THE Liberal Democrat-Conservative coalition which ran Warrington Borough Council for the last five years left the town in a far healthier state than it found it, according to the man who led it.
Cllr Ian Marks, (pictured) leader of the council until last month and now leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition said: “We are very proud of our record during the time we ran the council.
“There is plenty of evidence of good performance over a wide range of our activities.”
Cllr Marks was commenting on a report – noted without comment by the new controlling Labour executive board – on the council’s performance and financial position up to the end of 2010-11.
He said: “This report provides plenty of evidence of good performance over a wide range of our activities.
“Following the problem with the safeguarding of children, we took immediate and decisive action and government intervention was withdrawn early. Figures suggest our town centre is outperforming many other parts of the country with a 3.7 per cent increase in footfall. We delivered 291 affordable homes – significantly more than we targeted for.
“Council tax and business rates collection was better than expected and council tax collection topped the Manchester group of authorities league table. Our benefits take-up campaign was successful with £1m additional benefit being raised for local residents last year. We were the highest performing authority in the region for assessing adult social care need. The school music service has been judged as outstanding. Staff sickness absence is down on the previous year.
“The figures show we retained our reputation for sound financial management. The final overspend of £1.2m was less than expected due to excellent financial control by the officers working under our guidance.
“Of this overspend, £650,000 was a book-keeping adjustment and nearly £1m was the abortive cost of the red tape and bureaucracy of the Building Schools for the Future scheme. The balance was an underspend.
“These successes didn’t just happen. They came about because of the dedication and hard work by officers right across the council. I thank them for their efforts. We know we left the council and town in a far healthier state than when we took it over.”
5 Comments
There is nothing worse than has-beens blowing their own trumpet.
The school issue was something that you had NO choice over. The rest is what I would expect the people who my taxes help pay for, and that is hard work and dedication. Most people do that for a pittance of what these people get/got.
Get over yourselves. You are now history. Lets see what the current encumbents can mess up or maybe do well.
Marks has obviously not driven down any of Warringtons shockingly poorly maintained roads recently, has obviously not noticed the virtual withdrawal of Warrington policing from everywhere south of the Ship Canal, obviously can’t remember two consecutive winters of roads unsalted and bins uncollected, is ignoring the fact that HIS administration wanted to close Lymm Youth Club and then did everything they possibly could to make it difficult for a volunteer body to take the place on and make it successful, and has presided over and covered-up continual poor performance, financial mis-management, and administrative failure throughout his – thankfully past – tenure. The voters of Warrington issued their verdict on his performance loud and clear, and he only has a seat at all now due to a split opposition vote in his own ward.
Have you ever heard anything like it! Does he live in the world that I live in? Certainly in reality things appear to me to be very much worse that when they took control 5 years ago. It is the case that their tenure was marked by very autocratic control and residents were riden over roughshod and decisions taken which were not in their interests. If the financial balance at the end of their tenure was an underspend then why was this not given back to residents by way of a Council Tax reduction – after all the Council is not a Bank! He is no longer in a position of control and he should he should leave the new administration to get on with things and we should be able to judge quickly whether they are an improvement.
We were voted ‘WORSE TOWN IN ENGLAND’ – probably because we had the worst council leadership of all time! Good grief! when is it going to sink in that no-one is interested in listening to this type of clap-trap!
It was him and his cronies that made me stop being a card carrying lib dem !!…closed doors, ignoring peoples views, democratic my harris