Leader tells council to ‘just get to it’ as he outlines vision for Telford's long term future
A council leader has set out his vision to ‘secure Telford’s future for 50 years’ as he told colleagues to ‘just get to it’.
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Councillor Lee Carter, who is entering his second year as Labour leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, set out how it will be investing hundreds of millions of pounds in investment and regeneration projects across the borough.
He pledged to keep ‘fortnightly garden waste collections at no additional cost’, and free council car parks as the borough continues to hold the title of setting ‘the lowest council tax in the Midlands.’
He also defended public service of all kinds – from the ‘ultimate public service’ of serving in the military, to AFC Telford United’s stirring performances on the football field and the memory of long serving councillor Chris Turley.
“My promise as leader to residents has always been that every day while we hold these positions of power and influence, I promise you all we will do whatever it takes to invest, care and protect the many things that matter most to you,” said Councillor Carter.
“My ask of you all is that we just get to it.”
Councillor Carter (Arleston & College) said: “I’m very proud that in a time of huge challenges for local government here in Telford & Wrekin we set a budget to invest £365m in the borough to create jobs, skills, new homes and improve transport and green spaces and boost our town centres and support local businesses.”
Councillor Carter’s speech to the annual meeting of Telford & Wrekin Council on Thursday also included a pledge to complete major regeneration projects by 2027. That will be the next time voters will be asked to go to the polls in borough wide elections.
He said the Labour administration is making “giant strides in making the borough a better place to live, work, learn and socialize.”
He added: “We will ensure that this borough is well equipped for the next 50 years.”
Councillor Carter launched a defence of public service which he later told the Local Democracy Reporting Service was a response to what he called a “DOGE mentality’ spreading United States and ‘undermining public service.’
In his speech he praised the Armed Forces as the “ultimate public service”.
But he added that: “In the day jobs of thousands of council staff every day we also see tremendous public service being displayed by our Telford & Wrekin staff and elected members all with a common aim of creating a better borough and helping improve the lives of all our residents.
“I am genuinely proud of what we have achieved and what we will continue to achieve in the name of public service.”
He added that the his colleagues can “take inspiration” from the way football brings people together, from the example of deceased former colleague Chris Turley.
And he added that they should “Take inspiration from each other as we continue our work to create a better borough.”
Responding, Conservative leader Councillor Tim Nelson (Newport North) said there are “many problems in the borough” which “have not been discussed or alluded to’.
Councillor Nelson admitted as a new group leader that he has “not succeeded as well as I would have liked”. And he referred to being “reminded of that, which has been charming.”
The Tory group leader accused some members of the ruling Labour group of making ‘highly partizan’ rants’ instead of responding to offers of ‘cross party collaboration’.
Councillor Nelson said: “We’ve listened to a plea from the leader many times for cross party collaboration and for us working in a cross party way.
“That has normally been followed by a speech from one of his colleagues which has been anything but cross party.
“It has usually been a highly partizan rant of some kind and that’s a shame because we can be heated, we can be passionate. We do not have to be rude, we do not have to make personal remarks and I have tried hard not to. So we can hope.”
Lib Dem group leader Councillor Bill Tomlinson (Shawbirch & Dothill) warned against ‘grandstanding’ and took a grassroots view of the role of councillors.
He said: “We are here to represent people not to make speeches.
“What we are here for is to listen to what they come to us and ask us to do.”
He added: “We should always remember that and not look to grandstand.
“Wouldn’t it be great if we could all take a pledge that we could all try and leave our wards as a better place than when we first started and also towards the borough
“So that when we finish being councillors we can look back and say at least we’ve tried to make our wards a better place.
“We should try and deliver on that without too much hot air.”
