Coalitions work. New one needed to tackle Slough council’s crisis
"Slough Council has gone 'downhill' since the successful multi-party coalition administration Richard Stokes led from 2004-2008 was replaced by a single party administration consisting entirely of Slough Labour councillors." This was a key message Mathew Taylor, chair of Slough Lib Dems, highlighted in letters published on 13 Jan in the Slough Express and Slough Observer.
Matthew congratulated Richard Stokes, who had recently celebrated his 100th birthday, and focused on this key point from the articles in both papers the previous week that had featured Richard's career and successes.
Matthew explained the Lib Dems "were happy to be part of the successful coalition that Richard led. Now, we are calling for a new coalition to tackle the current appalling financial crisis that Slough's Labour Party councillors have inflicted on the Council and our town.
Surely, working together and using the best ideas and talents of all parties is the only sensible approach for Slough Council to find a way out of the crisis and put residents first?"
Matthew also said that in 2004 a coalition including Labour would have been impossible. Not only were the Labour councillors unpopular for the way they had mismanaged Slough Council, "but also Labour were extremely unpopular nationally because of Prime Minister Tony Blair's mistaken decision to support and join the US invasion of Iraq. Nationally, it was the Lib Dems, led by Charles Kennedy (see photo), who had the courage to stand up and say at the time that Tony Blair was wrong.
But now, Slough Lib Dems say after the election of a new Council in May 2023, the best way to tackle Slough's immense crisis is for all parties (and independents) on Slough Council to agree, however challenging that will be, to form a joint administration."
For Matthew's letter to the Slough Observer, click here: Successful coalitions
For Matthew's letter to the Slough Express, click here: New coalition needed to tackle council crisis