Initially the group was formed in outrage. Outrage at the moral and social bankruptcy that seems endemic in RCT County Borough Council. The straw to break the camels' back for me was the decision to cut the salaries and conditions of the RCT workers at the sharp end such as school dinner ladies; meals on wheels staff; bin men, and home carers whilst at the very same time protecting the over inflated incomes of those earning more than £42,000 and, of course, all Councillors.
Exactly as the disgraceful and cruel coal owners did years ago this Labour controlled RCT authority cut the incomes of the coal face workers whilst they themselves sit on increasing fortunes and at the very same time having the brass-necked gall to spout synthetic sympathy over their 'tough love' decision. So, once again those who could least afford it were left to pay the bill and those who can best afford it, just like the bankers have been, were simply let off scot free. That sense of outrage still exists and has indeed grown. There is an enduring and wonderful maxim buried deep in very the souls of Welsh people - that of “chwarae teg”; that is, 'fair play'. In RCT Council that soul withered and died a very long time ago.
It seems to me and a growing number of others that far too many councillors are interested in the ballot for just a couple of weeks at election time and their wallet for the four years in between. This, I must say doesn't apply to all and there are good councillors who truly represent the wants and needs of the people of their wards. They are however heavily outnumbered and continuously bulldozed by others who were sent to the RCT Council Chamber by the people to represent the people and not some faceless political party who make decisions at Canary Wharf in London. They equate the wants of their party grandees and script writers with the needs of the people. It is rarely if ever the same.
There are, of course other issues like a council leader having 3 or 4 jobs with a collective income of close to £100,000 per annum and being the highest paid councillor in Wales when there are kids living in abject poverty right across the RCT area he leads, or the spending of close to half a million pounds of our rates money on legal opinions when RCT has a legal department stuffed with lawyers. No money for this and no money for that, stony broke until for instance it comes to appointing a new departmental Head of Education who gets a massive £21,000 pay rise to £113,000 on appointment. Was £92,000 a year not enough?
An increasing number of people living in RCT see what's going on and are very angry but frustrated by a system that offers a façade of consultation but in reality ignores their voice because the decisions have already been made before hand. People are made to feel part of a consultation exercise when in fact they are no more than an audience to a decision already taken. Eventually they feel they can get nowhere and so turn away, give up beating their heads against a brick wall and become silent. Problem is, of course, they want that. They want our silence because they can interpret silence as consent. They will not have silence from us. They want meek obedience and they won't get that either. They have the upper hand for now; but it is just for now.
So to sum up; RCT Ratepayers Action Group is an alliance of people from all across Rhondda Cynon Taff who want change. People who want at least some semblance of justice and “chwarae teg”. Like minded individuals who are willing to break their silence and who want to fundamentally alter the existing system for the betterment and proper service of the people of RCT rather than just sitting back quietly watching the continuing ugly twisting of that system to over-service the ever multiplying needs and greeds of the few as it does now.
But RCT RAG is more than this. For instance, the police have just about abandoned our streets to CCTV Cameras. The 'eye in the sky' approach. Health care services are either being downgraded or withdrawn completely as was recently seen with the closures of the Minor Injuries Units at both the Rhondda and Cynon valleys hospital sites. These are just another two of the issues we are formed to address. It's not just RCT Council although they do take the biscuit.
Membership costs nothing and you are more than welcome. We are not in any way allied to any political party and we are very much like the Rate Payers Associations of the past.
For more information please contact me on; 07789761151 or 01443 650478 or graemebeard@yahoo.co.uk That's free too.
There is strength in numbers; there is far less when alone.
Graeme
No comments:
Post a Comment