THURROCK CONSERVATIVES were left angry last night as the six new UKIP councillors spent most of the meeting abstaining on a number of items.
The annual meeting is a part-ceremonial and part administrative meeting. After the matter of mayor and deputy mayor was settled, the composition of committees had to be agreed.
As the Tories had already suspected that the six UKIP councillors were going to abstain on a significant number of decisions, the Conservative leader, cllr Rob Gledhill asked for what is called a requisition vote, that is to say, where each persons vote is recorded individually.
It did not prove popular but cllr Gledhill had a number of points to make including asking the question of whether “Over 12,000 Thurrock residents had voted for UKIP in order for them to abstain.”
After 30 minute, they cut to the chase.
UKIP did vote on one significant issue. They voted for a Conservative vice-chair of the planning committee.
UKIP politicians – below amateurs, they had a chance to make a change and blew it. UKIP is totally committed unto a two part local and national agenda:-
a. Europe goodbye. b. Stopping foreign workers coming to UK.They know nothing about local politics.
If you voted UKIP you wasted your vote. Jk & Rg no deals with UKIP their agenda is not in the best interests of Thurrock or the Labour Tory party concerns for Thurrock People of all backgrounds.
Yes – agree with Cllr Gledhill. A point I’ve made before on YT. I’m in no way disrespecting UKIP councillors, but they’ve got to participate in the running of the Council, not just abstain. All across the country there are ‘independent’ councillors, and these generally do a brilliant job. This is because they’ve got themselves elected (ahead of Lab/Lib/Con) on some sort of local issue – closure of a hospital, encroachment on green belt, etc. With the UKIP councillors, the risk is that actually they have no interest in local issues, only on getting the UK out of the EU. In which case they will struggle to add any value to the running of Thurrock Council and will end up like the BNP at Thurrock’s sister borough, the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, where, after a couple of meetings, they get a bit bored and stop turning up. Which is the point Councillor Gledhill ( a superb local councillor by the way, regardless of your political affilation) is making.
Seeing as the Conservatives spent the entire local election slagging off UKIP is it not surprising they refused to vote with the Conservatives? And if they vote with Labour then the Conservatives will call them Labour stooges. They are damned whoever they vote with.
Good point made by Ed – basically after the local elections, how could the Tories expect UKIP to work with them, when all the Tories did locally was to slag UKIP off? But saying that UKIP can not spend the next 4 years abstaining?
jonno66 – they don’t have to wait 4 years. There are elections in Thurrock next year – there are 16 seats up for grabs. I think UKIP will try and do a ‘Basildon’ in 2015 in Thurrock.
Yes, even if UKIP did a basildon, as you put it, and win all or most of the 16 seats up for grabs next year, they still won’t be running the council. Am expecting the two main parties will do better next time around as people will most likely go back to how they usually vote, as local Election Day will be held on the same day as the General Election.
I have to say my view is similar to Ed.
The Tories spent far too much time telling us that UKIPs one councillor (at the time) voted with Labour for more merging of services with Barking and Dagenham. Meanwhile Labour took the view that everyone who comtemplates voting for UKIP is a secret racist. If I were a UKIP councillor in Thurrock it would be difficult to participate with those who seem to dislike you so much.
UKIP are going to play a huge part in who wins Thurrock in the general election next year so I’m not too sure that criticising them for nonsense was the best tactic from a Tory point of view.
Having said that, UKIP councillors will have to make decisions at some point. They have to be sensible and put the interests of the local community first. I wholeheartedly agree with their EU and Immigration policy but that is something that cannot be done at a local level. They need to push their policies on green belt development and grammar schools (something that Thurrock could desparately do with considering the state of our schools) and take up local causes ignored by the bigger two parties.
If they do this I can see them doing very well in May 2015.
Bernard87
Meanwhile Labour took the view that everyone who comtemplates voting for UKIP is a secret racist.
Bernard87
It is no secret that Robert Ray was a NF candidate and party organiser, and it is no secret that he’s gone publicly on record as saying he’s views haven’t changed since he was with the NF
In my opinion that tells me he is still a racialist just by his comments
{If I were a UKIP councillor in Thurrock it would be difficult to participate with those who seem to dislike you so much.}
Bernard87
I personally would have no difficulty in not participating with any racialist especially one that sits there blatantly flouting the rules for joining is own party and should not be there in the first place
Should we sit Robert Ray next to Councillor Tunde Ojetola a man of integrity, I’m sure they get on like a house on fire, councillors are supposed to be honest fair open-minded and in my belief somebody you look up to, not something you step in and want to remove from the soul of your shoe like Robert Ray NF. My views have not changed his words not mine
Possibly only LITTLE deals!
Serious now. In the face of huge cuts to come consensus politics is the way forward. Deals will have to be struck and lets hope the two larger parties can achieve results for Thurrock People in the difficult political year ahead.
Are you on on drugs
Mint!