This needs sorting out once and for all

HAVING carried out my role as councillor for the last six months and while acknowledging that I still have a lot to learn, it seems obvious to me that it is time for some radical change. I know a number of councillors go quietly about their business, helping to solve people's problems, who rarely attract the headlines - maybe they generally shun publicity but I do know that good work goes on and I know that myself and Cllr David Kerr try to carry out our duties in the same manner. We may not always get it right but we are committed and we try. However the cock-ups of the past administration are the things which seem to occupy most people's minds and time, even now, and as more costly mistakes are uncovered the worse it gets. Is it right we have an investigation into Blobby? Should we look at how the council's case against Christley proved so costly and now this Salt Ayre business... do the people need to know what went wrong there? The answer is clearly yes but we are in danger of being bogged down by investigations and they add to an already stretched, public purse. Maybe we should do it all in one fell swoop and hand it over to an outside body such as the DoE who can look at the whole operation and in particular the incidents that have left us up the creek. This would ensure anyone responsible or who performed poorly would not be allowed to do it again and would be made accountable for their actions. Then maybe the decent, hard-working councillors (regardless of party) could get on with it and we could leave the dogma and dog-fights to those who prefer scoring cheap political points while the ratepayer foots the bill. Only then will we be able to develop the district as it needs.