New leaders vow to deliver more for Clackmannanshire

Kevin McRoberts • Published 12 Jan 2012 08:00 3 Comments

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LEADERSHIP: council leader Gary Womersley (left) and depute leader Mark English.

CLACKMANNANSHIRE'S new council leader has slammed the previous administration's financial record - and has vowed the SNP will produce a budget which will deliver more for the people of the county.

Councillor Gary Womersley highlighted Labour's "financial mismanagement" as one of the reasons the SNP group launched its bid to take control of the council.

And he also criticised the outgoing administration for destroying staff morale and claimed there had been an "arrogance" in the way Labour had tackled many issues, including the restructuring of community facilities in Tillicoultry, the closure of public toilets and the future of Alva swimming pool.

But he said the catalyst for change was Sheriff Mackie's damning report on child protection - and Labour's failure to deal with the consequences.

Councillor Womersley said, "I am delighted that a lot of hard work by many people has resulted in the appointment of an SNP administration at Clackmannanshire Council.

"I have long maintained that this council needs good financial stewardship, robust governance and, above all, a strong sense of ambition and long-term strategy for Clackmannanshire.

"There will be challenges ahead but I believe that this new SNP administration represents the best option to safeguard and further the interests of all residents of Clackmannanshire.

"I look forward to working with everyone across the county to genuinely move the council forward."

The new leader insisted the SNP's decision to oust Labour was not about taking power simply for the sake of it.

He told the Advertiser, "Instead of an administration which has stumbled from one disaster to another, the SNP will provide a long-term strategy and assurance for Clackmannanshire."

One of the new administration's first tasks will be to set the budget next month for the new financial year beginning in April.

Councillor Womersley said the SNP would be "spending smarter" and making the most of what money was available to provide the best possible services for the people of the county.

He claimed that despite local authorities receiving a higher percentage share of the Scottish Government grant in recent years, the Labour-run council had been forced to "slash, cut and burn" to cover up their own financial mess.

He went on, "We're confident that despite having to deal with the first budget to be going down in real terms, we will be able to deliver more for the residents of Clackmannanshire than Labour ever has."

And he indicated that funds would be made available to tackle the serious problems relating to child protection.

"Sheriff Mackie's report showed the long-term effect of financial mismanagement when a service is not properly resourced, but there are also cultural aspects which need to be looked at," he said.

"Labour's handling of the whole issue has been disgraceful, and this will haunt them for a long time."

New depute leader, Councillor Mark English, vowed the SNP administration would work to re-establish trust in the council and that there would be proper scrutiny of what was going on and of the decisions being taken.

Councillor English said, "We will look at things on a Clackmannanshire-wide basis.

"We need to regain the confidence of the voters and the business community, and we will need to go back and look at some of the previous decisions taken by the council."

He highlighted the issue of the Alva swimming pool and sports complex. Community group Ochil Leisure Enterprises has taken over the running of the facility after a successful campaign to block its demolition and the sale of the land.

Councillor English said the SNP would look at formalising in some manner an approach which would seek to secure a successful future for the pool.

This article appeared in Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser 11 Jan 12

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AlloaYankee
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Jan 13, 21:47
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Perhaps Councillor Gary Womersley should cut the criticism of the previous administration and concentrate on his own administration. I hope he is not going to try and hide his own possible inadequacies behind Labours mistakes. That will not work.

Now is the time to live up to his promises to the tax payer that he can run the show so much better than Labour. Hopefully he is not going to use the old chestnut that it will take years to fix Labours mistakes so don't expect too much too soon.

Labours time ( and mistakes ) are now subjects of the past, deal with the future.

If Councillor Gary Womersley can publicly point out the Labour admins failures, then I feel he should balance that with mentioning Labours successes.

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w_macallum
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Jan 14, 10:39
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Councillor Womersley is spot-on when he talks about the "Arrogance" of the outgoing administration, what he failed to talk about was their sheer incompetence. Sadly, the labour members had to toe the party line under the incompetent stewardship of Janet Cadenhead, possibly one of the most inept labour group leaders of recent years. This in turn led to the employment of a Chief Executive who did absolutely nothing for either her employees OR the wider public, instead, she completely demoralised the staff, shut down public buildings that have existed for well over 100 years and tried to bury the true facts when things were starting to go wrong, childcare being but one example. What we are seeing now, is the fallout from a labour group leader's tenure that smacks of incompetence, breathtaking incredulity at her ability (or lack thereof) to take balanced decisions, riding rough-shod over her own employees and the destruction of any semblance of 'trust' between employer and employee. If any proof were needed of the spin and sheer hypocrisy of the labour group, they need look no further than the comments in this paper from the outgoing provost Derek Stewart who states that throughout his time as provost, he remained completely non-political' in his role. I have a question for the esteemed Mr Sewart, 'during your time as Provost, on how many occasions when you had a casting vote, did you vote against the labour group?

One of the only honourable councillors in all this is sadly, Sam Ovens, who assumed the reins of the labour group at a time when the incompetence & arrogance of his predecessor was simmering under the surface and exploded in the childcare debacle that has led to the labour groups downfall. Yes Mr Womesley, the labour group have shown a breathtaking arrogance these past few years, they have shown incompetence on a scale that is hard to perceive, let's hope for all our sakes your lot can do better ... I don't imagine you can do much worse!

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AlloaYankee
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Jan 16, 21:05
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w_macallum

You are spot on with every point you make about the previous administration.

We all know that what you write is true.

However, one must move forward, not stand still stewing and stagnating. Lets look at the positive possibilities that the SNP administration can bring forth, let's hope, to fruition.

Please, no more negative commenting about Labour. More positive commenting about the SNP. Look forward not back.

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