City on Hold

9.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 31st Jul 2007

Tories put action on hold

Liberal Democrat Leader Councillor Adrian Vinson has expressed fears about the City being kept on hold until the new Conservative Administration get to grips with what is going on in the city and the Council.

"They took over power in May. It is now the end of July", says Cllr Vinson. "From looking at their published plans for the next few months it seems little or nothing new is on the cards. Four Cabinet members have nothing at all on the Forward Plan; the rest have only work started under the Lib Dems. It seems they came to power with no manifesto and no ideas: a fact admitted to publically by Councillor White, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care for his portfolio. They have indeed stopped the laser gateway but that had already been agreed to with Southampton Partnership by the Lib Dems. They have tried to stop the Travellers Transit site but this was beyond their powers. As most of the Tory Cabinet Members have been councillors for many years, it is surprising they have so few ideas or policies now they are in power."

When the Liberal Democrats took power four years ago they immediately opened up the Cabinet to public consultation, appointed champions to represent the interests of older people, young people, those with

disabilities and the voluntary sector, and published a full and imaginative Forward Plan.

"If the Conservatives think there is so little needing to be done, it is a flattering endorsement of the Lib Dem term of office, but a dismal lack of Conservative imagination in a rapidly changing city," concludes Cllr Vinson.