Carl Faulkner
Independent
Spotland & Falinge Ward
If elected, I will be the only councillor who will not take any councillor allowances.
Two years on from the last local elections, councillors have not cut their own generous income they receive from the council by a single penny, but many local people have lost their jobs because of council cutbacks. What does that tell you? There are many people throughout the Borough who work extremely hard in a truly voluntary capacity. They do not expect nor receive financial reward. I believe councillors should be no different and their time should be given freely – or not at all.
I am standing as an Independent because I genuinely believe we need councillors who are not part of the three-ring circus that passes for local democracy. Local issues should be left to local people whose passion is their town and not their chosen, private political organisation. A councillor is not elected to deal with national issues and any councillors who think they are part of the national political scene are deluding themselves and the people who elect them. Let our MP concern himself with such matters. That’s what he’s paid for.
The primary purpose of an elected councillor is to ensure our council acts in the best interests of the people it serves - not in the interests of itself. Far too often our councillors are too busy promoting the alleged achievements of their chosen party to properly undertake this basic function.
I will support all who act in the best interests of Spotland and our town regardless of their own party affiliations.
Party politics has let us down. It’s time for a true Independent Spotland voice on the council; someone whose mind is not shackled because they have been elected under a party banner of convenience.
Over the last five years or so, I have attended all but one of the local area forums and have been the chair for the last two years. This is a platform where local issues are raised by residents with a view to finding a solution. I have no recollection of three of the candidates ever attending a forum meeting, or showing any interest in trying to do something about the local issues that concern residents. Is this really the type of person that is suitable to be a councillor?
Aside from the day-to-day work of helping local residents, it will be my objective to make our council and councillors more accountable.
1) The council constitution needs to be changed so that all councillors’ votes are recorded and published.
2) The Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014 will become law this summer. It is a disgrace that RMBC is one of a handful of remaining councils that continues to bar the recording of council meetings that are open to the public. The above regulations will give members of the public a legal right to record such meetings. I will do my utmost to make it council policy that all public meetings should be recorded as a matter of course and be made available to all.
Our town desperately needs to break away from the endless cycle of party politics and the sooner we start electing independent candidates, the better it will be for us all. At the last local elections, I came a close 2nd and I genuinely believe that I can be the first Rochdale councillor elected as an independent in over 40 years.
www.votefaulkner.co.uk
