Bournemouth Liberal Democrats
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Letter to the Advertiser - Alderman Douglas Eyre: I would be the first to give support
December 14, 2012 9:18 PM
By Douglas Eyre in Bournemouth Advertiser
By Douglas Eyre in Bournemouth Advertiser
Douglas Eyre
Gordon Cann's letter (December 6) suggests that the "Unite the conurbation" campaign for one city council to cover Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch might pose a threat to democract. I would be the first to support better council accountability and I share Mr Cann's concerns about some of the issues in the local press recently.
However, I think that is a case of things just not being handled properly and it should not stop our area looking at the beniefits of remocing barriers to a better future for our community. Cost savings - yes, there would certainly be those and lower council tac bills must be attractive in these difficult times. For me, though it is a united dynamic vision for this conurbation which is missing. We have a combined population bigger than Southampton and getting on for that of Bristol but we are hitting well below our weight. Three examples*
- New jobs for the future - apart from possibly the Poole Bridge project there has been no real major inward investment creating new jobs for the future for the last 10 years at least.
- Transport - traffic is approaching gridlock when crossing the conurbation at peak times but plans seem to be limited to junction improvements and the like. Where are the innovative city type plans?
- Housing - The prospects for youngsters getting on the housing ladder in these parts are very poor - we need to have a plan for the whole area if we wish to avoid becoming just a retirement area with gradually declining amenities - look around the coast to see where that has happened where nothing has been done.
They're just three areas - and there's more. Planning, health, education and environmental policies could all beniefit by having one authority - as residents we live across these artifical boundaries. I would be the first to support the retention of civics, traditions and community involvement of the existing towns - that's different.
However, for administration and strategy, it's got to be time to put aside old rivalries to be had with cities no just in the UK but around this very competitive global world we now live in too!
Alderman Douglas Eyre, Kirby Way, Southbourne