Friday, 18 September 2015

Response to Conservative Cllr Bill Armer's misleading letter in the Huddersfield Examiner



It is rather perplexing to read Cllr Bill Armer complaining about the supposed financial legacy left by the Green Party on Kirkburton Parish Council. In reality Cllr Armer and his Conservative colleague voted in favour of the last Parish Council budget. He says that the last Parish Council gave pledges which he describes as ‘coming from a left leaning, quasi – socialist Party’ . I do find it rather bizarre then that he voted for these policies as did the Liberal Democrats and the Independents. In fact the only person who didn’t vote for the last Parish Council budget was the sole Labour Party Councillor who abstained and I guess he regards himself as a ‘Socialist’.

Cllr Armer says he wants to move ‘Kirkburton Parish Council away from Party Political Ideology’ . My very clear recollection was that there was a lot of goodwill right across the Parties on the Parish Council. The only people I ever remember as bringing ‘party politics’ into the Parish Council were in fact the Conservatives. We generally worked well together across political parties and independents. We worked with the Keep Shelley Pyramid campaign to protect local schools. We engaged with many community groups and schools on worthwhile projects including the thousand fruit tree project. We supported the Kirkburton walks projects promoting walking in our beautiful countryside. There was nothing that I can recollect or I suspect many other Parish Cllrs of any Party that could be described as ‘Party Political Ideology’.

Anyone who has followed politics in the Kirkburton Ward should recognise that this is not about invented issues with the Parish Council Budget or some mythical ‘quasi socialist’ Parish Council. This is all about next Year’s May Local Elections and a cynical attempt by the Conservatives to smear the Green Party for political gain.

Councillor Andrew Cooper

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