Coventry set to join 'Greater Birmingham' super authority

[rebbonk]

Perhaps Ms Lucas would care to actually listen to the electorate who don't appear to want this?

Does the woman not understand democracy?

If this topic had been aired before the recent election I bet we would see a rather different make-up of the council.

Lucas will be remembered alright!

[dutchman]

Call for Coventry's entire council to stand down after 'loss of faith' in leadership

An online petition has been launched calling for all Coventry councillors to resign.

Disgruntled Robin Elms, from Tile Hill, is calling for all of Coventry’s 54 councillors to quit after “losing faith” in them to run the city in a democratic and accountable way.

The petition, hosted here at you.38degrees.org.uk, attracted more than 250 signatures in just over 24 hours after being launched.

It reads: “The people of Coventry appear to of lost all faith in the current ruling council. As a resident of Coventry I ask that they resign on mass and hold new local elections.

“It is important that in a democratic country the voice of the electorate should be heard and listened to.”

Mr Elms said the council’s decision to join Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country in a combined authority without giving residents a vote played a major part in his decision to launch the petition.

The 58-year-old said: “There’s a great deal of dissatisfaction with the way the combined authority is being railroaded through.

“Someone mentioned a similar petition had been launched in Aberdeen, so I thought I would do something similar here.”

He added: “The councillors are elected by us but they say they will do what they think is best.

“That is totally undemocratic and anti-constitutional. I think these people are running amok, so I’ve decided to stand up and be counted.

“I’ve never been political in my life, but this has made me so angry I had to get involved. None of this was mentioned before the election, but it must have been planned a long time before.”

He also hit out at council claims it can not afford to pay for certain services after the Telegraph revealed details of the six figure salary paid to the authority’s chief executive Martin Reeves.

He said: “Everyday there’s an own goal from the council. Today I’ve read that Martin Reeves is paid nearly a quarter of a million pounds.

“But the council says a referendum would be too expensive and take too long. Greece, a whole country, managed to organise a national referendum in 10 days, but we can’t do one here?”

[rebbonk]

The citizens of Coventry have actually got the council they deserve. How many actually voted? How many actually quizzed the candidates before voting for them?

Whilst I have every sympathy and sympathise with the sentiments of Mr Elms, the muppets we have were elected by due democratic process and we are stuck with them. Just because you don't like what they're doing you can't demand mass resignation. - That in itself is undemocratic. Should we hold re-elections tomorrow I think we'd see a few changes, but that isn't likely to happen.

There is a hard lesson to be learned here. Pay attention to what is going on and do your part in elections.

[dutchman]

Tory councillors pledge referendum to allow Coventry people to decide over West Midlands Combined Authority

COVENTRY’S Conservatives have today pledged to give people a referendum over whether to leave a future West Midlands Combined Authority – if the Tories regain control of the city council.

They also say Coventry council’s leaders are failing in a costly public consultation to properly present alternatives to joining a combined authority with Birmingham, Solihull and black country councils.

The Conservative opposition at Labour-run Coventry City Council released a statement today setting out what could be an alternative arrangement with Warwickshire – as council leaders are pressing ahead towards establishing the West Midlands Combined Authority next April.

It comes as the Coventry Observer has been scrutinising how the public consultation and other measures are being handled – costing city taxpayers up to £250,000.

The public consultation was approved by Labour councillors in June when it rejected a then 3000-name petition calling for a referendum, which would have allowed Coventry voters to decide.

West MIdlands’ council leaders have not ruled out agreeing to Conservative chancellor George Osborne’s demand that in return for all possible new spending powers, the combined authority must be headed by an elected mayor – even though council elected mayors were rejected by two-thirds of Coventry referendum voters in 2012.

The public consultation has included a series of public meetings and a ‘Citizen’s Panel’ on September 9, as we reported in detail yesterday.

Opponents including lead petitioner Rachael Bermingham and Tory group leader John Blundell have said the public consultation is widely viewed by Coventry people as a waste of city taxpayers’ money on a “fait accompli”.

Labour council leaders including councillors Ann Lucas and Kevin Maton have repeatedly expressed their determination to persaude the public that a combined authority must be set up.

A “combined authority shadow board” has now been established without Warwickshire councils’ inclusion.

Leading Labour councillors have also sought to portray much public opposition as misinformed, blaming the media.

The Tories’ statement today reads:

“Currently a consultation exercise is being done by Coventry City Council with regard to joining Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country in a Combined Authority (CA). However, no other options are being offered and this is where the consultation is fundamentally flawed.

If Coventry becomes part of a West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), as is currently proposed, then we will allow the citizens of Coventry to decide whether it should remain in or come out by holding a referendum and giving local people the chance to have a vote.”

