Statement by the progressive independents

This is The Progressive Independents first public statement since the Local Elections in May. Those Elections were obviously disappointing for us as a Group losing two Councillors. It was, it has to be said ,difficult to campaign and to run a Council at the same time and we want to thank everyone for their huge efforts. Paul, Richard and Claire will be much missed by their wards and by the Council.

So why did the election turn out the way it did ? The Tory vote collapsed, there was a very small turn out and The Greens proved that throwing central office money at a campaign can really work in Districts such as The Forest of Dean.

But this article is more about the Councils administration rather than those elections.

The Greens had a successful election and as the biggest group have a right to try to form an admistration. They did not however have a majority, it was not a complete victory for them .They could even have formed an administration without support from other Groups who could have sat on their hands and distanced themselves as Progressive Independents did.

However,

In simple terms, at the recent FODDC AGM the future of the Forest of Dean was exchanged for some positions in The Council .

In supporting a Green Party administration and Green Chairmanships of nearly every committee ( Audit went to a new Labour Councillor) the Forest of Dean Labour Councillors have handed the future of the Forest of Dean, to the Green Party in its entirety.

You will have all read the many statements from Labour denying any collaboration with the Green Party.

Their voting patterns and the positions they gained at the AGM sadly point to a very different truth.

This is a Labour Party who have consistently spoken against Green politics in the Council , who have consistently lobbied to remove Green Councillors from Cabinet and argued against Green Group proposals in particular in relation to the Cinderford Northern Quarter,Cannop Ponds and the Local Plan.

The hypocrisy displayed by the now former Labour leader (the very councillor quoted in the denial statements) in not only voting for a Green Leader and administration but then being supported unanimously by the Green Party, to attain the heralded position of Chairperson of the Council , is plain to see..

She was a worthy candidate for the role having served the Council for so long, but to achieve it in this manner reflects poorly on all concerned.

Anyone watching the meeting will see the voting patterns, those who did not should go to the council website to check for themselves, and we are sure the same conclusion will be drawn by all, it its blatant, it is obvious , it is totally clear. https://meetings.fdean.gov.uk/documents/g4305/Printed%20minutes%2025th-May-2023%2019.00%20Full%20Council.pdf?T=1

One must now call into question the claims made by the local Labour party that they could only field 7 Candidates in last month's elections. The fact that many of those missing Labour candidates were actually missing from Green Party targeted wards might also now offer a question as to whether that was part of the same pre-election pact.

Ultimately it is a matter for the local Labour Party ,its members and their voters to decide whether they are happy to see the Labour Party in the Forest of Dean become a partner of and subordinate to the Green Party , for by being part of this sell out that's exactly what these Councillors have now decreed that they.
Nothing more than hand servants to another political party in exchange for a few positions in the Council.

There is nothing wrong with political coalitions if you stand by the principles to which you are elected and are honest with your electorate.

The Green Party were successful in our view in the recent elections for several reasons. Some of them are positive because people care about the environment but also because of their campaigning style and what they did not discuss or divulge during the election . For many the non disclosure by the Greens about a number of hugely important local issues suggests a negative and concerning aspect to their plans.

The Labour Party were supposed to be the official opposition but following the AGM and subsequent discussions one can only assume that as they are happy to hand over the Forest of Dean futures to the Greens they may well do the same to Gloucestershire in County Council elections and then even the country in next year’s General Election.

We can only assume that the two Prospective parliamentary candidates for the District for the General Election, Cllr Chris Mcfarling of the Green Party and Cllr Shaun Stammers who declares himself to be the Labour Party candidate, will also do a similar deal or toss a well-used coin to decide which of them will oppose the sitting Conservative MP Mr Harper when the election is called.

Perhaps this Green Lab pact will also decide who will stand where in the county elections telling anyone who will listen that unfortunately they will be unable to field candidates in wards where their partners from their sister party might have a better chance of winning.

This pact, these councillors who are happy to assist a Group they considered a danger to the Forest of Dean a matter of weeks ago, to so easily become the Councils administration will show anyone why party politics is so damaging at Council Level.

If Labour had been open and honest about their dealings and their obvious pact with the Greens ( the Lib Dems did this in the North of the District ) there would be no issue.

But they haven't been, one only needs to examine the statements and then look at the voting patterns and the candidate placements to see this.

Since the Cabinet was named, entirely of Green Councillors despite the promises of an inclusive and mixed administration, there has been an increase in messages to us on social media and via email , from individuals and organisations ,concerned about the future but also asking how 15 Green Councillors, in a Council of 38 , have managed to achieve almost total control in the Council.

The answer is simple, its because of the actions and hypocrisy of the Forest of Dean Labour Group .

For many reasons, we expected better from these Councillors. The actions of Labour were mirrored by another so called Independent Leader ( although not all his group followed him) , who now becomes Chairman of Scrutiny ( another senior position ). The difference is , this Councillor has been doing such deals to strengthen his own position for a decade so his hypocrisy was only to be expected.

They will be reminded of this at every election in the future.