From the archive - opposition to rail cuts and councillor apathy
13th May 1999
THE Stratford district’s Tory voters flocked back to the polling stations last Thursday to put their party back in the district council driving seat.
It had been five years since Conservative councillors had outnumbered their Liberal Democrat rivals on Stratford District Council. But last week the Tory faithful helped swing the chamber of Elizabeth House back to the right after electing Conservatives in nine of the 19 contested seats.
It was a superb victory for the Tories even though it fell four seats short of a 28 overall majority and four seats ahead of the Lib Dems.
But the Tory gains were mainly at the expense of the Lib Dems who lost three wards in last Thursday’s elections – Harbury and Studley fell to the Conservatives while Stratford Market Hall was won by Independent candidate, Val Adams.
IF turnout figures have been used in the past to demonstrate public apathy for local government, then this year’s woeful lack of parish council candidates must be an even more worrying portent for grass-roots democracy.
With the election over, many councils are short of their full quota of councillors, with a total of 47 seats left unfilled and the majority of councillors were returned by virtue of being the only ones standing.
Whether councils can get up and running will now depend on last-minute volunteers coming forward. There were fights in just six out of 45 parishes up for elections.
15th May 1964
SIXTY-NINE written objections have been made to the proposed withdrawal of passenger train services – including trains from Long Marston and Milcote – between Oxford and Worcester and Stratford and Worcester, it was disclosed at a public inquiry opened at Evesham yesterday.
Nineteen personal representations were made at the hearing, before the West Midland Transport Users Consultative Committee, on behalf of Stratford and Evesham rural councils, Pebworth and Littleton parish councils, Pebworth’s Institute, individuals from Dorsington and others.
The first objector, Mr E A Goodwin, of Worcestershire County Council, contended that the withdrawal of the services would “considerably whittle down the population of villages on the line”.
16th May 1924
A QUARTERLY meeting of the county council was held at Warwick on Wednesday, under the chairmanship of Lord Algernon Percy.
Cllr R D Guinness presented the budget, which showed that the amount required to carry on the administration of the county during the year had increased to such an extent that the rates for the ensuing year will be raised from 4s 8.5d to 5s 6d—a rise of 9.5d.
The rise is accounted for in this way to pay for the improvement and maintenance of main roads and bridges; educational purposes and the police rate.
