Tories responsible for cuts to parish aid

Paul Gittins is Labour Spokesperson for Wribbenhall.

I found it interesting to read that Councillor Clee, a member of Bewdley Town Council, claimed he was staggered to hear about the Wyre Hill play area and Bewdley bridge proposals and lay the blame on the Health Concern members.

Had he attended more town council meetings or read the minutes of those he missed or left early he would have known that his Conservative colleagues supported all the proposals and that they came from the Finance Working Group of which there are two Conservatives, one Health Concern and one Independent member.

My proposal to fund the play area for a whole year and to consult with the district council for future years was accepted because the district said they had no funding available to run it, although I believe they could have used some of their reserves to run or even improve it.

What was staggering, however, is the district cabinet’s approved proposal to phase out aid to parish councils which would mean that Bewdley Town Council will be over £12,000 short for next year’s funding.

This funding is used not only to maintain the play area but for other projects such as the Christmas lights, war memorial and the town’s flowers. The town council did indeed do a U-turn and I hope the district will do the same with the parish grant and with the funding and improvements to the play area.

PAUL GITTINS Labour Bewdley town councillor