East Cambs would benefit from independent district councillors who think for themselves

Published: 2:31 PM January 22, 2015

Updated: 6:27 PM December 14, 2020

Congratulations to recently-elected Conservative Councillor Hamish Ross, of Soham, on becoming East Cambridgeshire District Council’s ‘service delivery champion, markets and town centres’.

I don’t know what the grand title of this undoubtedly grand job means, but I wish Conservative Cllr Ross well with it.

I see that Conservative Cllr Ross lists 10 reasons why tourists ‘flock’ to East Cambridgeshire (January 15) and that at the top of the list is ‘free car parking.’

As one of those who opposed parking charges being brought in, I agree with Conservative Councillor Ross.

But parking charges were championed by former Conservative council leader Peter Moakes and they were loyally supported by most – though not all – of the Conservative Party-liners.

I said at the time that Cllr Moakes wasn’t a real Conservative for he also supported Liberal Democrat causes like the so-called Wicken Vision and I was pleased when the Conservatives ditched Cllr Moakes as their leader, replacing him with the much more effective Councillor James Palmer, also of Soham.

All of the above suggests to me that Conservatives are not always Conservative, that Conservatives sometimes get things very wrong, and that Conservative-led East Cambridgeshire would continue to benefit from a leavening of independent district councillors who think for themselves and don’t toe any party line.