Respect for Winsford as Councillor resigns hours after passing one of the three Labour Council tax rises?

Storm Doris really has a lot to answer for in and around Winsford - I have to replace two fence panels and a broken garden table, while plenty of other residents have much worse and sadly, one person in Wolverhampton lost their life - our thoughts and prayers go to their family.

In local politics, Doris was responsible for the postponement of the budget council as it was deemed too dangerous for Councillors and officers to cross the borough to come to Winsford. It also allowed us to have another week of Councillor Reggie Jones's antics and outbursts - please go and view the webcast of the budget meeting, it'll make you chuckle if nothing else when the good Councillor gives us all his two pennies worth.

I am sure the now ex-Councillor for Blacon has good reasons to resign his position and we on the Conservative side wish him all the very best (and good riddance) for the future.

However, it turns us all to wonder if the Labour Council (with a majority of just one) didn't cynically beg Cllr Jones to stay on "just one more week" so that their budget passed, perhaps it was just coincidence that he resigned the day after? Anyone believe in coincidence??

Let's turn to that unimaginative,  ponderous and costly budget, which by the way, I voted against at the budget council meeting...

Conservative Councillors put forward alternative budget plans for 0% change to council tax, with proposals to spend less on ICT, buildings and council staff. We asked Labour to delay introduction of the local living wage, so that low paid workers and fixed income residents don't have to pay for pay rises in the public sector.

Did you know that CWaC residents pick up a 75K tab for Trade Union representatives?  Are the unions coffers so empty that they desperately need us all to pay for this. When Union leaders take home >£100K home each year, there surely must be enough money to go around?

Labour gave us lots of plans with big budgets yet no details of what would actually be done or delivered, that sounds now a little too familiar for Winsford residents who have heard the number to be spent on regeneration but have no idea yet as to what or when it will happen.

Where we do need imagination is in spending in Adult Social care and integrating health and care for older and vulnerable residents. Tory proposals for a 3%  rise to the adult social care precept were voted down and set at 2% by Labour.

Here are the "gifts" from Labour we as Winsford residents are set to enjoy in 2017

Labour CWaC Council tax increase
Labour Winsford Town Council tax increase
Labour Police and Crime commissioner tax increase

So, while we have to thank Doris and Reggie for a lot of things, Doris was unavoidable, but if Reggie had quit a week before, residents would be paying slightly lower council tax.

At least we can continue to drive everywhere at 20 mph......