Tories In Turmoil: Melt Down Over Iffy Land Sale

Apparently the Tories have been in Turmoil in Trafford these last three weeks. Right under our noses. Fair Deal Phil has noticed what is going on spitting distance away from me and blogged about it.

Dear Susan Williams sacked two Exec Members more than two weeks ago. Because they wouldn't let her get her own way over a land sale. They say the price is THREE QUARTERS OF A MILLION under the market value, diddling the people. Last night she officially lost a third Exec member and his letter of resignation from 16th October has found its way - warts and all - into the pages of the local paper (who had reported the resignation on the 17th).

As well as suggesting her style in working with the Executive was unsatisfactory Councillor John Lamb suggested she was railroading through a pet plan on the "New Town Hall" project in which she has already been in deep water.

Fair Deal Phil was also first to the news on the last particularly shining example of why Ms Williams has already more than exceeded the level of her competence and MUST NOT be even considered by the people of Bolton West as their MP.

It was great news and I might as well repeat that story and the trimmings that went with it:

Better than the BBC, bloggers these days. Dr Pauleen Lane CBE, former Labour leader of Trafford Council and a Mayor - made to drive herself and her baby around while the official car carried the mayoral chain - has won £7,000 for her charity and cost stubborn and stupid Tory Leader Cllr Susan Williams some £200,000 from her budget in an arrogant insistence on dragging a mother and child through the courts.

Mrs Williams, herself famously mother of a young child when she stood elsewhere in 2001 and when the Tories took control through boundary changes in 2004, has surely lost any chance she had of unseating supermum the Rt Hon Ruth Kelly in Bolton.

Her travails also including a thankfully failed attempt to have the much-loved Town Hall demolished, slashes to the budget for the Mersey Valley Wardens Service, and - can this be right? - opposition to more Trams to Oldham and Rochdale, and towards Stockport and Tameside as well as being extended in Manchester. Lib Dem Stockport also voted against. Trafford look meaner. THEY ALREADY HAVE THEIR TRAM.

Rather Laugh Out Loud hilariously Susan is an Associate at Millar Consulting, Transforming Local Government. Apparently:

She brings unparalleled, up-to-date knowledge of Metropolitan Councils to the team, and managing the issues they face.

So that's alright then. These multiple cases of disgracing rather than transforming local government must just be a chance pattern of completely isolated incidents.


Cllr Salmon (Salford, Labour) biked, Cllr Fildes (Williams, Trafford, Tory) walked ran and Cllr Hackett (Manchester, Labour) swam in the triathlon relay. Presumably Salmon was fed up of the water?

CORRECTION: Pauleen was Group Leader but not Council Leader I think. This was probably all about Susan trying to be "top dog" and nothing to do with good sense. Pauleen offered to take £5,000 for her charity at the outset. Susan blamed Pauleen for the expense that Susan ran up trying to get her own way. You couldn't make it up.