Another York Labour Councillor quits

Hard on the heels of Julie Gunnells resignation, another Labour Councillor David Levene is jumping ship. He will stand down from his Hull Road ward triggering a by-election which will take place on the same day as the General Election (8th June).

Like Julie Gunnell he had been overlooked as a Labour Council Group Leader contender

David Levene was one of the last men standing from the ill fated administration of James Alexander. He cites work reasons for his decision (he works for government funded “Transport for the North”).

At least one other Labour Councillor is working some 40 miles away.

Labour had a majority of less than 200 votes in the Hull Road Ward at the 2015 Council elections. This was partly due to the strong student vote in a ward which was fought on new boundaries. However many students are anti BREXIT so any result may be possible in the by-election.

Labour are expected to announce a hard line Corbynite candidate for the election.

David Levene’s short stay on the Council was mired in controversy.

 

 

Clumsy attempt to score political points by York Tory Council Leader

The agenda for the next City of York Council meeting has been published.

The issues being considered are largely anodyne but are remarkable for an inappropriate attack by Tory Leader Chris Steward on that well known local politician “Jeremy Corbyn”

Tony Benn Labour Member of Parliament A poster being thrust in front of Mr Wedgwood Benn when he and Mr Jeremy Corbyn, the bearded Labour MP for Islington North, visited Belfast to condemn "supergrass" trials in Ulster.

We hold no respect from many for Corbyn’s views, but using York taxpayers resources to criticise the man and his policies is inappropriate.  As is the way with the media, many of Corbyn’s claimed views may, in any event, have been exaggerated or taken out of context.

Either way they are not going to be changed in the York Council chamber.

There is a precedent. Until James Alexander took over as Council Leader in 2011, reports produced for, and published as part of Council agenda papers, were determinedly non (party) political in content. Alexander saw himself as an MP in waiting, so he often strayed into commentary rather than reporting facts. But never, to our recollection, in such a naked and partisan fashion.

Even more surprising, the Council Leader’s report makes no mention of the core public service standards now being provided for residents. A list of performance indicators results  was presented to a recent Executive meeting.

Failure to review progress may suggest that some of  the promised  improvements are slow in coming through?

Lack of progress is marked in the customer contact handling services which are presided over by Cllr Steward himself.

 Fewer than 80% of telephone calls to the Council were answered in less than 20 seconds during the summer, while those emailing issues through to the Council may wait for up to 7 days before they are forwarded for action.

Cllr Steward chose to appoint an assistant to help him with his work a few months ago.  It is time for that arrangement to produce some more obvious value for taxpayers!