On 4th December, Colchester City Council debated the urgent problems of domestic abuse which has become a leading cause of homelessness. Dealing with emergency homelessness is putting a significant strain on the Council’s budget.

Several victims of domestic abuse addressed the Council, outlining the problems they face, and the need for urgent action on housing the victims of domestic abuse.

Cllr Paul Dundas, (Tiptree Ward) and Leader of the Conservative Group, paid tribute to those had come along bravely and spoken on their personal experience. ”It is a challenge to speak on any subject in the Council Chamber,  particularly on an emotive subject like domestic abuse.

Anyone who has been a councillor will have encountered issues of domestic abuse in their Ward. It is found in all geographic areas, including some of the wealthier.

And if it is difficult for women to ask for help in this situation, I think you'll find men are even more reluctant to come forward and ask for help. So we must ensure that support from the Council is gender neutral.

What I find surprising is that emergency housing for victims of domestic abuse is an executive function. That menas the Council has already delegated action to the Cabinet.

What I find even more surprising is that, although many speakers describe it is a matter of great urgency, is not even on the agenda of the next Cabinet meeting December the 10th,".

Cllr Dennis Willetts (Lexden & Braiswick Ward) demanded that the Council comply with its statutory obligations to provide temporary accommodation for anyone who is homeless as a result of domestic abuse.

The Homelessness Reduction Act of 2017 was ground-breaking Conservative legislation which significantly reformed  homelessness legislation in England. It placed new duties on Local Authorities to prevent homelessness, and to provide support for all eligible individuals who find themselves homeless, including victims of domestic abuse.

So rather than engage in lengthy debates the matter, while homeless victims of domestic abuse continue to suffer, the Cabinet already has authority to provide accommodation as a statutory requirement, and should take action now.

2025-12-05

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Fix the Boating Lake,” says Councillor Darius Laws during Middle Mill scrutiny debate

For many decades children have enjoyed the boating lake in Colchester's Castle Park. But following the demise of the sluice at Middle Mill in the adjacent River Colne, the boating lake is now dry.

Colchester City Councillor Darius Laws (Conservative, Rural North Ward) , Chairman of the City Council's Scrutiny Panel, has called for practical action to restore a water flow into Colchester’s historic Boating Lake — a much-loved local landmark that has fallen into disrepair.

Speaking during a lively discussion about the future of the Middle Mill site, Cllr Laws said:

“We’ve put men on the moon — we really ought to be able to fix the water supply for a Victorian boating lake.”

The remarks came as part of a broader debate on how Colchester can balance heritage, regeneration, and community benefit in plans for Middle Mill and the surrounding Castle Park area.

Cllr Laws added that restoring the Boating Lake to public use should be seen as a symbol of civic pride and a commitment to maintaining the city’s public spaces for future generations.

2025-11-13

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Conservative success: as new water infrastructure announced for Colchester

Anglian Water have just announced that Colchester is to get a new multi-mullion pound water recycling centre which will eventually supply 24% of the city’s water needs.

It follows hard campaigning by Conservatives on Colchester City Council – including a Conservative motion to the council’s July meeting which called for an urgent investment in water infrastructure – including the new water recycling plant and improvements to sewage treatment capacity in villages such as Langham. The motion said this investment was essential as a matter of public safety for the Council to safely deliver the 20,000+ extra houses the government is demanding it build.

The motion was proposed by Mersea and Pyefleet councillor Dr Martin Parsons and although it was initially opposed by Labour councillors, eventually with a minor  amendment the Council agreed to support it almost unanimously.

The new water recycling plant was not in Anglian Water’s current (2025-30) five year plan, which means that work on it would not even have started until at least 2030, but Anglian Water have now agreed to bring this forward and start planning for it almost immediately.

Councillor Martin Parsons (Mersey and Pyefleet Ward), Conservative Spokesman on Sustainability and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society said:

“This is very good news – we are delighted that Anglian Water have listened and brought forward their plans to solve Colchester’ s impending water crisis.”

In April the Environment Secretary said the UK faced running out of clean water and having to introduce rationing unless there was major investment in water infrastructure – but Colchester Conservative councillors warned that Colchester is literally on the front line and face an imminent water crisis– unless action was taken.

Councillor Parsons explained:

“Colchester gets only 700mm of rainfall a year - one of the lowest in the UK, but also has some of the fastest population growth. We spotted there was gaping hole in the draft local plan – with the area literally facing not having enough water to meet the needs of the existing population – let alone 20,000 more houses. Once this new water recycling centre and the new pipeline bringing water from Lincolnshire are operational – our water supply should be OK. But we still need to address the lack of capacity in many sewage treatment plants, particularly in villages like Langham where major housing developments are being proposed.”

Conservatives believe that new residential development must go hand-in-hand with the provision of essential infrastructure - no infrastructure - no new housing estates.

Conservatives support the prioritisation of mental heath resources solely on the basis of clinical need, not on ethnic or sexual orientation.

At its meeting on 15th October 2025, Colchester City Council debated mental health provision in the City. The Green Party raised the dangerous idea that clinical priority should be determined on the basis of ethnic origin or sexual orientation.

Dr Martin Parsons (Conservative Councillor, Mersea and Pyefleet Ward), responded on behalf of the Conservative Group:

I think everyone in the Council is in agreement that there is a mental health crisis, that mental health has for far too long been the poor relation of other forms of health care, and that mental health problems are on the increase. 

NHS foundational principle

The proposals from the Green Councillors highlight the danger of focusing priorities on particular defined groups.

There is a fundamental principle of the NHS of which I fear we are in danger of losing sight. In the 1947 National Health Service Act, health care is to be freely available at the point of INDIVIDUAL NEED. It should not be based on membership of particular ethnic or social groups.

The danger of politicians highlighting particular groups

Furthermore I fear there is a serious danger that politicians are getting involved in determining of medical priorities. The criteria must be based on CLINICAL DECISIONS AND NOTHING ELSE.

Messaging – how the motion is likely to be interpreted by the public

Although I accept that the strict wording before Council stopped just short of positive discrimination, that is the MESSAGING that comes through too easily. It is suggesting that if a patient is not in one of those ethnic or social groups they should be deprioritised - so don’t bother trying when mental health resources are so scarce!. And that is why, I and my Conservative colleagues believe it is a dangerous message for local politicians to be sending out.

The Armed Forces Covenant and those who have served in conflicts overseas

It is extraordinary that here in Colchester – the Council is being asked to approve a policy on mental health, specifying priorities for certain ethnic and sexual orientation groups, but which contains absolutely no mention of those who have served in conflicts overseas. They are a particularly vulnerable group of people. Because many have experienced the horrors of working in a conflict zone, they will not generally talk about their experiences, except – and only then rarely – to other people who have also been in similar situations. Veterans should have an equal right to clinical treatments as everyone else.

On being put to the vote, the Council wisely decided that, while noting the increase in the need for mental health services in the community, prioritisation should be solely on the criteria of clinical need.

2025-10-16

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Major building threat to Cymbeline Meadows disclosed at Colchester City Council Scrutiny Panel

Colchester City Council has approved a strategic plan for 2023-26. One of the 6 key strategies is to respond to the Climate Emergency. `

An objective in the Council’s response to the Climate Emergency is to conserve and enhance biodiversity, in particular “to work with communities and grant-funders to pursue the development of Cymbeline Meadows as a nature reserve”

Unfortunately the delivery of the actions within the Strategic Plan rests with the Lib-Dem & Labour controlled Coalition, rather than the full Council. Under Cross-examination by the Council’s Scrutiny Panel, the Lib-Dem / Labour controlled Cabinet admitted that the preservation of Cymbeline Meadow is to be removed from the Strategic Plan.

Cllr Darius Laws, (Conservative Rural North Ward) & Chairman of the Scrutiny Panel, was concerned to hear of the intentions to abandon this ambition for Cymbeline Meadows. He challenged the administration to seek ways to retain the aspiration of designating it as nature reserve.

The Senior Councillor from the Lib-Dem / Labour coalition acknowledged that, not designating Cymbeline Meadows as a nature reserve could leave it vulnerable to future residential development.

Cllr Tom Rowe (Conservative Rural North Ward) asked for details of why a project, on which considerable public funds had already been spent, should now be abandoned. The Council’s Project Officer explained that at the end-of-year financial review, it was decided that the funds should be used for a more urgent project. The details of the “more urgent “project were not forthcoming.

