Previously I posted blogs about motions being put to Walsall Council’s Monday night meeting. To update you on what happened……….

The motion regarding the NHS – asking the Council to write to the Government and local MPs to tackle various NHS-related problems – was, after a minor amendment (the Tories had to politicise the wording didn’t they!) unanimously approved. For your information, I didn’t vote for the Tory amendment, but did vote for the substantive motion.

But the motion asking the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to highlight local problems regarding the implementation of Universal Credit, and asking the Government to halt the rollout until the problems are fixed, was voted down by the Tories.

Both Short Heath Tory Cllrs Chattha and Cooper voted against the motion, which shows how little they care about those amongst their constituents who are eligible for Universal Credit.

The Tory excuse for voting it down was that local authorities can’t change national policy. I beg to differ. It is often only by local politicians putting pressure on their national counterparts that changes to government policy are brought about. When councillors are hearing horror stories of how their constituents are getting a raw deal because of central government decisions, they have a duty to act; and they have a duty to tell the Government loud and clear when their policies are not working. If we can’t do that for our constituents, we are not truly representing them!

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