News

Dear Editor,

Re: Damning report on Shepway's 'dirty streets'

Liberal Democrat leader, Cllr. Lynne Beaumont is quite right to draw our attention to this 'damning' report by the Audit Commission on some of Shepway District Council's activities.

The incompetence highlighted over refuse and re-cycling and the KCC grounds maintenance and street cleansing contract has really drawn attention to the fact that those who have had a hand in running this local authority for the last 4 years are really not up to the task.

The spin Cllr. Beaumont puts on this report is that it's all the fault of the council, as if she and her fellow Lib-Dems councillors are not a part of it. They are, and must therefore share equal responsibility for this dreadful state of affairs.

As Leader of the Opposition she had at her disposal all the tools to deal with this shambles and instead did nothing either out of quiet acquiesce, or total ignorance of what was going on and the knowledge of how to address the problems.

Why did she and her group need the Audit Commission do the job for them?

I believe it encapsulates what is wrong with this district council. It's always someone else's fault, no-one accepting responsibility. In short, it's a total failure of everybody to work together for the benefit of the district which has culminated in this disastrous state of affairs.

Until this fundamental problem is addressed, Shepway will continue to stagger from crisis to crisis.

Colin Tearle
Shepway Independents