Cllr Dennis Willetts (Conservative, Lexden & Braiswick Ward) reminded the Scrutiny Panel that 40 acre of the site is already on the market for £1m. It was included in the Council’s “call for sites” consultation for potential housing developments as part of Colchester Council’s Local Plan. Worryingly for its future, the agent describes the Meadows as: "A fantastic opportunity to purchase freehold land in a strategic location adjacent to one of the main arterial roads leading into Colchester city centre."

Cllr Laws concluded “I will continue to press for stronger environmental protections for this site and ensure Cymbeline Meadows remains a haven for nature, not housing.”

2025-10-08

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Colchester City Council underwrote the £70m cost of the cinema and restaurant complex at its Northern Gateway Leisure Park.  Unfortunately the intended anchor tenant, Cineworld, did not take up its lease. While the Council was seeking another cinema operator, business rates had to be to payed by the Council, and some of the restaurants are struggling to pay their rent without the footfall created by an active cinema.  The Council has already set aside £4m to cover the resulting loss of income, money which could have been spent on front-line services for residents. And there may be further losses to come.

But critically, the £70m debt has been hidden away.  It doesn’t appear on the Council’s balance sheet and for three years it wasn’t even disclosed as a note.  It is concealed behind an off-balance sheet income strip lease which leaves the commercial risks and rewards squarely in the Council’s court.  The lease payments made by the Council increase with inflation for 35 years, whether or not the rent received from the commercial tenants increases in line – a significant long-term risk which may not be fully understood even now.

The Conservative group believes that the Council is ill-equipped to deal with such complex financial structures.  It shouldn’t speculate with resident’s money and hide the risks off balance sheet.  Instead it should remain focussed on encouraging development through the planning system and delivering high quality services to residents. 

Conservatives pledge never to deceive the people of Colchester over the extent of the Council's borrowing. We will always disclose the true extent of Council Borrowing, so that Council-Tax payers know where they stand.

 2025-08-04

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This scheme is part of the Northern Gateway development near to A12 junction-28 and the Football stadium.  It involved the relocation of the rugby club from Mill Road to land outside the A12 - a good idea which potentially releases valuable development land and provides an enviable facility for the community. 

But the implementation has been poor.  £30m has been spent on the new facilities but there have been no land sales to pay back the debt.

The Rugby Club moved in spring 2021 and nothing has happened since – no houses, no offices, no health facilities – the Council has even granted itself planning permission but there has been no sale, no development – nothing apart from further expenditure and dithering from the Lib-Dem & Labour Administration that controls the Council.

The delays are currently costing the Council approx £200,000 per month, money that could have been spent on playgrounds, planning staff that answer the phone and any number of other public services.  The project is a major contributor to Colchester Council’s operating deficit which is projected to rise to £3m next financial year.

The LibDem & labour Administration has belatedly realised that the land must be sold. But instead of exposing it to the open market, the sale process is restricted to housing associations only, a political approach which, based on garden community figures, will result in a £5-10m shortfall and an unbalanced new community.  It may also be illegal. 

Colchester’s Conservatives City Councillors would like to see the land sold to professional developers who can focus on delivery rather than politics. It shouldn’t be sold at under-value for political purposes.

Conservatives alternative plan would realise more cash, be implemented more quickly AND identifies an opportunity to provide more social housing nearby. 

2025-08-03

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Do you recall the TV news reports last year as England was awash with storms Babet, Ciarán, Debi, Elin, Fergus, Gerrit, Henk, Isha and Jocelyn, followed this winter by Storms Darragh and Éowyn. They devastated the Country. The West Country was cut-off by floods, rivers were bursting their banks in many of our historic cities, roads were impassable across the Country.  

Under the last Conservative Government, 9 new reservoirs were being planned which could have stored much of this deluge for use in the summer dry season.

With summer here, water supplies are dwindling. Soon we will have a hosepipe ban and other draconian measures to save water.

According to the Royal Meteorological Society, winters are getting wetter: October 2023 to March 2024 was the wettest winter half-year in the last 250 years.

Cllr Dr Martin Parsons (Conservative, Mersea and Pyfleet Ward) proposed a motion to Colchester City Council at its meeting on 16th July 2025, setting out the Conservative analysis of the water supply deficit, giving their recommendation, and calling for a meeting with the Secretary of State for the Environment:

Colchester City Council notes:

1. The findings of the Local Plan Water Cycle Study that the Essex South Water Resource Zone, which covers Colchester west of the Colne and the surrounding rural areas, “is predicted to go into supply deficit by 2025 if no water resource interventions are implemented”. That means an inability to supply the needs of the existing population to acceptable standards; and that “this is predominantly due to growth in demand coupled with a fall in water supply available.

2. The need for urgent upgrades to sewage treatment capacity and the building of the new water re-use plant in Colchester if more houses are to be built.

3. That failure to address these issues before new houses are built will create serious risks to public health.

4. The Council additionally notes the recent comments of the Environment Secretary, Steve Reed, that the UK as a whole faces running out of clean water and the introduction of water rationing within 10 years unless there is major investment in infrastructure.

5. In this context, the Council notes that Essex is the most water-stressed part of the UK.

The Council therefore resolves:

That the Council should seek an urgent meeting with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government asking the Government to ensure that the necessary water and sewage infrastructure is provided so that Colchester can safely deliver the Government house-building target.

2025-07-17

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The collapse of the Middle Mill Weir in Colchester has brought an end to local kayaking on the river Colne and marked the decline of the historic Victorian Boating Lake in Lower Castle Park. It's a situation that calls for a clear decision, one that will shape the future of our river for years to come.

But don't hold your breath. That is expecting too much from the rudderless Lib-Dem and Labour Coalition that runs the Council. 

Local Historian, Cllr Darius Laws (Conservative, Rural North Ward) said: Have you notices how low the river in Colchester is at the moment?. For a century, the metal structure of Middle Mill Weir has controlled the water level of the River Colne around the historic Castle Park. But because of the negligence of the Liberal-Democrat and Labour Coalition that controls the Council, its structure has not been maintained properly, and it has collapsed.  

Conservative spokesman on Communities and Public Protection, Cllr Tom Rowe, added: The Victorian boating lake is one of the highlights for children visiting Castle Park over the summer holidays. But it does not fill-up any more because of the collapse of the weir. And when the Council tried to fill it up from other sources of water, it leaked like a sieve because of lack of maintenance. 

View Video at

https://youtu.be/3QLSZafNUko?si=MKYSmPEp0AzXBFKh

Conservatives pledge to properly maintain Council assets for the benefit & enjoyment of the residents and children of the City.

2025-06

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Group Statement on Local Government Reorganisation - 18th March 2025

Colchester council tax-payers must not be saddled with any of Thurrock Council’s huge £1billion debts as part of the Government’s local government shake-up that will see the abolition of Colchester City Council, say Colchester’s Conservative Group.  

Conservative councillors vowed to save the city’s residents from the threat of Thurrock’s debt. Conservatives won cross-chamber support for their stance at a special meeting of the Colchester City Council on Monday 17 March.

Cllr Paul Dundas (Tiptree Ward), Leader of the Conservatives on Colchester council, said: “We can’t stop this Labour Government from abolishing local authorities like ours, but we’re sending a message to Westminster that local government reorganisation isn’t an excuse to dump Thurrock’s debt, or any other authority’s, on the council tax-payers of Colchester.”

Cllr William Sunnucks, Conservative Opposition finance spokesman, said: “There is no magic money tree, the Labour Government has made that clear. This is our opportunity to contribute in a small way to dealing with the financial problems and put the new unitary authority that includes Colchester on a sustainable footing from day one.”

Conservative Councillors voted unanimously to mandate the Leader of Colchester City Council to begin discussions with neighbouring authorities about merging - without accepting any debt from outside the area.

Conservatives pledge to safeguard the interests of Colchester Council-Tax payers.

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Moot Hall before neglect of the roof by the Lib-Dems	Moot Hall during emergency repairs

Colchester Town Hall is a magnificent Grade-1 listed building. The top floor is the Moot Hall, one of the best examples of a Victorian civic hall in the Country. It is very popular for concerts, weddings, formal dinners and meetings of a wide variety of clubs and societies from across the City that need capacity of up to 250 people.

