Charlotte MacKenzie

Posts Tagged ‘Lib Dem incompetence’

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The Tory pledge to Cornwall: cuts, cuts, cuts

In news on January 26, 2010 at 11:23 am

Cornwall Council leader Alec Robertson this morning confirmed yesterday’s Cabinet decision to agree to cut the Council budget and services by 20 per cent. With a warning that 1,000 jobs may go, he refused to be drawn on possible specific cuts.

It was inevitable that last year’s Council reorganisation would lead to streamlining of backroom administration in areas like IT and finance. There have already been some job losses as a direct result. Now the Council says it is looking to contract out some of this administration.

Labour’s prospective MP Charlotte MacKenzie said: “The Council’s Tory dominated leadership must now tell people in Cornwall which one in five of our schools, firestations, one stop shops, libraries, community and voluntary sector funding, and other services they intend to cut.

“The Council’s three year funding settlement from central government – which supports most local services – increased by more than 4 per cent this year, well above inflation.”

Independent reports previously concluded that the former Liberal Democrat administration lacked effective political leadership in it’s handling of issues such as proposed cuts to local fire services.

Charlotte MacKenzie added: “Now the new Tory dominated leadership seems to be following the Liberal Democrats’ poor example. Everyone who works for the Council and relies on their services now fears what these plans will mean for them.

“By refusing to take up the invitation to work as part of the new Council’s leadership, the Liberal Democrat group has placed itself in the position where they can only do what they sometimes seem to enjoy most: complain loudly, be ignored, and then blame somebody else.”

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Cornwall Council election results

In Uncategorized on June 5, 2009 at 8:52 pm

The newly elected Cornwall Council has no Labour members.

Speaking after the elections count at Richard Lander School, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Truro and Falmouth Charlotte MacKenzie said:

“I’m absolutely gutted for Gerald Chin-Quee, who has been a very hard working representative for Falmouth Penwerris for the last ten years. Gerald has always been an honest and straightforward representative of his local community, and helped the Draecena Centre dream become reality. Gerald has played no part in the national issues that many potentially Labour voters are unhappy with at the moment.  

“This hasn’t been Labour’s day. We will listen to what people are saying locally, and we have always recognised that the national issues need to be resolved.

“I welcome the fact that there is now no one Party or Group in overall control of the Council after four years of Liberal Democrat mismanagement. This always means that decisions get fuller and more open discussion than is sometimes the case with one Party in control, and Labour will continue to hold Cornwall Council to account for its decisions.

“I would like to thank everyone who came forward to be Labour candidates at these elections and all our hard-working Party activists who leafleted and spoke to people on the doorstep.”

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Leader denies responsibility for Council’s problems

In Uncategorized on January 28, 2009 at 3:57 pm

The new chief executive of Cornwall County Council has outlined the problems the Council faces after three and a half years of Liberal Democrat leadership. At least the new CEO seems to recognise the findings of independent audit and other reports include serious concerns that mean changes need to be made. With the Liberal Democrats leading the Council since 2005 adult social care, fire, and other essential services for local people have deteriorated. 

Council leader David Whalley was quick to try to duck any suggestion his - or Liberal Democrats’ - leadership has anything to do with that.

Like former President George Bush dodging the glancing blows from those flying shoes, Councillor Whalley said the only blame he accepts is that he did not say publicly what he has known “privately” as a result of being Council Leader. But this is not a private matter – he is an elected holder of a public office, whose Council has been criticised in public accountability reports because council services for people in Cornwall are deteriorating on his watch. And as surely as former President Bush is finally out of office, it is time Cornwall had a new Council leader – and elections in June, not October.

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Report criticises Liberal Democrat council leadership

In Uncategorized on January 13, 2009 at 1:02 pm

falmouth-firestation5

Charlotte Mackenzie, the Labour candidate for Falmouth and Truro, commented this morning on the published corporate assessment report from the Audit Commission on Cornwall’s fire services. She said:

“Sadly, this report confirms what local people fear. Fire services in Cornwall have deteriorated under Liberal Democrat leadership of council services since 2005. Fire services are now rated as ‘poor’ rather than ‘fair’.

“Among other issues, the report highlights weak political leadership by the County Council and recommends that ‘councillors need to take a stronger role in leading and challenging performance’ of Cornwall’s fire service.

“This is not the only service to receive less good ratings since the Liberal Democrats were elected in 2005 – the same is true of adult social care. At unitary authority elections later this year, people in Cornwall will have an opportunity to tell the Liberal Democrats what the Audit Commission can’t – it is time for you to go, Cornwall deserves better local political leadership.”

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Cornwall will pay price for Liberal Democrat incompetence

In Uncategorized on November 28, 2008 at 2:40 pm

The Labour parliamentary candidate for Falmouth and Truro has slammed Cornwall County Council’s leadership as financially incompetent.

Council leader David Whalley said on Thursday that the 4.8 per cent increase in grant for 2009/10 is not enough.

Charlotte MacKenzie said:
“Under Mr Whalley’s leadership the projected costs for setting up the new Cornwall Council have soared. The Council has got its priorities all wrong – the increased grant is intended for investment in frontline services but the Council’s leadership is letting administration costs run out of control. Grant increases take account of local population changes, the increase here is above average, and people in Cornwall have the right to expect this will be spent on services including adequate fire-cover in Falmouth and elsewhere.

“Local news headlines about the Liberal Democrat led council are a catalogue of errors. They spent a small fortune on consultancy fees because they said they did not have the internal expertise to manage the airport issues, and the Council leadership has still failed to organise a smooth transfer, causing massive inconvenience for people wanting to travel. They are proposing to spend £60 Million on setting up the new Council which is much more than anticipated; it is also because of their failure to provide the necessary information to the Boundaries Committee that elections for the new authority may be delayed.

“The Government has also said that next year the Council does not need to make up the £5 Million which was deposited in an Icelandic bank.”

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Cornwall’s care services falter under Lib Dem management

In Uncategorized on April 18, 2007 at 9:27 pm

Cornwall County Council’s latest performance assessment shows that Adult Social Care and Children’s Services are offering less good services for local people since the Liberal Democrats took control of the Council in 2005.The new performance assessment shows that these services in Cornwall are now “only at minimum requirements”. This is before the impact of the further cuts to Adult Social Care that the Liberal Democrat controlled Council intends to make, which are currently subject to consultation with local residents. In 2005, the Council was assessed as “performing well” and “consistently above minimum requirements”.The new report also assesses Cornwall’s fire services as “only at minimum requirements”; and yet the Liberal Democrat led County Council is proposing cuts to 24 hour firestations in Falmouth and Camborne.One in three councils in the UK now achieve the highest four star rating. Cornwall County Council’s overall assessment as a three star council can be found here. 

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