Will you, now please speak to your editor about the Star exposing this 40 years of incompetence and lack of democracy?
QUESTION FOR ANDY STREET on the Radio 4 'Any Questions' panel this evening at Kingswinford Academy:
Should there be full, for and against debate and vote by our councillors, before our 120 Kms (74 miles) Black Country Railway "of national strategic significance" is converted into multi-modal heavy rail, light rail and very light rail between Worcester and Derby?
The writing of business cases always trump democracy. Why?
Andy Street's decision contrasts with Edinburgh City Council who, with both of their tram projects, had committee discussions, followed by debates and then competently conducted votes in full Council to decide whether or not to go ahead. Conservatives opposed trams on grounds of cost.
Former Cabinet member, Cllr Ian Kettle and Dudley MBC Deputy Leader, Cllr Paul Bradley at last night's Stourbridge Forum were unable to reassure me that there has ever been a for and against discussion with vote in any Dudley Cabinet meeting over turning their own half-used, principal mainline railway "of national strategic significance"
into a multi-modal heavy rail (HR), light rail (LR) and, very light rail (VLR). Even the Stourbridge MP, Suzanne Webb, suggested ultra light rail (ULR - the short 1.2 Km Stourbridge Shuttle) to meet the trams at Brierley Hill from her Stourbridge Jct station. Two out of three of these unsuitable rail modes have now been put on the Derby, Dudley, Devon mainline aka Burton on Trent, Brierley Hill, Bristol mainline.
In over forty years of Metro tram development, it seems there has never been a for and against debate followed by vote in a single Council Chamber of any of the seven councils of what is now called the WMCA. The CA is a massive new layer of unaccountable bureaucracy and hierarchy of officers and, members of the regional councils being subsumed into it to give an appearance of democracy when all their committees and boards are simply talking shops and rubber stamps. Never for and against debates and never votes, it seems!!
This contrasts with Edinburgh City Council who, with both of their tram projects, had full committee discussions, followed by debates and then competently conducted votes in full Council to decide whether or not to go ahead.
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