Like many old buildings, the Town Hall need regular structural inspections by experts and a maintenance budget to ensure that it remains in good condition for future generations.

Cllr Paul Dundas, Leader of the Conservative Group (Tiptree Ward) said: “for years the Lib-Dem and Labour Alliance which control the Council has been woefully negligent in their maintenance of most of the Council's buildings and structures.

For instance, the historic Middle Mill Weir, in Colchester’s Castle Park, recently collapsed into the River Colne. According to the Council leaders, significant deterioration to the structure raised concerns about its stability. Nothing was done and it collapsed.

But even worse is the state of the Moot Hall. With no proper inspections of the Town Hall roof, splits in the lead-work went un-noticed, allowing the ingress of water. This eventually caused severe damage to the splendid ceiling of the Moot Hall, making the hall unsafe to use.”

Belatedly, the essential repairs to the Moot Hall roof were scheduled for April 2024 with the construction of an external scaffolding tower at front of the Town Hall. Following this, an internal birdcage scaffolding structure was constructed throughout the Moot Hall to hold up the ceiling. This construction phase lasted 5-6 weeks.

Currently we have no times-scales or exact costs for the actual repair of this historic ceiling.

The Moot Hall ceiling is a suspended fibrous plaster structure, susceptible to various types of damage, particularly moisture. It is expected that the entire ceiling will have to be glued back to the supporting lath-work.

The costs of the repair work is currently unknown, but best estimates are upwards to £3m, In stark contrast, the saving garnered by the Lib-Dem and Labour alliance, who control the Council, by axing the regular inspections was upwards of £7000. To say this was not a good deal for the Council Tax Payers of the City would be the under-statement of the decade.

And finally the law on listed buildings. Cllr Roger Buston, a local solicitor (Prettygate Ward) explained: “The responsibility for the care and upkeep of a listed building such as the Town Hall lies with the owner, in this case the City Council.  Furthermore, the owner of the listed building can, in some circumstances, be compelled by the Planning Authority (also the City Council), to repair and maintain the listed building and can face criminal prosecution as the defaulting owner if it fails to do so, or if it performs unauthorised alterations. Now there is an interesting conundrum”.

Conservatives pledge to take proper care of the City's community assets on behalf of Council Taxpayers, who otherwise will have to pay astronomic repair bills.

2025-02-20

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Colchester City Council has revealed draft maps showing where thousands of extra houses will be built over the next 15 years.

The change is a result of the Labour Government’s policy of shifting the housing needed for Londoners out to the countryside.  The result is a 40% increase in Colchester's annual target.

This requires sites for 11,000 extra houses to be found, in addition to those already allocated in the Colchester Council area.

Conservative Group Leader Cllr Paul Dundas (Tiptree Ward), who leads the opposition on the Lib Dem led Council said “This is a top-down dictat from the Labour government that simply doesn’t care about places like Colchester. We’ve always accepted that people need houses, but Colchester is already one of the fastest growing areas in the country."

We're asking “where's the infrastructure commitment in all of this – where are the doctors, the roads, the public transport, the schools? On all of this there is silence from the Labour Government.”

Conservative planning spokesman Cllr Andrew Ellis (Marks Tey and Layer Ward) said “It is essential that residents understand the scale of these changes and the impact on rural communities and the landscape. This is a draft plan and there is still an opportunity to change it. So it is vital that all residents, businesses and parish councils look at these proposals and respond when the formal consultation opens”

If you are affected by this massive increase in house-building, you can attend a special meeting of the Council's Local Plan Committee to be held at the Charter Hall in Colchester on the evening of Monday 17 February (click HERE for agenda papers).

2025-02-07

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Colchester City Council’s powerful finance committee last night [21st January 2025] demanded answers from the Liberal Democrat Group, which runs the Council, who failed to explain how council tax payers came to be saddled with a £375,000 tax bill for a loss-making council-owned company.

The senior Liberal Democrat Councillors in attendance at Governance and Audit Committee could not say how the blunder happened or who approved the transaction which led to the hefty bill.

Councillor William Sunnucks, Conservative resources spokesman and committee member, said: “This tax bill was wholly avoidable. The Conservatives remain baffled as to how any competent administration could allow this to happen on their watch. The Liberal Democrats who run Colchester City Council are asleep at the wheel.”

The committee heard that the tax bill was paid last month with council tax payers’ money and can’t be recovered.

The bill only came to light when the latest set of accounts for 2023-2024 for the now mothballed Colchester Amphora Energy Limited (CAEL) were published last week.

While CAEL has operated at a loss, it appears that the Council's Lib Dem Administration needlessly involved it in some complex financial transactions that resulted in a tax charge.

CAEL was set up to build and run a ground-source heat distribution network for the Council’s ill-fated Northern Gateway Development including new housing and a health centre on Mill Road.

CAEL dug two deep bore holes, valued at £1.05 million, which are still there, before being mothballed as unviable when the Lib Dem-run Council failed to build any of the houses that it had promised for the site.

Conservative councillors, who are not in control of the city council despite being the largest group, fear the hefty tax bill from HMRC inevitably piles on further pressure. This means more cuts to front-line services.

Garden waste charges were introduced, and the Castle Park toilets were closed last year in an effort to save cash. Many more cuts are already in the pipeline as part of a £4.7million cost-cutting drive, before this latest financial blow.

Residents who are enduring cut-after-cut to front-line Council services can depend upon the Conservative Group to ask the right questions about who took these crass decisions, and to quickly get to the bottom of this waste of public funds."

2025-01-21

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New estimates by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in their report "Annual report on education spending in England: 2024–25" find that growth in mainstream school funding per pupil in England in 2025–26 (increase of 2.8% in cash terms) will not be sufficient to cover the expected increase in school costs (3.6%).

Growth in school costs reflects the full effects of the 5.5% rise in teacher pay from September 2024, and the recommended pay offer of 2.8% for September 2025.

In October, Merseas's Conservative Councillors wrote to the Labour Heath Secretary, Wes Streeting, highlighting the unacceptable situation on Mersea, where it is now virtually impossible to register with a GP.

The Mersea Councillors asked the Secretary of State to urgently investigate the appalling lack of GPs serving the Island, and also to meet with Angela Rayner, the Housing Secretary to exempt areas without adequate GP capacity from the government’s new house building targets.

The 1944 NHS White Paper produced by Churchill’s wartime government became the blueprint for the creation of the NHS. It set out a basic principle that everyone had free access to GPs at the point of need. This basic right is now no longer available to everyone on Mersea. That is why, as Mersea councillors we have written to the Health Secretary, asking him to intervene.

Meanwhile, there has been a lot of hard work behind the scenes to try to find a local solution. Sir Bernard Jenkin MP has had urgent discussions with the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board. They are responsible for providing enough GP in the right places.  We have an immediate crisis on Mersea, with some people unable to register with a GP. The island’s only surgery regrets that they they cannot safely take on any new patients due to the significant increase in patients on their lists as a result of the recent housing developments on the island.

Sir Bernard has also had meetings with the hard-pressed GPs themselves, but it is clearly not their fault their numbers are too few. Only action by the Labour Government will solve the problem, and it is unwilling to understand the plight of the residents of Mersea.

Councillor Robert Davidson          Councillor Martin Parsons

Councillor Carl Powling                County Councillor John Jowers

2023-12-21

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In July 2019, the City Council declared a Climate Emergency. The City Council’s all-party Scrutiny Panel recently reviewed the Council's progress on this Emergency over the past 5 years.

Cllr Darius Laws, (Conservative, Rural North Ward) Chairman of the Panel announced the results at its meeting on 12^th November: “We recognised commendable efforts such as tree planting, developing safe cycling routes and other efforts to reduce the carbon footprint and the Council's impact on the environment. We also discovered the very significant costs to retrofit our housing stock and estate to consume less CO2. Also there was little progress on reducing tail-pipe CO2 emissions from the Council’s vehicle fleet. This was attributable to the high cost and difficult technological realities around Electric Vehicles and their infrastructure that can't be overcome without significant investment.”

The definition of the word ‘emergency’ dictates that the Council should have allocated considerable resources and funds to address the major issues of a Climate Emergency. After 5 years, it  faces missing its own self-imposed objective unless significant capital budgets are identified to assist with major carbon reduction schemes.”

Cllr Tom Rowe, Conservative member of the Scrutiny Panel, added “We were scrutinising the Council’s performance following the original motion declaring a Climate Emergency.

