walk more than a few yards – and you call that boasting.

A serious proposal to remove an expensive and unpopular tier of local government is rubbished as a ‘lecture’ or ‘silly rant’.

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The astonishing result in Nyetimber was certainly no vote of confidence in me, but a damning indictment of the arrogance and failure of the ruling junta.

Why aren’t I working hard to beg a few more pounds back from Brussels? Because my time is better spent trying to stop the money being thrown away in the first place, along with another £31m every day in ‘aid’ to China, India, etc. That would fill a few potholes.

You raise, yet again, the issue of councillors’ expenses, while claiming to know what I do or don’t do 
to earn mine.

Based on a 40-hour, 50-week year, it works out at £5.57p per hour, less tax.

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That’s 74p less than the legal minimum wage and frequently involves evening and weekend work.

All the recent increases were eagerly and unanimously grabbed by the Tory majority at County Hall. I accepted the one per cent on allowances, but have rejected in writing the increased fuel allowance and I do not claim subsistence, nor am I ever likely to.

In the matter of unadopted roads, in one of which I live, I can respond to your points and Iaian Balch’s as follows, (with thanks to Iaian for his positive remarks).

After a mere eight months in post, I have enormous respect for Mike and Christina Coleman, who jointly clocked up somewhere in the order of 20 years. My wife and I introduced ourselves to them after the quadrennial service and enjoyed a very amiable conversation.

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However, when I asked Mike if there were any particular issues he would like me to pursue, any advice or contacts he would care to offer, I drew a blank.

I cannot quote precisely, but the gist was that they were both sick and tired of politics and glad to be walking away.

In a word – disinterested – and who could possibly blame them?

It would have been an advantage to me and the people of Nyetimber, though, to have had some handover of accumulated wisdom.

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I can certainly empathise with their health issues, which won’t, I hope, prevent them from enjoying their well-deserved retirement. I spent Christmas in St Richard’s and, though I would rather have been elsewhere, I can’t fault the care I received from the ambulance, A&E and acute medical unit staff.

Useful, first-hand research for a member of the health and adult social care select committee.

A few voters find petty squabbles amusing, but the vast majority would prefer factual, reasoned debate; something to which you might aspire in any future correspondence.

Tony Sutcliffe

WSCC member for Nyetimber 
(UKIP)

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