Tories leave Gloucester with dire legacy

The shocking true state of the Conservative’s 20 years of failure in running Gloucester City Council has been uncovered by the new Liberal Democrat leadership.

May’s local elections saw the Conservatives lose control after 20 years in charge and left the council in no overall control.

The Liberal Democrats were left as the largest party after winning 17 of the 39 seats up for grabs – just three short of an overall majority.

In just a few weeks, the Lib Dems have revealed the list of the 10 worst failures of the former Conservative administration.

These are:

* The failure to produce audited accounts since 2020/21

* Crucial contracts such as payment services platform not renewed on time putting the organisation at risk

* The famous Tall Ships Festival came in £100,000 over budget due to a fall income from ticket sales and sponsorship

* The collapse of the Club at Tuffley cost the city council £170,000

* A vacuum of ideas with the council treading water. Understaffing is also making completing simple tasks difficult

* Unnecessary uncertainty over the future of Gloucestershire Airport

* The sudden closure of the GL1 leisure and uncertainty surrounding the current temporary contract, which has so far cost £60,000

* The collapse of Marketing Gloucester Ltd with £1 million of debts severely damaged the reputation of the council

* Planning enforcement is overworked and under resourced with a massive backlog on unprocessed enforcement action

* Grass cutting unilaterally stopped by the former leader in certain residential areas of the city, which we have restarted

The Liberal Democrats formed the administration after winning the most seats in May’s local elections with 17.

The Conservatives have 11 councillors, Labour on seven and the Independents on four.

The Liberal Democrats had gone into the election campaign promising to improve core services, support the local economy, deliver more affordable housing and make Gloucester carbon neutral by 2030.

The Lib Dem manifesto, Putting the heart back into Gloucester, makes a series of pledges to improve important local services should they take control of the city council.

Councillor Jeremy Hilton, the Liberal Democrat leader of Gloucester City Council, said: “Twenty years of Conservative rule have left the city council in intensive care with services cut to the bone.

“When the Lib Dems were given the responsibility of picking up the mess left by the Conservatives, we committed to putting the heart back into Gloucester.

“We will do our best to adapt and innovate but the reality is that these cuts have had a profound impact on the services we can provide to our community.

“We have been left shocked at the legacy left to the city by the Conservatives. Their legacy is one of neglect and indifference.

“The Conservatives have systematically dismantled the financial foundation of the city council leaving us struggling to provide even the most basic services.

“Our residents deserve better, and we shall be pressing the new Labour Government to do more to support hard pressed district councils like Gloucester.”

Councillor Declan Wilson, deputy council leader and cabinet member for resources, added: “The city council is facing significant financial challenges due to deep cuts in public spending by the last Conservative Government.

“It has resulted in reduced funding and increased fiscal pressures on many councils across the country, and Gloucester is no exception.

“We are doing everything in our power to manage the budget effectively, but the terrible Conservative legacy has left us with few options.”