The message from Scrutiny Panel report is very clear. The Council has successfully undertaken a wide range of small projects that are a positive on the balance sheet, but has avoided the larger more-complex and expensive projects that would make a real difference in a Climate Emergency.

I fully support the recommendation of the panel to ask the Council whether it wishes to fund the Climate Emergency properly, or alternatively to remove the alarmist language of an “Emergency”. This would set out for Council Taxpayers a position of honesty and financial prudence.

The report admits that, with the restricted allocation of resources, the Council can't deliver on many of the Emergency objectives. It would be better to be straight with the people of Colchester and make the objectives more realistic". 

2024-12-01

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At the Council meeting on 16^th October, Cllr Paul Dundas, Leader of the Conservative Group (Tiptree Ward), proposed in a motion that the Winter Fuel Payment has been a lifeline for many older people across the Colchester, and that the Government decision restricting its availability solely to those on Pension Credit risks leaving many pensioners in financial hardship.

Cllr Sara Naylor, Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group (Lexden & Braiswick Ward) led the debate for the Conservatives: “Most city councillors are united in their condemnation of the Labour Government’s decision to axe the winter fuel allowance for many pensioners with no notice. I voice my deep concern over the plight of some of our most vulnerable residents In the Colchester City Council area.

They won’t now get this winter’s annual payment of up to £300 to help with their winter fuel bills, which have gone up from this month by 10 per cent on average.

It is really sad that it’s necessary for councillors to debate how this unbelievably bad decision to axe the winter fuel allowance will affect most Colchester pensioners, who now have a hole in their budget of up to £300. The most vulnerable people in my Ward of Lexden and Braiswick, and across the city, are the ones who can least help themselves and have been left out in the cold by this terrible decision.

Councillors were concerned that the decision would result in overwhelming pressure on the council’s financial advice team, which supports residents suffering hardship.”

The Conservative Motion was approved by 31 votes with just nine Labour councillors voting against.

Conservatives pledge to concentrate on the things that really matter to Colchester Residents

2024-10-18

£4 million of taxpayers’ money has been set aside in a new Council reserve entitled “Turnstone” following the collapse and financial restructuring of the Cineworld Group, which pulled out of Northern Gateway Leisure Park Project.

Leader of the Conservative Opposition on the Council, Councillor Paul Dundas (Tiptree Ward) said: "The financial dangers around this project were evident and obvious. Whenever there was an opportunity, we asked questions publicly about the status of Cineworld as the anchor tenant in the Northern Gateway Leisure scheme.

But the Leaders of the Council have constantly stonewalled, and described Cineworld as “robust, well-financed and independent of Cineworld’s USA operations”. This turns out to be anything but the truth.

In fact, during the tenure of the current Lib-Dem Leader, Cineworld was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the USA. Its share price dropped from 26p per share, to 0.4p per share. Yet he did nothing to mitigate the loss until the High Court intervention on 28th August this year.

The fact that the council has been forced to set aside a whopping £4 million to cover potential short-term losses on this Northern Gateway project shows the magnitude of the problem.

This £4m of Colchester council tax payers' money will not be available to spend on front-line services including waste collection, parks, grass cutting and even Castle Park toilets because of the Council's unwise involvement in a speculative commercial cinema venture owned by hedge-funds in the Cayman Islands.”

The mess created by the Lib-Dems is going to be a very costly exercise for the council and for Colchester residents.”

Conservatives pledge to bring sound financial management to this shambles of a Council.

2024-10-11

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Conservatives criticised the Council’s Lib-Dem leadership for failing to keep open the immensely popular outdoor water slide at Colchester Leisure World during the 2024 summer school holidays.

This popular attraction has been closed again during the school holidays due to a “technical issue”. It temporarily re-opened for the summer, then was forced to shut until September after a “routine health and safety check.

Taxpayers now see an emerging pattern of poor stewardship of Council assets. The Middle Mill Weir bridge in lower Castle Park has been shut since the weir collapsed in December 2023 due to lack of maintenance. The ceiling of the Moot Hall at the top of the Town Hall is in danger of collapse because of the Council’s failure to keep the roof waterproof.

And now the children of Colchester are deprived of one of their favourite holiday attractions at Leisure World because of the Council’s incompetence.

Cllr Darius Laws, Conservative spokesperson on Heritage & Leisure, said: "Leisure World's iconic water flumes being out of action is bad at anytime but to be closed during the summer holidays is such a blow for children and parents from Colchester and surrounding villages.

Questions must be asked as to how we find ourselves playing catch-up with some of our maintenance obligations. The left-wing coalition running the Town Hall must do better".

Cllr William Sunnucks, Conservative spokesman on Resources, added: “The Administration's failure to get things done is now eating at the roots of the Council’s mission.  We need the determination to find the money and address problems promptly: but instead we get a bureaucratic cycle of reports and meetings while budgets are salami sliced and our assets degrade.  

It is scandalous that essential maintenance at Leisure World has fallen this far behind. And embarrassing that the problem was identified so late in the day, leaving the business without much of its summer income - and Colchester’s youngsters without healthy activities to enjoy over the holidays.”

Conservatives pledge to focus Council investment on those areas that really matter to all residents

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Scandalous neglect of the maintenance of the Town Hall & Moot Hall

Colchester Town Hall is a magnificent Grade-1 listed building. The top floor is the Moot Hall, one of the best examples of a Victorian civic hall in the Country. It is very popular for concerts, weddings, formal dinners and meetings of a wide variety of clubs and societies from across the City that need capacity of up to 250 people.

Like many old buildings, the Town Hall need regular structural inspections by experts and a maintenance budget to ensure that it remains in good condition for future generations.

Cllr Paul Dundas, Leader of the Conservative Group (Tiptree Ward) said: “for years the Lib-Dem and Labour Alliance which control the Council has been woefully negligent in their maintenance of most of the Council's buildings and structures.

For instance, the historic Middle Mill Weir, in Colchester’s Castle Park, recently collapsed into the River Colne. According to the Council leaders, significant deterioration to the structure raised concerns about its stability. Nothing was done and it collapsed.

But even worse is the state of the Moot Hall. With no proper inspections of the Town Hall roof, splits in the lead-work went un-noticed, allowing the ingress of water. This eventually caused severe damage to the splendid ceiling of the Moot Hall, making the hall unsafe to use.”

Belatedly, the essential repairs to the Moot Hall roof are scheduled for April with the construction of an external scaffolding tower at front of the Town Hall. Following this, an internal birdcage scaffolding structure will be constructed throughout the Moot Hall to hold up the ceiling. This construction phase is expected to last 5-6 weeks. Currently we have no times-scales or exact costs for the actual repair of this historic ceiling.

The Moot Hall ceiling is a suspended fibrous plaster structure, susceptible to various types of damage, particularly moisture. It is expected that the entire ceiling will have to be glued back to the supporting lath-work.

The costs of the repair work is currently unknown, but best estimates are upwards to £3m, In stark contrast, the saving garnered by the Lib-Dem and Labour alliance, who control the Council, by axing the regular inspections was upwards of £7000. To say this was not a good deal for the Council Tax Payers of the City would be the under-statement of the decade.

And finally the law on listed buildings. Cllr Roger Buston, a local solicitor (Prettygate Ward) explained: “The responsibility for the care and upkeep of a listed building such as the Town Hall lies with the owner, in this case the City Council.  Furthermore, the owner of the listed building can, in some circumstances, be compelled by the Planning Authority (also the City Council), to repair and maintain the listed building and can face criminal prosecution as the defaulting owner if it fails to do so, or if it performs unauthorised alterations. Now there is an interesting conundrum”.

Conservatives pledge to take proper care of the City's community assets on behalf of Council Taxpayers, who otherwise will have to pay astronomic repair bills.

2024-03-29

Closure of the popular Leisure World café was hidden deep in the Council’s budget papers (page 200 of 202) presented on 23^rd January 2024 by the Lib-Dem controlled Cabinet. This was part of a Lib-Dem plan to review several Council facilities as part of their ill-conceived “Fit for the Future” strategy to cut services.

The proposed closure caused a massive outcry across the City. The Lib-Dem Cabinet totally failed to acknowledge the importance of the cafe to the Leisure World community, or recognise its value as a social hub and meeting place for families.

