CLLR Anne Filer suggests that Adrian Fudge, former Council’s Finance Chair, of living in past “heady days of plenty”. This, incidentally, just before proposing, at an urgently called Council meeting, approval of a £400,000 pay off to the Chief Executive.

Lest she forgets - when the minority Liberal Democrat Council was elected in 1991 they inherited a Council spending well in excess of its income. Bournemouth house prices had fallen by best part of a third and it was estimated that half of the towns top hotels were in insolvency. One of the first tasks was a painful removal of a whole tier of deputy managers. Over the next 8 years the books were balanced whilst also dealing with major financial changes from Poll Tax to Council Tax and the introduction of the new Unitary Authority.

If Cllr Filer thinks the present Council is financially transparent, try finding out the true termination costs of the Mouchel debacle, or the Council’s “business bank”. Try to really discover the individual performance of publicly owned venues in BH Live or the true profit/loss that “we” have made on the developments by the jointly owned land company which is covering car parks with flats?

Yes, I do understand the present crisis in public finances and it’s not easy, but one thing really missing now is effective opposition & scrutiny at the Town Hall. About 1 in 7 residents voted Conservative at the last local elections in 2015 electing a Council with 51 out of 54 Tory councillors. It’s the sort of one party state we would criticise in another country!

This lack of democratic scrutiny can result in arrogant government. Adrian continues to take a close interest in the financial management of the Council. He doesn’t cost the Council a penny Anne, and it might just be worth listening a bit more carefully to residents? One thing I did learn as a Council Leader was that I didn’t know all the answers!

Alderman Douglas Eyre

Kirby Way, Bournemouth