THE `UNCLE’ JOE STALIN AWARD FOR OPEN AND DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT
Goes to…
SALFORD CITY COUNCIL
Salford Council wins this Mary for…well…everything really. It held a huge DEMOCRACY DAY with a public question and answer session in a tent on the town hall lawn – except no-one from the public had a chance to ask anything at the event. All the written questions were pre-chosen.
The Council also wins this coveted award for holding a year long public consultation exercise in Seedley South, where the majority of residents opted to save their houses from demolition – only for the Council to ignore it and continue with their own plans to bulldoze 52 houses “to safeguard the considerable public and private investment made in adjacent streets” (that’ll be the Urban Splash houses then…).
The decision was `called in’ and went to the Council’s Housing Scrutiny Committee which threw out the residents’ claims of unfairness. Well, it would do - the Scrutiny Committee which provides “checks” on the Council is made up mainly of ruling Labour councillors!
The Council has totally stormed this award category…it’s removed minutes of meetings from its website…it’s blocked Freedom of Information requests with a battery of excuses…it’s pulled the Salford Star’s funding application to the community…it hasn’t answered awkward press questions…It could only get away with such practices in…Burma? Nah, Salford !
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