'Purdah in Powys'

19th March - It’s Purdah in Powys

Monday 19th March is the last day that you will be able to table any ‘politically sensitive’ questions to Powys County Councillors.

May 3rd is election day, when voters in Powys will select their future town, local and county councillors. Councillors are elected for four years so it will be May 2016 (there is rumour that the law may change allowing elections every five years from now forward) before we next have a chance to choose the people who will be representing us and our interests over the next years.

More power is being devolved to local council level and the introduction of ‘localism’, the ramifications of which are still not fully appreciated by both the electorate and the elected, will mean that the decisions made by our elected councillors, both local and county will have a significant effect on county and local communities.

Remember, county councillors are elected to represent us the voters and are meant to listen and act on our views. There has probably been little enough listening over the last few years and CRAP proposes to ask the leaders of all parties, and all those who put their names forward for election whether they will commit themselves to ‘grasp the nettle’ and take on the responsibility, so sadly missed by present councillors (Councillor Hopkins, are you listening?) to support our campaign and instigate an instant review of Parking Policy supporting both businesses and residents across the whole of Powys.

It’s about time that residents and businesses were listened to. We are tabling a Freedom of Information request to Powys so that BEFORE THE ELECTIONS ON MAY 3RD. we the electorate know not only exactly where each and every councillor stands on this important matter but also we have the full facts and figures on the costs and income derived from the first year of Powys County Council taking over responsibility for Civil Parking Enforcement. Without the facts, we just won’t know whether CPE has been an effective policy or an expensive farce.

REMEMBER if you have any questions, or want us (or your councillor) to ask Powys County Council anything on your behalf, DO IT BEFORE 19th MARCH!

Over the next few weeks and the lead up to the elections, we shall be blogging reactions to our request for a statement of commitment from both councillors seeking re-election and the new blood hoping to become councillors, and will publish answers to the questions we have asked in our Freedom of Information request. We shall also blog anything else pertaining about Parking which we feel will interest our ever expanding readership both here and those in the over fifty countries following CRAP’s campaign.