Sam Townend for Bristol North West

Letter to Editor from Sam Townend, Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Bristol North West

Dear Sir,

I am writing to comment on the irresponsible conduct of the City’s Tories in the last few days.  Their behaviour in pulling the plug on the Council leadership just a day before the Council’s Annual General Meeting makes it clear that they are playing political games with local services and tax payers money, despite being only the third party in Bristol.

Up until Monday 12 May the Tories had acted so as to let everyone believe that they would support the Labour Administration of Bristol Council.  Then at the last possible moment, the day before the Council’s Annual General Meeting, they pulled the plug.  It appears that they have instructions from Tory Central Office to vote against the return of a Labour Administration in Bristol despite supporting it last year. 

This irresponsible and last minute action will require yet another change of leadership in the Council causing massive upheaval and, yet again, causing nothing useful to be done for residents of Bristol.

This action by the Tories is despite one of their most senior representatives in Bristol, the prospective parliamentary candidate for Bristol North West, Charlotte Leslie, and my opponent, saying on the BBC’s Politics Show on Sunday 11 May that:

“It is time local politics came of age and grew up” and “one of the problems is the power that a Council has is dissipated because it get lost in political squabbling.”

She and her colleagues have let Bristol residents down.  More particularly have shown themselves to be hypocrites and opportunists.  What they have done is precisely against her hectoring advice.  It is the Tories who need to grow up and start to act responsibly.  They have shown they are more interested in party political positioning than doing what is best for people in Bristol.  

If they were clear that they did not want to continue to support the Labour Administration they could have made this clear weeks or months ago and allowed a proper handover, allowing civil servants to provide a smooth transition and continuity of leadership and services.  They did not and led everyone to believe that the Labour Administration would continue. 

At the drop of David Cameron’s hat they have squandered all ideas that they act independently in the interests of Bristol’s citizens.

Sam Townend

Labour's parliamentary candidate for Bristol North West

Henleaze