For nearly five years now, the Green Party has been prominent in Oswestry’s political landscape, but not necessarily for the right reasons. Let’s take a closer look at some of their so-called achievements during their time in office, or rather, missteps that have left a lasting mark on the community.
One of the Green Party’s earliest moves upon arriving and gaining a majority on Oswestry Town Council was to double car park charges, a decision that didn’t sit well with residents already feeling the pinch of everyday expenses. But that was just the beginning of a series of questionable choices that followed.
Contracts mishandled; installations botched – these are just some of the tales that have emerged from the Green Party’s tenure. From the curious case of the Market Hall solar panels, where the contract mysteriously found its way into the hands of a company from Cornwall to the purchase of Llwyn Mansions without a viable business plan in sight, and not forgetting the transfer of Centre Northwest from Shropshire Council, complete with dodgy roof.
It’s clear that fiscal prudence isn’t exactly the Green Party’s forte.
But perhaps one of the most glaring examples of the Green Party’s dubious decision-making lies in the realm of public spending. Take, for instance, the mishandling of contracts. Adding insult to injury, local businesses have felt the sting of the Green Party’s actions. The ice cream contract in Cae Glas Park, once held by a trusted local company, was snatched away, and handed over to an outsider from Welshpool, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of many.
The new toilet block and the splash pad have triggered numerous criticisms on social media, further exposing the lack of competence in the Green Party’s decision-making. The £14,000 gift to the Shropshire Cycle Hub or the eye-watering £30,000 splurge on a Rickshaw.
And who could forget the £3,000 consultancy fee for a feasibility study on a ‘puddle in the park’, only to discover later that it was in the wrong place? This salient fact, not determined by the consultant I might add, who by this time had collared his three grand and made a swift exit left; no, this was discovered by one of the saner heads of this Council. Although judging by previous efforts, I suspect this was purely accidental.
And let us not forget the Town’s CCTV system, hailed as the best system in the West Midlands and staffed by volunteers and a paid coordinator at approximately £15,000 pa for his salary. But he’s not, according to the Town Clerk; the coordinator is not an employee, nor is he self-employed; so, what is he? The Clerk was remarkably reticent on the coordinator’s employment status. Does he know?
What is a fact is that he is paid for by the Town Council with money that comes from the precept. 15% this year. But you may ask, don’t we already pay a separate precept to the West Mercia Police Commissioner? Should this not also include the cost of administrating the CCTV system?
I would suggest the CCTV system is used exclusively by the police, how successfully is not known, but a clue to its effectiveness is that whenever a citizen requests a copy of its footage as is their right, the camera is curiously pointing in the wrong direction; funny that!
And the Council Taxpayers of Oswestry are paying for it, twice! Once to Oswestry Town Council and once to the West Mercia Police Commissar. (sorry, I meant Commissioner)
This leads us nicely into the crime statistics for Oswestry as of 2024:
• 3% higher than the crime rate of the West Midlands.
• 16% higher than in England and Wales
• Oswestry is among the top 5 most dangerous small towns in Shropshire.
• The most common crimes in Oswestry are violence and sexual offences.
• But bicycle crime is relatively low – so all is not lost.
• The overall crime rate for Oswestry is 104 crimes per 1,000 people; this compared to Shropshire’s overall crime rate of 70 per 1,000 people.
The statistics make for grim reading, don’t they?
“Ten extra police officers have been recruited to Oswestry Police Station, with more than 30 patrol officers now based at the station.” Superintendent Mo Lansdale said in September 2019.
So, five years ago extra police officers are coming – are they still coming? Or are they a figment of the “old bill’s” imagination? Who knows?
What the current Police Commissioner doesn’t appear to realise is that when he increases the police precept for the current financial year, there is a consequence, and in this case, the consequence is that people will begin to monitor his activities more closely.
Such as the police handling of complaints perhaps?
But perhaps the most alarming revelation is the de facto leader of the Green Party’s apparent disconnect from the consequences of his actions, the effect of which will be felt by Oswestry citizens long after moves to pastures new. (Hopefully sooner rather than later) Despite mounting evidence of fiscal mismanagement and community discontent, his ego remains steadfast, overshadowing any semblance of accountability.
And let’s not forget the bottom line – the 15% increase in the precept, a direct result of the Green Party’s reckless spending habits. It’s high time they realized that the money they so carelessly throw around belongs to the people they serve, not to fuel the de facto leaders’ personal whims and fancies.
As residents of Oswestry, it’s imperative that we hold our elected officials accountable for their actions. The Green Party’s track record speaks for itself, and it’s time for a change – one that prioritizes fiscal responsibility and genuine concern for the well-being of our community over ego-driven agendas.
When will these people realize that it is our money they are spending, and not derived from some magical money tree?
It is important for local councils to be transparent and available to meet electors. Sadly, under this Green leadership, the long-established committee structure that allowed the public a regular opportunity to question the council face-to-face has been scrapped. Now, just one meeting a month is held, which will simply be a rubber stamp for Green decisions already made behind closed doors. It is impossible for the amount of business that this council transacts to be confined to two hours a month and a 15-minute public question time.
Ironically, before the last election, the Greens demanded public consultation on most issues. Consultation is something that now rarely happens.
Recently, a perfectly reasonable request to visually record all meetings was rejected by this Green Council. We live in a modern digital world where the use of modern communication methods such as filming enhances the openness and transparency of local government. This ensures we have a strong democracy that is accountable to local people. But this Council consistently resists this reasonable request – What are they trying to hide?
We obviously cannot rely on the useless Tories to step up and be the opposition they should be.
My spies tell me that all is not well in the Tory camp either. In fact, they are fighting like rats in a sack.
Some of them are even considering going Independent, or heaven forbid standing as Reform Party Candidates. Is nothing sacred?
Oh for the days when ex Councillor Barrow was on manoeuvres and Councillor Vince Hunt was having his driveway re-laid, and Shropshire Council was suing a local football team for the return of money they thought they were owed. Happy days, days full of fun and laughter. Oh how we laughed.
The local elections in Shropshire are in May of 2025, so take the opportunity to go out and vote out this utterly useless administration.
But that leaves us with a conundrum, who do we vote for? – It is no secret that the best local government we had in Oswestry was when it consisted of a mixture of Tory, LibDem, Labour, and Independents (no Greens, you will note).
And apart from the odd dubious character, (and we all know who they were) this system worked quite well under the stewardship of the previous Clerk to the Council.
But perhaps all is not lost, when we consider the curious departure of three of the Green Party stalwarts to the Liberal Democratic Party and welcomed wholeheartedly by Helen Morgan MP who said: “It is really humbling to have the support of such fantastic local councillors”.
“I know how hard Jay, Rosie and Jonathan work for their residents and their town, and it is fantastic to hear they feel they can do that and get things done for local people as Liberal Democrats”.
Let’s have a closer look at these “stalwarts”:
Councillor Moore, who likes to be called Jay, is now on his third party, having begun as a conservative before his quantum leap to the Green Party. He has also reinvented himself as a “motivational speaker; is there no beginning to this man’s talent. Where next? Who knows.
Councillor Radford, a lady to whom the phrase fiscal responsibility is as alien as social responsibility is to Genghis Khan, is another failed businesswoman, and debtor.
And last but I’m sure not least: is Councillor Jonathan Upton, a young man who I suspect is easily led.
Helen, be careful what you wish for, I can’t help thinking that Councillor Kerr got the best end of that deal.
It is crucial that voters participate in the upcoming elections to ensure representation that truly reflects the needs of Oswestry’s residents.”
So people go out and vote, or arrange a postal vote.
The Alternative Council 