VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN MORETON-IN-MARSH TOWN COUNCIL

 

We demand all current councillors resign and fresh elections be called to elect new councillors.

 

THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM

This council operates as if residents are an inconvenience rather than the people they serve. They:

• Refuse to engage - operating in a closed silo with minimal public consultation

• Dismiss concerns - residents’ questions go unanswered, feedback is ignored

• Act without mandate - making major decisions with minimal democratic support

• Prioritise their projects over basic duties - obsessed with grand schemes while neglecting what matters

• Show contempt for scrutiny - threatening to call police on residents, excluding public from meetings, and ignoring audit recommendations

This is not how democratic local government should work. We deserve a council that will listen, engage, and serve the community.

 

THE TRANSPORT HUB DISASTER

The council signed a contract with GWR to deliver a Transport Hub which is a grand name for a larger car park at the railway station. The town did not know GWR were involved.

• £3.5 million of money has been requested from developers to fund the ‘hub’

• Not a hub, just an enlarged railway station car park with just 50 parking spaces (£80,000+ per space)

• Contract signed without securing the funding and there is no plan

• Primarily benefits GWR and developers, not residents

There’s at least one better alternative: The Glebe Field car park - 150-250 spaces offered in 2018 at no upfront cost to taxpayers. The council is actively blocking it. The Town Council is neglecting its basic duties and instead seems fixated on a multi-million pound infrastructure project that it has neither the skills nor ability to deliver. 

 

THE TRANSPORT ‘STRATEGY’

The strategy will remove approximately 50% of High Street parking. The Council is spending thousands on consultants to create a detailed plan which councillors say is ‘just for discussion’ with Gloucestershire County Council. The Town Council needs to focus on delivery it’s basic duties and not meddling in re-design of roads and Transport Strategy that it has no control over.

Public consultation?

• ONE DAY in THREE YEARS

• Zero consultation with businesses who will lose customers

• Based on London and San Francisco studies - cities with major public transport networks, unlike Moreton

Democratic mandate?

• Supported by just 4 councillors at a time when council had fewer members than normal

 

THE REDESDALE HALL AUDIT

November 2024 audit was critical of how the council manages meetings. The recommendations have not been followed.

 

THE SEPTEMBER RESIGNATIONS

Three councillors resigned in 24 hours, including the Chair and Vice-Chair plus another since, citing:

• Breakdown with staff

• Lack of transparency

• Contracts signed without funding secured

• Council “boxed into a corner, reliant on developer money”

 

WE DEMAND:

✓ All current councillors resign immediately

✓ Fresh elections

✓ A council that consults residents properly

✓ A council that puts residents before developers and train companies

 

Please sign if you’ve had enough.