The author of the Telford & Wrekin Council cabinet report that gave rise to yesterday’s press release on the cost of the city region has today forwarded me a copy of the report.
The cost of the city region to Telford residents is estimated at £100k over the next 4 years but nowhere in the document is there an estimate of the financial benefits. Is that because there aren’t any, because they don’t know or because they don’t want to say? If it’s the latter then why not and if it’s the former then why are they joining if they don’t know whether it will benefit the town?
Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet approved Telford’s entry into the city region months ago before the final proposals had been drawn up and before a cost was put on membership. How could they claim to know that it would be of benefit to the town at that time?
What is really interesting about the document, though, is what isn’t said. Or rather, what has been deleted from the document before it was made public. For instance, there was a paragraph in the report regarding the city regions ambitions regarding tax raising powers which has been deleted from the report. There was also a large section on the structure of the city region board which has also been deleted – the board will be made up of the leaders and the chief executive of the councils involved. How, therefore, can the leader of Telford & Wrekin Council recommend that the cabinet approve the proposal and vote in favour of the proposal himself when he has a prejudicial interest? How can the chief executives of any of the councils involved claim impartiality when they all have to gain something from the city region?
There are so many questions to be answered, will anyone from the city region local authorities step up and answer them?
The report can be viewed here.
