Madam Mayor
I'm not sure how many councillors there are across the United Kingdom.
And I haven't totted up how many councillors there are in London.
I do know of course there are 70 councillors in Croydon and I do know there are 3 councillors in my ward of Coulsdon Town.
I do also know what responsibilities we have to our residents and electors who put us where we are.
Some of us have been in politics a long time. Some are relatively new. Either way, we 70 Croydon councillors have a duty of care to our residents whether they support the Conservative Party, the Labour Party, any other Party or no party at all. We have a duty to listen to our residents and where it’s practical respond positively or be honest about the reasons why we can’t.
We know how our residents would want us to vote on this motion before us this evening.
Even if we are what we are - relatively small cogs in a much bigger wheel. The size and effectiveness of each of the cogs is important to the functioning of the much bigger wheel.
For certain, Labour councillors in Croydon have inflicted reputational damage on our town through irresponsible financial management or more accurately irresponsible financial mismanagement.
Reputational damage that’s difficult to reverse.
But it must be reversed.
Madam Mayor
If Croydon residents should be led at all it should be by those who lead by good example and not those who are in politics for the wrong reason. I am confident residents in Croydon will demonstrate their awareness of this at the next election.
It's with shame that I hear residents from outside of the Borough saying we don't want to get like Croydon.
That's not why any one of us came into politics. But it’s being said Madam Mayor. And those responsible should be held to account.
There is some evidence of contrition from at least some Labour councillors but too often Cabinet members and others revert to form.
Croydon doesn't have a listening and responsive administration. This needs to change. That change may well come about at the next election when residents will decide which Party is best suited to delivering local services.
I'm proud to be a member of a Party and Group in Croydon that can restore faith in local politics and politicians.
I am confident Croydon residents will see a way out of what will be eight years of failure.
So Madam Mayor, it’s against that background that I speak this evening in support of the motion before us.
Any steps that we can take, and I mean any steps, Madam Mayor, we should take however small, to show solidarity with Council staff being made redundant.
I'm a member of a Group of Conservative councillors that has led the way in proposing the reduction in Special Responsibility Allowances.
These are baby steps I know relative to the size of Croydon’s debt but they’re important steps all the same.
The tiny cogs in that big wheel need to demonstrate that we’re listening and responding to our residents in a way that the administration unfortunately for our town hasn’t over the last six and a half years.
Madam Mayor.
The impact of the proposals in the motion on councillors pales into insignificance when compared with the financial suffering of redundant Council employees this Christmas.
This motion is one small gesture that shows we understand their pain and I urge all Members to support it.
Thank you Madam Mayor.
