ONE glance at a press release from the Labour Group this week and it's easy to see why they are a spent force in local politics at the moment. They wouldn't listen to the people before the local elections and despite their poor showing it appears they're not listening now either.

The group has decided this week to have a pop at the MBIs, Tories and the Greens... fair enough you might say and I wouldn't disagree, but to hear some of Labour's justification for their criticism is enough to make your jaw drop.

The group's leader and deputy leader, cllrs Abbott Bryning and Ian Barker, have had a go at plans to reorganise the city council and proposals to advertise the jobs of a number of senior officers, including that of the council's top post of chief executive - temporarily filled until next spring. About time too some might say but oh no, not the Labour wise-guys - they claim the city is lagging behind most other councils in preparing for the planned Local Government Bill. Well this council, under their glorious leadership was allowed to lag behind in many areas not least in public accountability and now it seems they are hellbent on preserving the status quo in the officer-led structure at the town hall.

What this administration needs is a totally new and fresh approach to lead us away from the costly mistakes that have cost us so dear in the past few years, not more of the same.

Labour say their opponents' plans ignores all the advice Labour has received on this issue and will inevitably lead to mistakes which could prove very costly... excuse me while I choke, you brass-necked, hypocrites! What advice and from whom?

Where did all your precious advice get you during Blobbygate, councillors? How sound was the advice on the Christley sacking? How much cash did you manage to save following the advice given about Salt Ayre? Nice pool but for £8 million it should be?

By the way folks anyone heard the word 'sorry' being uttered over the cost of Salt Ayre? Neither have I. The council's senior officer issued a statement about the £2m overspend and appeared untroubled enough by the price hike not to bother apologising; still why should he with the likes of Labour around - they didn't apologise either? I don't recall a public apology from any officer when your cash has gone down the drain - precisely one of the the reasons why we need a massive shake-up - unless they do this and until they stem the shameful wasting of your cash this district could be handicapped for years to come.

Surprised to see a Labour u-turn over the inquiry into the Christley but less surprised to see the simultaneous change of minds by the Lib Dems (let's hope they don't get asked to put their hands in the fire eh?).

Originally some councillors and officers bleated on about how unfair a disciplinary inquiry would be and how it was improper and wrong to try to find the perpetrators of any wrongdoing which might have occurred.

Obviously these kind of thoughts were not uppermost in their minds when they "named and shamed" David Christley.

It would be easy for us to gloat about predicting 18 months ago that the council was going top get slapped over the costs of Salt Ayre and it would also be easy for us to criticise the other council-friendly papers round here for not doing the job properly but I shall refrain... both have paid the price for their attitudes to serious stories like this.

But it is wrong that their should be attempts by councillors to stop papers telling the public how their cash is spent and worrying that senior officers should, apparently with no sanction from elected members, attempt to keep the news from you unless they have valid and strong reasons for doing so - in this case they didn't and we await the appropriate apologies... some chance!

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.