Cllr Dennis Willetts, (Lexden & Braiswick Ward), Conservative spokesman on the Council’s Commercial Services said: “The cafe is an integral part of the Leisure World Service.  If the Council is unable to run the Café, they should look for a private sector supplier, community partnerships or some innovative business model to keep the cafe open. That is overwhelmingly what residents want.

Cllr Paul Dundas, (Tiptree Ward) Leader of the Conservative Group, said: “If the Lib Dems are so disinterested in running Leisure World properly, they should hand over the entire Leisure World service to the private sector.

Following the public outcry, I understand that the Lib Dems admit that we were totally wrong and completely misjudged public opinion.

I urge Leisure World users to keep up the pressure on the Council to ensure there is no further under-hand attempt to close the café in the Council’s next financial report (on page 200 of 202) ”

2024-01-25

Cllr William Sunnucks, (Rural North Ward) Conservative spokesperson on Council resources, said that he was astounded that the Lib-Dem controlled Cabinet had agreed to spend £7.7m on a road development for which there was no plan or project appraisal.

It is difficult and risky for any Council to handle complex property schemes. The Council's Cabinet should not be acting as a commercial developer where it has no experience. The Council should be considering the sale this excellent site, letting a master developer remove the financial burden from the Council.

Cllr Paul Dundas, (Tiptree Ward) Conservative Group Leader, highlighted the challenging financial circumstances of the Northern Gateway project. The Council is  already encumbered with an additional £30 million of debt which it had anticipated would have been paid off by now.

The healthcare provider has lost interest in the site and proposals for a hospital have fallen through. The ground-source power supply project has collapsed due to lack of customers. There was no longer demand for the large-scale office space envisaged at the Northern Gateway. If a housing development were to be brought forward for more of the site it would generate less traffic and therefore the road works on the £7.7m scale may not be needed.

The Council should recognise that a project conceived in 2016 is no longer suitable in the changed circumstances of 2024 and that the Council did not have the skills or resources to deliver such a complex scheme.

It would be unwise for the Council to commit a further £7.7m capital funding on an ill-defined road scheme which might not be needed, and would expose the Council to potentially volatile market forces.

Conservatives pledge not to take these huge risks with tax-payers money.

Information released by the Council pursuant to the Government’s 2015 Local Authority Data Transparency Code reveal a continued upward drift in staff numbers.

Some staff work part-time, so their working hours are accumulated and converted into a full-time-equivalent to enable meaningful year-on-year comparisons.

Cllr William Sunnucks, Conservative Spokesman on Council Resources (Rural North Ward), confirmed his findings to a meeting of local business people on Saturday 6^th January: “the astounding issue is not that the staff levels have drifted upwards by 11.5 full-time equivalent people over the past two years, but that it should happen at a time when the leadership claims to be tightening its belt.  It is spending well beyond its means, and running down its reserves at an alarming rate.”

The Council’s deficit spending is running £5m per annum and the leadership doesn’t know how long its reserves will last – its last audited balance sheet was March 2020, nearly four years ago.

While the Lib-Dem group, which controls the Council with the support of Labour, dithers on what to do, Conservatives have a bold plan to significantly cut the cost of politics, concentrating on delivering core municipal services at the best possible quality, and remunerating staff at a more reasonable level so that the Council workforce can retain a higher proportion of excellent performers.

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Note: Headcount excludes subsidiary companies Colchester Borough Homes which employs a further 219 staff and Colchester Commercial holdings which employs a further 129 staff

2024-01-06

Conservatives demand faster re-letting of Council Houses

Cllr Darius Laws, (Rural North Ward) Chairman of the Council’s Scrutiny Panel expressed extreme concern at the time it is taking for the Lib-Dem controlled Council to re-let Council Houses.

The Scrutiny Panel reviews the targets and performance of the Council in all its key areas of service. The Panel discovered that the average time to re-let a Council House was 42 days, despite the Council having a target of no more than 28 days. 

He said: “In September the Council was providing 319 households with temporary accommodation in the city.  This may be families fleeing domestic violence, including children and other vulnerable people who suddenly find themselves homeless.

Children are living in this emergency accommodation yet there are Council houses which are empty and taking 42 days to turnaround.

I urge the  Council to strive for a much swifter turnaround times.  Not only will this provide better value for money to taxpayers, but also for the benefit of those whose circumstances cause them to be placed in temporary housing such as bed-and-breakfast’.

Cllr Laws stressed that the primary concern must be the welfare of human beings. but there is also a financial concern. “The cost of temporary accommodation in hotels and bed-and-breakfast is a burden on the taxpayer.

So on average, when a Council House is re-let we are losing 14 days more rent than anticipated, and losing 14 days of accommodation. Aggregated across the City’s council-house stock, a return to a 28 day target for re-letting would allow the Council to house several more needy families in proper fit-for-purpose accommodation.

 2023-12-12

 At the meeting on Wednesday 22^nd November, the Council’s ruling Cabinet (exclusively Lib-Dems) decided to formal “hibernate” the City Council's Amphora Energy Company and transfer its assets to Colchester City Council.

Cllr Paul Dundas. Leader of the Conservative Group said the decision was inevitable, but rather a long-time coming. The project budget has escalated by 100% to £8.5 million, and the customers had never materialised.

Cllr Dundas reminded Cabinet that there were consequences to their decision. A Government Grant of £3.5million had been received for the energy scheme. It was not clear whether part or all of this grant would have to be paid back, and if so what services would be cut in the council’s budget adjustment.

In addition, the Council had provided a loan facility to Amphora Energy of £2.25m from its own funds. So far, £1.35m had been drawn down. Would this be re-paid or would further cuts have to be made to Council Services ?.

The balance sheet for Amphora Energy shows assets of £1.2million of work under construction. As these are mainly holes in the ground owned by a defunct company, they now have zero saleable value. How is this loss to be managed?.

Taken together, these liabilities could make a huge hole in the Council’s revenue budget with a massive impact on the ability to deliver essential services. The taxpayers of Colchester deserve an immediate answer to these questions."

Conservatives believe in proper business case & financial management of major projects, with a coherent strategy in the public domain relating investment to the customer base for which it is intended.

2023-11-26

At its meeting on Wednesday 22^nd November, the Council’s ruling Cabinet (exclusively Lib-Dems) decided to axe the Amphora trading companies previously set up in June 2017 by the then Joint Labour & Lib-Dem Administration.

Cllr Paul Dundas, Leader of the Conservative Group, the official Opposition at the Council, said: “despite being staffed by excellent people, the Council’s trading companies have never operated successfully. They did not know whether they were part of Local Government or the private sector. 

The Amphora Company’s ambitions have been driven by the cut-and-thrust of the private sector, but they have always had the dead hand of the Lib-Dem or the joint Labour & Lib-Dem administration holding them back. 

Very little of the profits forecast for past years have materialised into payments into the Council’s revenue account to support essential municipal services provided to taxpayers. The small dividends that have been paid come from management fees charged to the Council, a circular and tax inefficient flow.

It is now becoming clear that two of the three companies – the ones for housing and energy will have to be “hibernated”. The decision has now been made for the energy company without any understanding of the impact it would have on the Council’s finances.  It seems likely to us that much of the Council’s £1.7m loan to its energy subsidiary will have to be written off through the Taxpayers General Fund, the part of the Council’s finances which is in greatest distress.  We have asked, and await an answer.

While the Council uses the term “hibernate” so not to alarm tax-payers, it amounts to a disastrous end to what should have been a significant revenue-earning opportunity to support essential municipal services.”

Cllr Dennis Willetts, Conservative Spokesman on the Council’s trading activities. added. “The trading scope stipulated by the Council for the Amphora Companies was much too diverse. They were asked to build affordable houses, but the Council could not make sufficient funds available. The relevant assets were never transferred from the Council’s balance sheet and the schemes were still born.

They were asked to provide a green energy company for the Council’s Northern Gateway, but the Council failed to action the building of the hospital and the housing estate which would have been the Amphora energy company’s primary customers.

They were asked to run an events company, with the Council’s famous Grade 1 listed Moot Hall as its centre-piece. But the Council failed to maintain the roof in good condition, and the asset is now out of service for a further 2 years, wrecking the trading plan of the Amphora events company.

They were asked to exploit the Council’s CCTV duct-space across the town centre to provide a high-speed internet fibre-based service, but because of the strategic indecision of the Council, only 500 private customers and 80 businesses were signed up in what was described as a technically loss-making venture.

