First Mayor to be elected from an English Political Party in the News

Published Date: 13 August 2009 IN THE SHOREHAM HERALD
By Ian Hart

I THINK the phrase goes something like "a new broom sweeps clean", and I'm indebted to Ellis Rodda for bringing my attention to the following tale.

On his first morning as mayor of Doncaster, Peter Davies cut his salary from £73,000 to £30,000, and on the same morning he closed the council's in-house newspaper for "peddling politics on the rates".

Mayor Davies is now pressing ahead with plans he hopes will see the number of town councillors cut from 63 to just 21, saving local taxpayers £800,000.

Mr Davies has said: "If 100 senators can run the United States of America; I can't see how 63 councillors are needed to run Doncaster."

He has withdrawn Doncaster from the Local Government Association and the Local Government Information Unit, saving another £200,000, citing both bodies as "all talk, no action".

The subject of twinning has also come under the microscope.

"Doncaster is in for some serious untwinning.

"We are twinned with probably nine other places around the world and they are just for people to fly off and have a binge at the council taxpayers' expense."

The mayor's chauffeur-driven car has been axed and the driver given another job within the local authority.

Mr Davies was elected in May, under the banner of the English Democrats, a party that wants tighter immigration curbs, an English parliament and a law requiring every public building to fly the flag of St George.

He has also promised to end council funding for Doncaster's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month.

He says: "Politicians have got completely out of touch with what people want.

"We need to cut costs, I want to pass on some savings I make in reduced taxes and use the rest for things we really need, like improved children's services."

So the million dollar question, the view of a right wing homophobic northerner, or the voice of reason?

Or simply someone who has said enough is enough and got in a position to make changes?

We must not forget that it is the British that are denying England its political recognition, the British MPs we have sent to parliament to represent England, it is these who are to blame. Until we have our own English MPs not British MPs representing England nothing is going to change.