I know, I know.
Here I am again
banging on about Ipswich, even though most readers of this paper probably don’t
go there much, certainly not for their regular shopping expeditions. Maybe for
the football. Just maybe for the cultural life to the likes of the New Wolsey
Theatre and Dance East on the Waterfront. Perhaps they go round it to visit
Felixstowe or the Heritage Coast?
Yet what is going on,
in what is still nominally Suffolk’s county town, is indicative of much else
that is rotten about local politics. And this systemic poverty of ambition is
affecting us all, as is the sheer cost of running Suffolk’s myriad councils.
If Ipswich is a
basket case, as some commentators are keen to suggest, then democracy in the
rest of Suffolk should be in intensive care.
So what has caused my
latest bout of exasperation?
Yet another rash of
party political point scoring as to whether Ipswich should apply for city
status next year in the round to commemorate the coronation of His Majesty,
King Charles III.
The last such bid –
raised as a possibility last year – fell at the first hurdle as the MP for
Ipswich, Tom Hunt, pointed to research suggesting that it didn’t have majority
support.
Of course, the
Labour-controlled Borough Council tried to generate political capital out of
this scepticism and the whole thing was called off.
In the intervening
months, it would appear that absolutely no efforts have been made
behind-the-scenes to plan for this current city opportunity. And it’s not
obvious which ‘oven ready’ projects would be given a boost should Ipswich be
accorded such a status.
The latest effort
looks like it will go the same way. Instead of initial discussions taking place
in private to explore potential areas of agreement, we’ve witnessed the
unedifying spectacle of councillor David Ellesmere, leader of Labour-run
Ipswich Borough Council, and Jack Abbott, his party’s Parliamentary candidate
for Ipswich, baiting Tom Hunt.
The sitting MP has
responded, foolishly in my opinion, saying that any decision to apply for city
status should be subject to a binding referendum. This would be a complete
waste of money and time: not least if the warring – yes, I mean warring –
parties sought to have an informed debate about the advantages of city status.
It might not be a bad
idea either, if someone sought reassurance from Mark Ashton, Ipswich Town’s
chief executive, that if city status was accorded, then the Portman Road’s
finest would not need to be renamed. Uppa Towen! would still apply.
So stalemate upon
stalemate. Failure upon failure. The list of failed or stalled projects in
recent years – including the Upper Orwell Crossings, the Northern Bypass and
the Town Fund – show that a Labour borough (actually, any colour borough), and
a Conservative county council cannot get things done.
In reaction, some
Ipswich commentators have blamed the fact that the place is treated
disdainfully by other parts of Suffolk and their rural councils and
councillors. Their solution, harking back to the pre-1973 situation, is for
Ipswich to be given more powers and go it alone.
This is nostalgic
nonsense – and dangerous nonsense at that - as it ignores the reality of a
globalised economic system and the huge challenges that would face a
comparatively small place attracting much additional inward private sector
investment.
The same impasse
arises whenever a district council votes for anything other than the blue team,
as is currently the case with Babergh and could well be the same in Mid Suffolk
if the Greens gain one additional seat.
The real solution is
for a unitary Suffolk. Scrap all the districts and boroughs, and many of the
non-jobs that are duplicated across them, including many of the 5,500 – yes,
over five thousand - posts at Suffolk County
Council. And then reduce the number of councillors, hopefully retaining the
cream of candidates from across the political spectrum.
The news that the
Government has approved Suffolk having a directly-elected leader is a step
forward. But do you know what? What we really should have is a directly-elected
mayor, separate to the county council, with the reduced councillor cohort,
holding the mayor to account.
A directly-elected
mayor would not be able to wriggle and hide behind the pathetic rivalries and
inefficiencies of the current tiers of local government. If he or she delivers,
they will be applauded. If they mess up, out they go.
What is good for
Ipswich, is also necessary for the rest of Suffolk: really accountable local
democracy.
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