 It is a sad end to what could have been a star performer amongst Colchester’ businesses.

 Conservatives pledge never to take risks with the funds of the Taxpayers and Council tenants.

2023-11-14

Colchester City Council publishes bogus information in response to the Government requirement for transparency (sample below)

Central Government requires Local Councils to publish information about their operations so that Councillors and taxpayers know what is being done with their money. This is known as "The Transparency Code".

One of the most important requirements of the Transparency Code is the publication of each item of the Council’s expenditure over £500. This provides Councillors with the data to hold to account the spending decisions made by the Council, and more importantly it provides taxpayers across the City with the same capability.

But when Conservative Councillors recently carried out an audit of files published by the Council on items of expenditure over £500 they were found to be populated with bogus data on which we can place no reliance whatsoever, see sample above.

Paul Dundas, Leader of the Conservative Group on the City Council said  ”Some of the data was completely wrong and grossly misleading,  For instance it showed values of £5m for grants to voluntary organisations which were in fact expenditure of only a few tens or hundreds of pounds.

We do not know who in recent times has accessed the statutory publication of the Council’s expenditure over £500, or for what purpose. Researchers from Government, universities, the national and local press may be blissfully unaware that the Council data on which they were relying was neither correct nor trustworthy."

The Conservative Group has demanded immediate remedial action, correction of the data, and the issue of a public statement from the Council explaining to the residents of the city why they cannot rely on statutory information published by the City Council.

2023-11-01

Cllr William Sunnucks, Conservative spokesman on Council Resources, explains why Colchester City Council is failing in its duty to fully comply with the 2015 Local Government Transparency Code: "Government's purpose in issuing The Code is to ensure that all background material and data used by Public Authorities in their decision-making is available to Councillors, taxpayers and members of the public. This transparency ensures that everyone can judge whether decisions are good or bad."

Colchester Council has a moderately good record on Transparency. But when tough decisions have to be made, the political groups currently controlling the Council are tempted to play games with the release of information and it needs a reminder of the 2015 transparency code."

So at the Council meeting on 19th October 2023, I proposed a motion to Council that "All data held and managed by the Council should be made public (except for that relating to private individuals) and that the 2015 Local Government Transparency Code should be respected in full"

Imagine my surprise, and that of my fellow Conservatives. when the Leader of the Council proposed an amendment deleting the words " the 2015 Local Government Transparency Code should be respected in full". This says it all. The Liberal Democrats do not believe in open government.

And this is my personal experience. I’m sick and tired of trying to get the information I need to do my job as Conservative Spokesman for resources: and I know other Conservative spokespersons have struggled with the same problem. Councillors shouldn’t have to submit "freedom of information requests" to get information from their own Council. 

The Liberal-democrat Administration talks at length about collaboration, but as soon as the questions get hard, the clam shell closes. Answers are promised, but never received. Next you get the "Sir Humphrey speak".  it sounds pleasant enough but you don’t actually get an answer. If you persist it turns political and someone else is blamed - auditors, Essex County Council, central government - anyone not there to answer back. 

Finally - and this happened at yesterday’s Governance and Audit committee - you will be told that the questions are not relevant to voters on the doorstep and you are made to feel silly for asking them. This is disrespectful: people do care about the risks being taken with public money and whether there is waste that causes them to pay more tax. Our questions are not frivolous or irrelevant:  they are about how the Council can be run better for the benefit of our residents.  

We are emphatically not asking for more work from Council Officers.  Quite the opposite. Please just open the books and give us the base information you already have.  There is no need to reshape it into long carefully sanitised reports - in one case we asked for a one-page financial appraisal which we know exists, and after six months got back two weighty reports -  but still no sight of the one-page appraisal.  

So why can’t we see the appraisal?  What is there to hide? My example refers to the Northern Gateway leisure development where it turns out that our residents bear almost all the risk.  Goodness knows what those reports cost in cash, officer time and energy. It would be so much easier if the Administration would give us the one piece of paper we really need. The press releases are ceaselessly positive but no one knows the likely damage to our accounts and the financial future of the Council.

The same applies wherever we get too close to the Council's risky decisions.  Over the coming months we will need to know what property assets we own and why the rental income is so low, how many staff we employ and what they are doing: and to have proper breakdowns of the accounts to enable us to prepare The Conservative Opposition budget.  

So please can we just open the books and conduct the Council’s business in an open way as required by the transparency code.  Let’s not get clever with the law or use information as a tool of politics.  Just share what we have so that, together, we can address the problems of Colchester City Council.  

2023-10-19

The development of the Northern Gateway leisure scheme includes a new cinema and hotel, and several fast-food outlets. It is being financed via a set of complex related deals between the Council, Canada Life Assurance Company, and the developer Turnstone Estates Limited.

Cllr William Sunnucks, Conservative Spokesman on Council resources, explains: "In fact the deal is so complex it is believed to be delaying the audit of the Council’s Financial accounts, necessitating advice from external financial consultants at considerable expense to Council Tax Payers.

In a recent secret meeting of the City Council’s Controlling Cabinet (exclusively Lib-Dem Councillors) the leisure park Development Agreement was modified.  The opposition Conservative group has not been allowed to see the legal report we have asked for, nor has it seen the financial appraisals or valuations. There is no good reason for this, especially as we have relevant expertise within our ranks.

It is now clear that this is a £65m loan masquerading as a lease, and it will have to be treated as such in the accounts.  We see few benefits arising from the complexity and believe it is a mistake for Councils to enter into transactions which few Councillors understand."

The Conservative Group considers that secret modifications significantly increases the risk to the City’s taxpayers. But we are prohibited by the Council rules from telling you how or why !!!!

2023-09-26

Council must put an end to “aggressive” beggars hounding people for money in Colchester city centre

Cllr Darius Laws, (Rural North Ward) chairman of Colchester’s statutory Crime and Disorder Committee, says the Council must put an end to  'aggressive' beggars hounding people for money in Colchester city centre.

“This behaviour occurs in the Centre despite the Council issuing a Public Space Protection Order banning people for begging for money.

Many residents residents, myself included, find the begging intimidating - especially after dark. I have even seen people being asked for money while sat in the outside seating areas of restaurants.

It is noticeable that begging is not tolerated in the private shopping centres off the High Street, but it is rampant on our High Street, despite having a Public Space Protection Order in place which says: ‘You shall not loiter and aggressively beg’.

Given the frequency with which these menacing approaches are made to members of the public, it should be easy for the Council Wardens to catch people begging in the act.”

Cllr Laws added  ”If these aggressive beggars do not heed the help, advice and guidance given to them. the Council Leadership must ensure that Street Wardens use their power to issue fixed penalty notices".

Conservatives pledge to cut out antisocial behaviour in the City Centre and make it an attractive place to visit.

2023-09-22

Yesterday, the City Council Scrutiny Panel considered the details proposed from the Liberal-Democrat Administration for the implementation of charges for the kerbside collection of garden waste.

The attack on the scheme was led by Highwoods resident, Paul Smith, speaking from the public gallery,  (not Lib Dem Councillor Paul Smith) who criticised the Council for ineptly introducing charges for Garden Waste collection at the time of a cost-of living crisis for many residents. His views were strongly supported by many of the Councillors present at the meeting.

Highwoods resident Paul Smith continued: “Furthermore, no consideration has been given to damage to the environment. Currently the City Council reports that 55% of all waste it collects is recycled. This is already considerably less than the best performing Councils in Essex who achieve over 70% recycling. The impact of the City’s Garden waste charging scheme will further reduce the Council’s overall recycling delivery to below 53%, which I suggest is shameful and unacceptable, and the Council needs to re-think its recycling polices."

The scheme started to unravel when questioning by Cllr Paul Dundas, (Tiptree Ward) Leader of the Conservative Group, revealed that the Council could not afford to purchase the wheelie bins needed for the scheme, and would have to borrow the money to buy them. Although the Council had announced that the mandatory wheelie bins would be on sale for £30 to subscribers, they could not actually be sold until the Council’s loan had been repaid over a 10-year period.

The position was made further complex when it was further questioning revealed that the Council was proposed to charge for the replacement of all recycling kit from April 2024, including wheelie bins and recycling bags.

