THE DEPUTY LEADER of Thurrock Council demanded an apology from a Conservative councillor last night after her commitment to children’s safety was questioned.
Cllr Val Morris-Cook was responding to a question from Homesteads councillor, Pauline Tolson on why cllr Morris-Cook had decided to shelve plans for a CCTV car. The car was intended for use at traffic hot-spots including primary schools at peak times.
Cllr Tolson said: “This car would have been very important at combating dangerous parking and congestion in the primary schools around the borough. It is certainly a problem in the Stanford and Corringham area. I have to ask you if you care about the safety of children?”
The combative councillor was incandescent with rage at the accusation.
Cllr Morris-Cook said: “This was an economic decision. We looked at it and looked at it again and we could not justify the investment. We spoke to our colleagues in Basildon and Southend who said there was a decline in revenue in year two and year three.
“We have taken on board advice from other councillors such as cllr Purkiss in East Tilbury who have used their PCSO’s. It is about using alternative methods in this area.”
Clr Tolson stood by her comments and refused to apologise. She said: “I think you have one eye on the elections in May.”
If the deputy leader did care about our childrens safety she could have found this money by stopping her councils continued subsidy of school transport, if she had included this discussion with her colleagues in Basildon & Southend she would have realised that Thurock are the only concil left who insist on paying for this, I have to agree with the Tory councillor, about May, but I think both eyes are on the election.
Also I would like to congratulate the independant Cllr Purkiss is using their PCSO’s to combat illegal school parking, however had Cllr Morris-Cook had her way at the last budget , there would be NO PCSO’s to help!!!!!
Love or hate Cllr Val Morris-Cook she is passionate, fair, values equality for all residents. Loves Children!! To ask a serving Cllr of her stature if she cares about the safety of our children is to label her selfish, heartless and uncaring. The reality is that this best describes the likes of Cllr Tolson, the Gledhills The Maney’s The Redsells of the world. Cllr Morris demanded an apology and she deserves a written apology. The comment was a low blow aimed at undermining her character and standing as a respectable councillor.
I wonder what these Cllrs views would be if they get caught by this jobsworth measure, just nipping into a shop, waiting for someone to get off a train/dropping someone off etc etc etc, as some people I know have in Basildon.
It has to be accepted, reluctantly, that if you live near a school you will have people parking outside your house, in your road etc etc, having some minion driving around taking photos of people, isn’t going to change a thing. Parents either choose to send their kids to a school that requires a car or are given a place, by the council I may add, at a school that forces them to drive. I personally have never and will never understand this mentality or process
I’m so glad Cllr Tolson is so concerned about child safety.
Perhaps she could do something about that lockable metal bollard a resident has placed outside her home on highway land causing a tripping hazard to the children going into Stanford Primary school?
How sad it is that you have a councillor who normally only speaks about the trees, now trying to score political points by getting personal with cllr Morris cook. Yet isn’t the councillor in question isn’t the same one who lives right next door to a school and has complained on numerous occasions about parking.
Typical conservative hypocrite is Cllr Tolson. Cllr Val Morris-Cook should write to her and demand a formal apology. This comment was a nasty and ugly comment.
Why is Cllr Tolson getting so emotional and squawky on the issue of parents parking outside primary schools and wanting a CCTV spy car?
The question should be does Cllr Tolson give a toss about child safety?
I think she has let the cat out of the bag when she demands a CCTV car outside primary schools in Stanford, as she lives next to a primary school in Stanford.
She should never have asked this question as she has a prejudicial interest in the issue. Councillors have been suspended for similar incidents.
If a councillor has a prejudicial interest it is normal for them to leave the council chamber when the issue is being spoken about.
The Conservatives have issued numerous press releases over the past few months complaining that Labour aren’t following the rules etc.
Yet here we have a Conservative councillor demanding a CCTV spy car to be placed outside the primary schools of Stanford, but forgetting to declare she lives outside a primary school in Stanford.
If anyone was to make an official complaint Cllr Tolson could well find herself suspended from being a councillor.
The taxpayers fork out a fortune for the Conservatives to have a political assistant to advise councillors on such issues. Obviously he isn’t worth his money as we have Cllr Anderson demanding a debate on a petition he had voted should be exempt from debates and Cllr Tolson asking questions and demanding resources on an issue that would benefit her.
Dave Peterson again makes a valid point. The conservatives continue with a campaign of ‘dirty politics’ the overall approach has been to complain that labour are not following the rules. Cllr Tolson may well find that an official complaint is made about her conduct. it is clear that pre-elections politics is now based on dirty tricks. Cllr Anderson clearly has no hold on the party and we hear again of rumors of renegade party members eyeing the throne. Negative politics will always mean that the conservatives will not be a real political force in Thurrock. Does anyone know what their policies are?
Isn’t it a sorry state of affairs. Thurrock councils Tory Deputy mayor resigns for stealing wine ?. Tory councillor threatens licence ?, tory councillor gets suspended for siting chaffrica comments on his facebook ?Tory councillors taking from donated hampers ?, tory councillor meeting developers without officer presence ? Tory councillor claims to have “a way” around planning and now another Tory councillor who lives next door to a school ?. The acid test I suppose is did they or do they personally benefit ?. I think their political moto should be don’t do as I do, do as I say.
There is nothing wrong about being a councillor or living next to a school and complaining about parking problems.
However, Cllr Tolson represents The Homesteads ward, there isn’t a single school in The Homesteads wards so therefore, as a ward Councillor, it is highly unlikely that any of the residents she represents would complain to her about parents parking outsidetheir homes in the electoral ward she represents, as there are no schools The Homesteads ward.
The parking she complains about are in Stanford West and East Thurrock and Corringham Town ward. It is normal for councillors in the wards were the problems exist to make the complaints and ask questions.
Cllr Tolson lives next to a school, she percieves that parents parking on the public highway outside her home are a problem. Instead of getting another councillor to raise the issue, she demands a CCTV spy car on a problem that doesn’t impact on any of the residents she represents but does impact on her.
She should have asked one of her councillors to raise the issue, or the shadow Conservative for public safety to ask the question at full council.
Unfortunately she failed to declare a personal and prejudicial interest as having a CCTV spy car outside her home would be a benefit to her. She should never have asked the question.
We should remember that former Conservative Leader Garry Hague was suspended from being a councillor as he failed to declare an interest in a school he was talking about in a meeting.
Councillor Tolson has made a worse mistake as what she is demanding doesn’t benefit the residents she officialy represents, as her ward contains no schools, but it does benefit her as she lives next to a school.
Somebody from the Council’s Legal Services should sit down with the Conservative group of Councillors and explain what they can and can’t do.
colin when you put it like that, it does show a level of two faced political double dealing. it is very disappointing that the conservatives have so little respect for local people and the things that matter. Clearly Cllr Tolson fits right into this gang of badly behaved conservatives.