Sir,
Recent comments from our newly elected council Leader,Cllr. Iain Malcolm are risible in the extreme, if he seriously thinks that the residents of Fellgate dumped all three of their Labour Councillors in successive elections was because of the former leader's intent to push through an Industrial estate proposal on the greenfield sit at Fellgate then he is sadly out of touch with the residents of Fellgate and perhaps the ward of Fellgate and Hedworth as a whole.
I have read several letters in the local press from the Fellgate residents ridiculing these exhortations with regard to the demise of Cllrs. Battye, Smith and Waggott. In essence they were no longer flavour of the month simply because they had over years adopted a "Do as i say" policy and this increasingly the case when listening to the rantings of the Labour group in general. They have abandoned the art of listening and have become arrogant complacent and self-aggrandizing in their attitude to those who have placed them in power and given of their trust. They say that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts abolutely, isn't it time to listen and learn?
If ever an example presented itself in this respectthen one needs look no further than the removal to pastures new of Cllr Maisie Stewart and Cllr Barrie Scorer, Chair and vice Chair of the Jarrow Community Area Forum. Their replacements being Cllr. Emma Lewell (Chair) and Cllr. Jim Perry (vice Chair). In the case of Cllr Emma Lewell it must be noted that in the year 2007/08 she has attended only two CAF meetings, perhaps she has been given the Chairship not because of her commitment to the local community but rather to ensure that she attends to her duties on a more regular basis.
RedRus