Cllr Dennis Willetts, (Lexden & Braiswick Ward) described the business case and financial data presented to the Scrutiny Panel as incomplete and unconvincing. It reported only the net income from introducing charges, and did not give a profitability forecast, by combining income with the actual cost of staff, vehicles and maintenance needed to run the chargeable kerbside collection.

The current cost of collecting Garden waste from residents is £1.8m. In the second year of the charging scheme, subscriptions were forecast to rise to 28% of houses, and in the third year to 50% of houses. Yet the cost of delivering the chargeable service remained at an undisclosed level close to the £1.8m, despite making chargeable collections in future years from only 28% or 50% of houses. No private sector firm would permit such inefficient use of resources.

More worryingly, no assurances were forthcoming that the £55 annual charge for collecting garden waste would not be increased during the second and third year of the charging scheme.

Cllr Darius Laws (Rural North Ward) Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group & Chairman of the Scrutiny Panel, suggested that there was no clear consensus on whether the proposed implementation details of the charging scheme were realistic. On the partial information available, the members of the Panel decided against making any recommendations as none were likely to make the scheme more palatable to residents.  

2023-08-10

Conservatives Beef-up Council opposition to Proposed Pylon Route across North Colchester

At the Council meeting on 19th July 2023, the Conservative Group tabled a motion to strengthen the Council’s resolve to defend North Colchester against the proposal by National Grid plc which will despoil the North of the area with a new pylon route

The proposed route of 50m high pylons would blight the villages of Langham, Boxted, Fordham, Great Horkesley, Little Horkesley, West Bergholt, Aldham, Marks Tey and beyond. Where it cuts across the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the cables would go underground in a trench 100m wide that would be completely cleared and left desolate in perpetuity.

Proposing the motion, Cllr Darius Laws (Rural North Ward) said; ”National Grid plc are seeking to transport electricity across East Anglia via pylons which would have a dramatic impact on our residents, especially those living in the villages of North Colchester.

These landscapes aren't accidental, particularly in the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty where it has been preserved by the management committee, volunteers, Parish Councils and The Dedham Society.

Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex have some of the most beautiful landscapes in the UK, immortalised by painters such as John Constable RA, as such these 50 metre high pylons are incompatible with these landscapes and challenge our revered ‘big skies’.

Further negative consequences during the construction of these pylons could include damage to various habitats of wildlife including: trees, biodiversity, plant-life as well as also negatively impacting on regional tourist attractions and archaeology.

Therefore I propose to Council:

• Robust representations should be made, during and outside of consultation periods, to the Government decision-makers to oppose new pylons blighting our beautiful countryside.
• Collaborative working with other local authorities and MPs should take place to support calls for an offshore grid, including for the North Falls and Five Estuaries wind farms; in order to speed up delivery of green energy, cut its cost and protect the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and surrounding countryside.

North Essex and East Anglia shouldn't suffer so that energy can be transferred to London and I'm pleased all councillors unanimously agreed to fight these flawed pylon plans from National Grid plc."

Cllr Dennis Willetts (Lexden and Braiswick Ward) supporting the motion, added: “Recent publication of the detailed pylon sites proposed by Nation Grid plc reinforced the horrors of this development to residents across the North of Colchester.

For instance, over the proposed 180km route, the majority of the listed buildings within 500m of a proposed pylon are to be found in just one village: Aldham.  Yet with the insidious way National Grid plc carries out its consultation events, it is no surprise that the nearest consultation to Aldham was in Witham, some 12 miles away with no easy public transport connection, as was the case in many other villages.

Sensible-thinking people surely agree that the villages most affected in North Colchester all deserve their own consultation event in view the extensive bight to be inflicted on their communities."

Cllr William Sunnucks (Rural North Ward) explained the financial issues to Council: “If the industry is remotely interested in delivering net zero on time it will explore the offshore option with vigour. It won’t cost much more and it will avoid years of legal challenge and wasteful controversy.”

As one of its first changes, The Liberal Democrat Administration which now controls the City Council, relegated the green agenda.

Announcing the Administration’s targets for its new strategic plan, the Council’s Scrutiny Panel heard that because of financial pressures and the need to divert resources into redressing the effects of “financial inequality” in the City, the climate emergency targets would be relaxed.

Cllr Sue Lissimore (Prettygate Ward) and Conservative Spokesperson on Waste, Neighbourhood Services & the Environment, said: “Three of the most cherished and important environmental targets are now in decline under the Lib-Dems:

• Firstly, the target for collection of residual household waste is being changed from 346kg per household, to 354kg per year, anticipating an extra 8kg of waste per household going to environmentally unfriendly landfill. This may seem small, but it amounts to an extra 640 tons of general waste going to landfill per year.

 I expect this to be a gross underestimation because many residents will be topping-up their black bags and general wheelie bins with garden waste now that the Council intends to charge for its collections.

• Secondly, the target for waste reused, recycled and composted is being reduced from 55% to 53%. Over the past decade the recycling rate has shown a trajectory of steady improvement, lifting Colchester from the bottom of the Essex recycling league table to the middle, but still nowhere near the 70% achieved by the best-performing Essex Councils.

  It is truly regrettable that the Lib-Dems are now letting the City’s recycling achievements slip downwards again.

• Thirdly, the Council’s target for Zero CO2 emission by 2030 has virtually vanished. The new target is to reduce the CO2 emissions by 100 tons (5200 to 5100 tons) in the second half of the year. This rate amounts to a 1.9% reduction, or 3.8% reduction in a full year, taking some 27 years to get down to zero. So zero CO2 will be achieved in 2050 rather than 2030.

 The CO2 target will be further stressed by the decision of the Lib-Dem Administration not to purchase electric vehicles for the new chargeable Garden waste Collection service.”

Cllr Dennis Willetts (Lexden & Braiswick Ward) and a member of the Council’s Scrutiny Panel, added: “It was most disappointing to be presented with the facts that, because of a shift of Council priorities, the environmental targets are being relaxed. Most residents of the City acknowledge climate change and want an improvement in the Council’s environmental standards, and a cleaner, greener more healthy City. The new Administration is going entirely the wrong way.

2023-06-08

Colchester Conservatives call for full public disclosure of the circumstances surrounding an alleged breach of security affecting the data held by the City Council for thousands of residents.

Cllr Roger Buston, Conservative Spokesman on Licencing and Public Protection, said: “It has been alleged in the press that personal data relating to residents of Colchester has been put at severe risk by the poor security of a Council subcontractor. We demand a full enquiry and an apology to be given to every Colchester resident whose personal data was exposed.”

According to the press, in mid-April the Russian Black Basta ransomware gang attacked Capita systems, and threatened to make public their clients’ confidential data.

The incident was reported to the Office of the Information Commissioner. In the ensuing investigation in early May, Capita is reported in the press to have admitted that 655 gigabytes of customer personal data had been left exposed in an Amazon Cloud Service virtual disk since 2016 to anyone browsing the internet.

Colchester City Council, confirmed to the press that personal data that it had collected about residents was part of the 655 gigabyte exposure, and screenshots of the personal data seen by Council Officers show that data pertaining to Colchester City Council was on public view to anyone browsing the Internet.

However, the 655 gigabytes of content of the exposed cloud server were also captured by GrayHatWarfare, a searchable database that indexes publicly visible cloud storage, indicating just how difficult it is to undo the damage done by poor security.

The personal data collected by Colchester Council was not even protected by a password, so the Russian Hacker certainly would not have needed to deploy their considerable hacking skills to obtain it. The data has since been secured, but that is rather too late in the day.

Conservative Councillors now demand an immediate explanation from the Leader of the Council on why the City Council did not regularly check the security standards of their contractors.

Conservative Councillors also demand an assurance from the Leader of the Council that every resident whose personal data supplied to the Council was in the 655 gigabytes on public display will be contacted immediately by the City Council with an apology and an explanation of what might have been revealed. We appreciate that this is a massive task because GrayHatWarfare imply that upwards of 30,000 customer records may be involved. But nevertheless it must be done.

2023-06-06

Despite a huge public backlash and a last-minute plea to the City Council, the controlling Labour & Liberal Democrat Coalition decided to axe the Saturday Drop-Off service for household waste across much of the City.

The scheme allows residents to bring small loads of household items to the council’s waste crews for disposal on specific Saturdays during spring and summer. But this service was to be axed. Colchester Council had estimated it would save more than £25,000 per year.

