Cllr Gary Hague and Cllr Sue MacPherson have written to the Principal of the Community College in Thurrock after what they described as “rumours being spread” by the administration with regards to the closure of the college.
The Conservatives have set out a clear vision of what they want for the residents of Thurrock and how they want to raise aspirations for all.
Cllr MacPherson said: “Whilst in control they worked on Level 2 SATS to ensure that the young were given the best opportunities, and are pleased that the work is now being rewarded with better results. But we want the whole of Thurrock to strive for a better education and better prospects and to be in a position to take advantage of opportunities that are coming this way, not just the young”.
Councillor Hague said “We have already seen The Royal Opera House and DP World bring their business to Thurrock and we need to ensure our residents are in an ideal position to take advantages of the opportunities that these companies can offer. This is all part of the long term vision, but it appears the administration are set to scare the residents by saying that these opportunities are being taken away.
“Nowhere have the Conservatives said that the college is closing this year, what we have said is that we have a vision and we know the vision takes planning and further investment and will not happen overnight”. But without this vision we cannot raise aspirations in Thurrock.
Councillor MacPherson commented “We value the work of the Community College and know that it is a vital part of raising aspirations in Thurrock which is why we hope that we can have open discussions on how the Community College can be a leading partner in the vision.
“It appears that Labour don’t have a vision and are just scaring residents. The Conservatives vision is for a central location for learning and excellence in Grays. A centre accessible to all that learners from all over Thurrock will want to come to. A centre that’s vibrant where more businesses will want to support. A vision where learners regardless of age can come together from all parts of the community.
Small problem. The Budget set at Thurrock Council is designed to Balance for 20011/2012. Therefore how can you have a future vision when you need the money in 2011/2012 to cover budget. Roll over closure for the college and sell off the land in another year – you will therefore have budget deficit in 2011/2012. Sale not feasible.
Well done Thurrock For All. The Tories are trying to fool Thurrock residents into thinking that they have no intention to close the Adult Education Centre until the new college campus is built.
Perhaps Gary and Sue can lend the council the difference in the budget til then. After all they will both be £3 a year better off thanks to the Tories cut in Council Tax.
Councillor Hague is having visions. Perhaps they should reduce his medication?
They value the work of the community college and have not said the college is closing this year.
Yet the tories proposal clearly states dispose of site.
To dispose of site you have to close down whatever is currently on that site – like the college they value and are not closing down.
How can the community college be a vitsl part of the tories vision for Thurrock if they sell off their home?
How can the closure be a rumour spread by Labour when the tories proposal clearly states dispose of site.
It is obvious that if you transfer the majority of the services to the FEH campus then the college will wither and die and close. And once it closes you sell off the site to developers for some lovely new flats.
How can the college take a leading role in the tories vision for the future when the college’s future is looking rather bleak.
Unless of course you are on a large quantity of mind altering medication.
The staff and students at the College don’t know if they are coming or going at the moment. There seems to be a bit of a U turn by Cllr Hague and the local Conservatives after the budget proposals. Can we please have some clarity and honesty here please? We hope this is not all pre election postering as the service at the College, Community College Childrcare and Community Group users are too valuable to be toyed with for purely political purposes.
I agree with jinksbella, Cllr Hague absolutely must clarify his position on this. Either his plans mean the closure of the current facility now or they don’t and it seems to me he is going out of his way to sow ambiguity. An honest man would put his plans in writing and allow YT to publish them online for all to see. It simply is not good enough to leave the people that work and use the college hanging like he has done.
We don’t need political posturing, we need Mr Hague to do what he was elected to do and that is represent the people of Thurrock and not the Tory party in Westminster.
Thanks to all on this issue. Adult education has to be above political “Games”. There is a great fear that once anything is marked for closure / transfer it does not come back. As gray64 says Mr Hague must clarify his situation. Visions and dreams are fine but they have to be backed with cash and quality planning. Unfortunately Thurrock is not too renowned for this. Talk to the staff at College get them on board with plans and schemes especially if they add value and potential. If this cannot be done then the College issue and Council Tax cut will be seen as a political gimmick and voters rightly should show their feelings in May.
So Sue McPherson has returned from the back of beyond too. But as all the others have picked up in their posts her statement just does not add up. For simplicity i have copied it word for word from the Tory 2011 budget ammendment that she Gary Hague, Barry Johnson, Rob Gledhill, Amanda Arnold and their merry men rammed through the chamber.
‘Relocate Adult Community College provision to A NEW fe/he Campus and dispose of the site. Savings reflect capital impacts on revenue assuming partial year benefits. Saving prediction £50k’.
This is more than a ‘vision’ Sue – this is robin hood style robbery of thurrocks education and community provision. There is no NEW campus Sue, it is still on the planners list of to do’s and is about 5 years away and that is if it ever happens.
Another ill thought out decision, along with the Grays Park Beach privatisation, Thameside theatre privatisation and sacking all the volunteers that run Thurrocks village halls and privatising them too.
The Tories have a simple way out of this mess……………. Stand up and say ‘we got it wrong’ and Grays Adult Community College will stay in its current location until the new campus is built – however long that is.
Lets us not forget that ‘politics’ in the general sense is a way for the people to be heard. The councillors’ elected are people themselves-of course people do vote solely on whether it’s red or blue, but you should be thinking about the person you vote for. As it is that man or women who should be listening to your views and regardless of whether it is in line with ‘party policing’ be acting out the wishes of its voters.
