l From the end of February this year to the beginning of January next year, we will have had only three full meetings of Oxford City Council where all councillors can put motions to be discussed, and ask questions.
The New Labour Group on the council have not only taken complete control of the executive body and therefore decision making, they have also reduced the number of full councils in the year, where their decisions may be fully questionned.
Local New Labour councillors, like their masters in government, really do seem to fear debate and depend on spin and distraction.
I had been looking forward to some informed debate on local issues at last Monday's council.
Members of the public had tabled some very pertinent questions or registered to speak early on in the council. We are supposed to be encouraging this sort of grassroots involvement.
We had a very full agenda in front of us.
However we were informed at the last moment that Mary Clarkson, the Lord Mayor, had decided to show us two videos at the beginning of the meeting, each lasting 20 minutes.
Many of us in the poor acoustic set-up of the old council chamber could hear very little. The Lord Mayor had been advised that both videos really should be shown during the break.
I would have been happy to have stayed on later to watch them in the assembly rooms where we might have been able to hear what was being said.
Basically what we were getting was spin, instead of discussion and the spin was taking up useful discussion time.
When it finally came to the opportunity for debate, we were informed that we wouldn’t have the usual time for summing up or for full debate. Several motions had to be deferred.
By the time the motions on the Public Convenience Review came up, one councillor had already had to leave because of the limits of babysitting time.
She would have voted against the proposals. As it was, with the whole of the Labour group voting for the proposals, the vote was a tie and Mary used her second, casting, vote.
The motion opposing the closure of many of our public conveniences was lost that would otherwise have been won.
Another motion about debt and loans support was deferred until next January.
Both motions were important for the wellbeing of the people of Oxford and should not have been outmanoeuvred in this shameful party political way.
The Gloucester Green loos may not be ideal, but are quite adequate, if well cleaned and maintained.
This is not the time to be spending £350,000 on them if we cannot also afford to keep open our very necessary local toilets.
A not very beautiful toilet is better than no toilet at all. I hope the executive will rethink their foolish proposal.
Nuala Young, City councillor for St Clements, Tree Lane, Oxford
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