The move to scrap this useful public service was criticised by the City Council’s Conservative shadow waste spokesperson, Cllr Sue Lissimore. At this week’s Scrutiny Panel, she argued that axing the service would increase flytipping in Colchester.

The proposed decision was made without considering public consultation, which was contrary to the rules of the Council.

Cllr Lissimore told the Council’s Scrutiny Panel: “The impact of the cuts is real, but much of the financial savings are unlikely to be achieved. The consequences of increased fly tipping could very easily eat away at most of the savings. The Council will need a larger Neighbourhood Services Team to clear up the mess left by flytipping, and more enforcement officers to identify the culprits.

In fact there is a good case to increase the scope of the Saturday Drop Off service.  Demand for the service will definitely grow amongst vulnerable residents who do not own a car, and who cannot afford to pay for the equally ill-judged decision by the Council to charge for garden waste collection.

However, following Cllr Lissimore’s intervention, the Controlling Labour & Lib-Dem Cabinet decided to retain the Saturday Drop-Off services service in certain parts of the City, including Greenstead, Berechurch, Old Heath and the Hythe and much of the urban area, but confirmed it was axing the service in most of the rural areas.

Conservatives pledge to protect essential public services across all of Colchester

2023-03-18

At the City Council meeting on 22nd February, Colchester Conservatives voted against the proposals of the Labour & Liberal Democrat Coalition to introduce charges for the kerbside collection of garden waste, and scrapping of the household free drop-off service for receiving waste and recycling at strategic points around the City, all at a time of increasing council tax by almost 3%.

Unfortunately, the coalition of Labour & Liberal Democrats forced through the changes. We now wait to hear about the expected levels of charges.

City Council Lewis Barber told the Council: "Taxpayers feel that front line services should be protected and household budgets safeguarded, particular during difficult financial times for many residents.

Instead, we feel that the cost of politics should be reduced, such as by ending annual elections or reducing the number of senior councillors receiving special allowance payments."

Conservatives will focus on maintaining all essential Council Services, improving efficiency to deliver at the lowest cost.

2023-02-23

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Currently the term of office of one-third of the City Councillor expires each year, with County Council elections in the 4^th year. So over a 4 year cycle, all councillors have to stand down or seek re-election. The cost of running annual elections is significant and can be upwards of £100,000 a year.

So at its December meeting The City Council voted to explore the possibility of modifying its current electoral system in favour of “all up” elections every four years,

Conservative Group Leader Councillor Darius Laws (Rural North Ward), who jointly proposed the motion with the Labour and Liberal Democrat leaders, said changing to just one election every four years could save hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Cllr Laws said "the City Council has a very difficult task in balancing the books against a backdrop of rising costs, with a potential budget gap of £5m. Savings from a more efficient election  system would be most welcome.

Colchester Conservatives favour efficiency savings and exploring shared services across local authorities, as opposed to large increases in council tax. Inflationary pressures of the current magnitude are unknown for a generation and we look forward to seeing what the administration at the City of Colchester Council propose.”

Conservatives pledge to cut the cost of running the Council and divert funds into front-line services

2022-12-02

Local Government Association Panel carries out a peer review of Colchester Borough Council

The Local Government Association (LGA) recently carried-out a wide-ranging peer review of Colchester Borough Council by an expert panel of Councillors and Senior Officers drawn from similar sized Councils from: Torbay; Watford; Malvern Hills; Scarborough; Hastings; and New Forest District Councils.

While much good practice was noted at Colchester, the LGA Panel was critical of some aspects of the Lib-Dem and Labour controlled Council, and recommended:

1. CBC needs to reset and realign its organisation to reflect resource pressures and significant changes in working arrangements to support residents effectively, as Colchester’s communities grow.
2. CBC quickly needs to come together to discuss and agree what City Status means for Colchester
3. Get a grip on the Capital Programme
4. As a matter of urgency, implement changes to improve planning, prioritisation, management, oversight and delivery of all capital projects and programmes.  Consider implementing a benefits realisation approach to monitor the outcomes that projects and programmes deliver
5. CBC has too many priorities and needs to urgently get a grip on this.
6. Develop a strategy to link and prioritise projects and programmes, ensuring a direct link with a new strategic plan – be clear on which partner is leading to avoid duplication
7. Develop a new 4/5 year strategic plan, engage members, officers, and stakeholders in its development
8. Create an annual delivery plan, that includes projects and programmes
9. Resources and capacity are stretched – refocus on delivering services
10. Review your Waste Service
11. Be more proactive in dealing with equality and diversity issues
12. Lack of clarity amongst staff of the new values, and what hybrid working will mean when Rowan House (the Council’s Offices) reopens. Define what hybrid means for CBC and provide a clear definition and communication of where the council aims to be.  It could explore a range of options
13. Colchester is not alone with its recruitment and retention challenges. Shared services discussions with other Essex councils should be pursued, and the agenda around devolution could be used as a route to look more strategically at the issues.

Councillor Darius Laws, Leader of the Conservative Group and the official opposition, said: We welcome the impartial review of performance by an expert panel from outside of Colchester. The experts found much good practice but raised some areas which need attention: cutting the cost of politics by reviewing our election system, opportunities posed by City Status, reviewing the waste service and the capital programme was identified as needing urgent attention.

The Conservative Group expects that these sensible recommendations are implemented as a matter of urgency, so that Colchester is as well managed, and taxpayers get the same quality of service and value for money as other Councils of a similar size.”

2022-09-30

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The Colchester Borough Council Conservative Group is strongly opposed to National Grid’s East Anglia Green pylon scheme across the north & west of the Borough. The Group states that:

• The proposal will have significant and lasting detrimental impact on residents, communities, landscape, environment and quality of life.
• It stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the affected communities and Parish Councils along the route of the National Grid proposal
• It demands that the development instead focuses on a sea-link solution negating the need for an overland based option.
• The route as given to us comes almost as fixed, without the necessary evidence or
  engagement in pre-consultation, hence this consultation itself is considered
  premature and misguided.
• All options moving forward should be the subject of extensive consultation before parts of the Lexden & Braiswick Ward, Rural North Ward, Marks Tey and Layer  Ward are blighted for the indefinite future by this proposal.

In addition to its statutory role, CBC has a wider leadership role in protecting and promoting the interests of the communities, residents, businesses and environment across the entire Borough, which we consider to be utmost importance.

The Group recognises the challenge of achieving net-zero as set out by Government, both to meet the ongoing energy security concerns and to recognise the need to contribute to the government’s climate change objectives, But National Grid’s East Anglia Green proposal would, by nature of its size and extent, have substantial, long-lasting lasting and seriously detrimental impacts on the residents, communities, businesses, infrastructure and environment of the north and west of Colchester.

The Group’s seeks a coordinated, off-shore approach to deliver the Nation’s electricity transmission network reinforcement objectives, minimising on-shore infrastructure and the associated impacts on the Borough communities and the wider environment. While the off-shore lifetime cost is some 2.8 times the cost of a pylon route, The Group perceives it to be highly unfair for the cheaper solution to be imposed at the cost of planning blight and reduced capital value and saleability of numerous residential properties in the north and west of the Borough.

The sheer scale and extent of this proposal as presently proposed should not be underestimated. As presented, it will have a lasting impact on Colchester for generations to come. Hence The Group fails to be satisfied that the East Anglia Green project represents the most appropriate nor a sustainable solution to the electricity network reinforcement objectives it is intended to address.

2022-06-30

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Local Plan - Middlewick update Conservatives are the only Party to vote against the development

 At the Borough Council’s Local Plan Committee on 13th June 2022, Colchester Conservatives were the only party NOT to support the allocation of 1,000 houses on Middlewick.

The ruling coalition of Greens, Labour and Lib Dems on the Local Plan Committee all voted together to push forward plans for 1,000 homes on Middlewick.

The Conservatives are now the only party to stand against unsustainable development on this important green space.

Cllr Lewis Barber, Conservative spokesman on the Local Plan Committee said: “The Conservatives support sustainable and affordable development, with good transport links, that protect our green spaces by focusing development onto brown-field in the first instance.

The Green, Labour and Lib Dem coalition’s plans for 1,000 homes on Middlewick go against everything we stand for. It will simply add more congestion and concrete over more valuable green space."

The Conservatives pledge to work to protect Middlewick and ensure our climate and housing emergency is addressed

2022-06-15

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