Which is why it is disappointing to see on most of these reports people such as ‘Sting’ ‘Red Rebel’ and ‘Dave Peterson Tilbury’ continually embarking on a party based mudslinging competition. From reading your comments it’s clear that you know a lot about the on-goings of what happens at the council, so it may be a logical assumption to presume that you yourselves are councillors’ of past or present or are high up on the information tree within council conduct, which makes it even more disappointing to see you lose sight of what the councillors represent. You should be talking about what your local councillor can do for you, and convince them what your area needs and get them to take that to the council, for a councillor is not bound for life to a party. You convince the person and they can so easily ‘cross the floor’ at council. I am not foolish to completely discount party thinking but it is equally foolish to brand people all in with one party when they are independent free thinkers who should represent their voters.
And finally, Dave Peterson Tilbury I find it highly rude and disrespectful for you to be talking about Gary Hague in the manner that you have. I do not know the man or know very much about him, but to mock a medical condition that you seem to be implying the man has belittles your own argument and makes you look very foolish, and only goes to serve my point that many lose sight of what a councillor does for its people. They are not members of parliament acting on a national scale. They represent you locally and allow you to talk to your councillor not your ‘party’.
thanks for the advice – you try to put up what wld appear to be an unbiased opinion and then only pick out those that you claim to be red-labour supporters. i have seen dave peterson put up some very frank posts siting both parties as getting it horribly wrong. what we do with our votes at the ballot box is up to us individually.
You failed to pick up on grays64 who is probably one of the most politicaly motivated bloggers on your thurrock. Take a look at the recent posts that have been put up – they are as blue as you woul get.
I myself comment on all manner of articles and not just political stories- yet you have put up a full post and not even mentioned the adult education college which is what the article was about.
Sadly Sting you seemed to have missed my point- which is something I should take responsibility for by not conveying it in a clear enough manner for you to understand.
But first things first, your thanks is greatly appreciated but entirely not need, I’m just a simple voter concerned about local ideas being consumed by the party political ideology-which is something that should not happen.
Dealing with your first paragraph. Nowhere have I mentioned that someone is a labour supporter and failed to mention anyone who is a Tory supporter. Your comments regarding this only go to serve my point of how you are making this a party based debate rather than what individual councillors can do. Moreover I did not suggest that Dave Petterson is a labour voter, I was citing the fact that he has used very disrespectful and immature tactics in trying to get his point across. And more importantly nowhere have I suggested that what you do with you vote is not up to you individually-your comment with regards to that is entirely wrong.
Your second paragraph again shows how you are concerned with only party ideology, rather than what your councillor can or cannot do for you. The councillor attaches to a ‘party’ to get more support for the ideas that benefit their voters as I early said they are not attached to a party for life.
Finally your last paragraph, sadly also misses the point. My argument was not based on whether or not you only comment on political issues. Every issue here is politically based as it involves someone you vote in. what I was merely suggesting was that it would help those people less informed about council life to see you all stop fighting over whether the Tories are doing something bad, or whether labour are doing the right thing. This loses sight of what the councillors are for and makes people follow national suit at a local level. They will hear Tory/labour/lib dem and automatically follow suit and council level and can very easily result in ‘lame duck’ councillor. It needs to be stressed about the individual councillor and how they will react to their voters needs (regardless of where a party’s ideology sits on the matter). The reason I have not commented on the information contained in the article was because the post I wrote could have been posted on almost every article and I only chose to do it on this one was mainly because of the indignation of Dave Petersons remarks which I found quite offensive.
Blimey, who would have thought it? Sting getting it wrong again! Apparently I am
one of the most politically motivated bloggers on here which is odd considering I spend nearly all of my time on here saying how much I dislike party politics. In fact, my views are pretty close to those of politicsforthepeople. The trouble with Sting and others like him is that they really can’t understand that people can have a different opinion to them which is not based on Party politics. Politics is always about being red,blue, yellow or whatever, but life is more often than not grey. All I see all the time on here is Labour supporters trashing anything to do with the Tories and vice versa. It’s depressing and pointless.
well said gray64.
on a side point Sting. can I take from your lack of comment in your return post to my first post that I was right in my assumption that you are an ex or present councillor.just out of curiosity.
I am neither but could be one day.
Grays 64 i know it is April fools day but it is past 12 o clock. You are blue through and through – be big enough to admit it. Nobody know who they are do they?????
Sting, it may be April but you are the only fool on here. You are a complete frustration, unable to make a coherent argument and then petulent when you are pressed to back up your nonsensical replies to some of my posts. But, I appreciate you have a problem accepting the point of anybody that doesn’t have a socialist bent so I will say it one more time.
I DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE LABOUR PARTY OR THE TORY PARTY OR ANY OTHER FLIPPIN’ PARTY! Is that clear enough? You never know your luck, I might even agree with you on something one day but it won’t suddenly mean I’m a socialist!
Tut tut tut Grays64. I real you in at least once a week.
Got to go. See ya
Spelling is clearly not your thing Mr Sting!
Grays64. Sorry see the mistake, back to the dictionary again.
Spelling is clearly not a my thing – you see i went to school under a tory goverment, no investment in schools then either.
See ya.
I must say Sting you have disappointed me once again. I was quite enjoying a good political debate at what appeared to be quite an intelligent level. However comments such as “tut tut tut Grays64. I real you in at least once a week’’ have really lowered your credibility. I think I can assume you are not a councillor- or at least I hope not!