As the conservative leadership race draws to a close my vote has been cast. I thought long and hard about which of the two remaining candidates would be best placed to lead our government and I only made my decision after attending the Manchester hustings. Having watched several of the previous hustings and live debates on television I wanted to see and listen to both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss in person before committing my vote to either one of them.
The voices of so many constituents still ring loudly in my ears from the last local elections when it was abundantly clear how honesty and integrity are values you cherish highly. I too share those values and believe they are absolutely essential within leadership.
Another topic I listened to very carefully was the debate on the cost of living crisis with astronomical energy prices going through the roof and food prices eating into weekly budgets far more than we are comfortable with. As much as I believe in limited government intervention and the free market economy we are in a difficult situation where residents of our borough will need help and support over the coming months. I am not alone in believing the necessary support cannot be fully met through tax cuts alone. It seems the covid pandemic and Putin have jointly conspired to make life difficult across the globe and although our Government has taken steps to address this I am convinced more will need to be done before the current crisis is over. I sincerely believe the new prime minister must address this urgently to relieve the hardship and anxiety so many are facing.
Keeping with the theme of vulnerability, albeit in a very different form I was pleased to learn of the progress my colleague Cllr. Peter Winkler has made with his campaign to reinstate the axed school crossing patrols. We know only too well of the constant dangers posed to all road users and if the council is serious about prioritising road safety the decision to cut crossing patrols ought to be revisited as soon as possible. I will look forward to the outcome of this and I personally thank Peter for his efforts to protect another vulnerable group across our community.
Cllr. John Taylor
Rochdale Conservative Group Leader