[rebbonk]

There is currently only one option on the table and we aren't even being given the option of refusing it. - On that basis how can anyone call what is going on a consultation or suggest it is remotely democratic? It is a done deal and the council are wasting money on the pretence of being democratic. Uncle Joe would be proud of this lot.

Lucas and her shower must go.

[dutchman]

Warwickshire County Council rejects combined authority



Warwickshire county councillors have voted against joining the West Midlands Combined Authority.

They have decided to continue to explore a closer working relationship between the council and Coventry.

Seven authorities - Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton - want more devolved powers from the government.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce had backed those plans, hoping transport links would benefit.

The proposal to join the combined authority was rejected by 30 votes to 20 at the Shire Hall in Warwick.

The Conservative leader of Warwickshire County Council, Izzi Seccombe, said: "We want to build on the success of the last few years, we will not walk away from Coventry."

Coventry City Council voted to support the move to the West Midlands Combined Authority in principle in May.

There was concern among Warwickshire councillors that Birmingham's issues would be prioritised over the other authorities.

[rebbonk]

There was concern among Warwickshire councillors that Birmingham's issues would be prioritised over the other authorities.

Lucas et al, take note!

[dutchman]

Conservatives will offer vote on Coventry's West Midlands Combined Authority

Coventry's Conservatives have vowed to give residents a vote on whether the city should be in a West Midlands Combined Authority with Birmingham, if they are returned to power.

The Coventry City Council opposition party has said it would hold a referendum about whether to remain part of a political alliance with Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull or to leave.

Coventry Conservative leader Coun John Blundell has long maintained the city should look to join Warwickshire in a combined authority and look away from Birmingham amid widespread fears that the larger city would dominate any alliance.

Coventry voters rejected the idea of regional mayors three years ago.

More than 3,000 people called on Coventry council to offer residents a referendum on who it should join in a combined authority. But the controlling Labour group dismissed that suggestion as too expensive and instead embarked on a public consultation process which could cost up to £250,000.

Coventry’s Conservatives say they fear Coventry could be “left out in the cold” if it chooses to go in a separate direction from Warwickshire. Initial signs are that the two areas could be heading their separate ways after Tory-controlled Warwickshire County Council recently ruled out joining Birmingham in a combined authority. Coventry’s Labour group has made it clear it prefers an alliance with the largely Labour West Midlands councils.

However, the five Warwickshire districts are yet to confirm where their futures lie and they could yet choose to join Coventry in the WMCA.

[rebbonk]

...and instead embarked on a public consultation process...

noun: consultation; plural noun: consultations

the action or process of formally consulting or discussing.

But it's not a consultation is it? Perhaps the muppets at our council ought be buying themselves dictionaries? Where is the discussion? There isn't one because it's a foregone conclusion. Lucas and her rabble have betrayed the electorate of this city.

[dutchman]

West Midlands mayor will have power to demand extra council tax

Plans have been drawn up for Coventry to get a West Midlands mayor with the power to demand extra council tax from households in the city, the Telegraph understands.

A ‘wish list’ has been sent to government by councils in Coventry, Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country setting out what powers the region wants under plans to form a West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

Sources have confirmed to the Telegraph that the list includes a West Midlands mayor who can to add a precept to council tax bills - as is currently done by the police and fire service.

The Telegraph understands that the WMCA wants to make the M6 Toll road free as part of its plan to take transport powers from Whitehall and also wants control of the courts system across the region.

Another plan is for the level of passenger duty paid at Birmingham Airport to be set by the WMCA and the funds to be distributed locally.

Members of Coventry City Council were briefed on some of the powers the WMCA could secure on Tuesday. But the Telegraph has learned that councillors were not told during that briefing that the level of council tax in Coventry could be affected by the creation of the WMCA.

While the bulk amount of the council tax bill will be set in Coventry, the Labour leadership on Coventry City Council has always publicly insisted that joining the WMCA would not affect the level of council tax paid by Coventry residents.

The council has also refused to publicly accept that forming a WMCA would mean the creation of a metro mayor for the region. But senior Conservative government figures have repeatedly made clear that the West Midlands must have a mayor in order to get the powers it desires.

Details of the bid submitted to central government would seem to indicate that Coventry, and the other member councils, have privately accepted that they will need to have a mayor.

Residents of Warwickshire would not be affected by any extra council tax levy from the WMCA if their local authority signs up, as those councils would have the status on ‘non-constituent’ members.

A spokesman for the WMCA said they were unable to comment on the details of the bid while negotiations with central government were ongoing.