Letter to Western Mail: Wrexham Council Committed to Protecting Local Community

3.21.39pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 21st Sep 2006

Sir,

Karen Sinclair's attack on Wrexham Council in yesterday's letters is yet another example of Labour AMs refusing to accept the shortcomings of their own administration. They continue to beat financially restrained local councils with an oft-used stick, whilst they are responsible for their underfunding.

She states that Wrexham council are undoing the good work done in tackling anti-social behaviour, yet she fails to mention why.

Unfortunately, in Wrexham as in many other local authorities across Wales, Labour have imposed severe financial cut-backs that make well-meant schemes like that of the Community Wardens nearly impossible to deliver. The Liberal Democrat council has long acknowledged the benefits of these individuals within local communities, yet without funding wardens cannot be sustained.

Perhaps Ms Sinclair could suggest how the money to sustain the scheme can be found, rather than, like the rest of her party, making promises to communities that cannot be delivered.

Ms Sinclair also made no mention of the fact that the Liberal Democrat council in Wrexham is committed to improving community safety and reducing crime rates through putting more Police Officers and Community Support Officers on the beat, disproving her accusation that the council are undoing the work of tackling anti-social behaviour in Wrexham.

Can we have less of this Labour point-scoring from Karen Sinclair and more emphasis on the reality in Wrexham; that the council are committed to protecting the local community.

Eleanor Burnham,

Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for North Wales