"WHAT WE DO" - by the W Mids Combined Authority

WHAT WE DO can be much better - quotes from https://www.wmca.org.uk/what-we-do/

THE TOP, THE FIRST AND FOREMOST EXPENDITURE BY WMCA is transport!

"Combined Authorities exist to grow economies in their regions. They invest in things like transport, skills and well-being. West Midlands Combined Authority was created to deliver an ambitious plan to drive inclusive economic growth in the region."  Growth = Greed and taking from future generations.

MY BLUE ANSWERS: The local councillors are subsumed, assimilated into the CA to do its bidding without question. No checks or challenges or a murmur of disapproval from a single one.

TOP TO DO IS TRANSPORT!!  To spend our taxes on replacing and duplicating first train services and then bus routes with the second most extravagant transport mode to construct after High Scam 2.  Even more expensive per Km than most maglev projects in China, Japan and South Korea.

WHAT THEY DO:"Our goal is to create a world-class transport system. To achieve this, we're investing £5 billion across nearly 200 transport projects between now and 2026."

"Together we’re building £1.3 billion of new tram extensions in the West Midlands."

At the top of the WMCA top to do list is continuing with the rebuilding of the tram network instead of addressing the more urgent transport problems of congestion and air pollution by having as the top priority increasing bus use at the expense of car use.  And, putting trains and stations back instead of trams!

THREE SUGGESTIONS instead of panel lottery:

Next on the CA to do list must be on insisting that elected councillors decide policy and ensure that its the elected political party's manifestos that is implemented and not the officers' ideas.

The Climate Coalition's Nine Action Points must be discussed, debated and voted on by CA councillors.

 Nine Action Points from W Mids Climate Coalitio...

 Bus and businesses at the centre of a virtuous ...

A public forum item at the beginning of every committee agenda must be allowed and encouraged instead of the undemocratic lottery of a Citizen's Panel making decisions.  I believe, only Dudley Council has a public forum item on agendas of some committee meetings.  Open government and good governance is crying out for it - if active citizens would only use it.

Tim Weller

Left Unity - May meeting

Thanks for this.  I hope to be there on Zoom.

My requested item is that we must stand up, speak out for the urgent matters we want:

Left Unity must hit the headlines and become as well known to certain officers and members as I am!  A political party writing to the VIPs/decision-makers in power to get them to do what we want without having to get elected.  Yet, still standing in elections ourselves to make a mark and to show we mean business.  And then attending the election counts when we do put forward a candidate - and not like the Green Party in my borough of Dudley who never showed up last Thursday night!!  Real candidates and not paper/invisible candidates.

My councillors in Dudley borough are so apathetic/lazy they don't have surgeries.  Even when you phone or write, nothing happens (for me!).  That makes it all the more important to attend election counts to gently feel their collar and ask polite, pertinent questions.  By the time I had done that I was only too pleased that they had stopped all candidate speeches from the platform.  I had said enough to the individuals who would engage, praised the one councillor who shows some understanding of eco-socialism and what that actually means in practice, was exhausted and cycled home in the early hours of Friday morning!

At three of Dudley MBC committee meetings, there is a 'Public Forum' item on the agenda that I exploit fully but vary the subject matter or, simply bring them up to date on the latest tram calamity!

PERSUASION WITHOUT GETTING ELECTED!

Persuade them to do what we want by attending and speaking at the Public Forum item on the agenda of council committees - without bothering to get elected!

ENGAGE BY WRITING, SEEING INDIVIDUALS, TEXTING AND PHONING!