I've had a few training sessions now about how the council works and in essence it is like this:
The leader of the council decides on his cabinet (or executive as it is called in EDC) and these people (portfolio holders to give them their official title) make most of the day-to-day decisions; no-one else gets a look in. At the first meeting of the year on Thursday night, the Conservative Gordon Nicholson was voted by everyone except the Liberal Democrats and one other person as the leader. He then chose his cabinet which is made up of Conservatives and the Independent Alliance, an equal 50/50 split.
What we have here then is a coalition. There are no two ways about it. However, due to the way the council works (and frankly, I am confused about this) the Independent Alliance is also the opposition. Erm, how? They form 50% of the ruling body, how on earth can they be the opposition?
Outside the Conservative/Independent Alliance group, there are 12 people out of a council of 38 who can oppose the rulings of Gordon Nicholson and his firmly entrenched party and we have been summarily excluded from the running of Eden District Council. So, realistically, things will carry on the way they have been...Not listening to YOU, the person out in the Eden Valley; not knowing what is really happening in Penrith and the villages of the area (apart from opening fetes and other high-brow occasions); not understanding what it is like to be squeezed by the credit crunch or wonder whether there will still be a wage packet next week. Those of us that are not part of this have a long, uphill battle to fight - and while we are fully primed, you need to play your part too. Make a noise, complain if you think the decisions that these people make are wrong.
I know I will be.
