TCI Commentary:
Interesting tale from Norfolk, where a local consultation on children’s centres degenerates into a social media spat about the motives of opponents of the Council’s plans.
A local Conservative MP dismisses the protesters as ‘playing politics’ and they in turn respond by insisting they are ‘doing politics’.
Nice distinction – and captures the essence of our case in The Politics of Consultation where we argue that a well-crafted consultation enables a genuine, evidence-focused debate.
Too often, however, politicians ‘play the person rather than the ball’. And in this case, they are too busy attacking each other when they should be addressing the real issues and the dilemma that confronts Councils trying to work out the future for children’s services.
Article:
Great Yarmouth MP Brandon Lewis has enraged campaigners fighting to keep children’s centres open in Norfolk by saying they embodied the “shouty reality” of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party.
Norfolk County Council’s controversial plan to save £5m by closing 46 of its 53 centres has met with fierce opposition. It says it wants to focus on frontline services rather than buildings.
But critics say communities can’t afford to lose a vital service and claim the public consultation has been misleading.
Police had to be called to a meeting of Great Yarmouth Borough Council where the issue was being discussed this week. Protestors in the public gallery had been shouting and had refused to leave.
It prompted MP Brandon Lewis to accuse Labour of playing “party politics”.
We saw the shouty reality of Corbyn’s Labour Party in Great Yarmouth this week, shipping people in from Norwich to try & boost their noise. No real regard for welfare of local vulnerable children, just playing politics.
— Brandon Lewis (@BrandonLewis) November 3, 2018
The MP’s comments sparked a barrage of reaction from opponents.
https://twitter.com/joannethurtle/status/1058819412059414528
I'm "doing politics" not "playing politics". We kept every single children's centres open for a reason. I will fight tooth & nail to protect them. If we don't protect norfolk's children then what even does a county council exist for? Campaigning alongside communities IS politics https://t.co/FxYfNZyp9N
— TCemma (@TownCloseEmma) November 3, 2018
Meanwhile, campaigners held another protest against the plan – this time in Downham Market.
They were collecting petition signatures and said closing children’s centres would put pressure on other services, including GPs.
Mr Lewis…over 400 people signed a petition against the closure of Downham Market Childrens Centre today and they were definitely not all Labour supporters. And whilst I, an ordinary person, have visited the Childrens Centre our own county councillor has not.
— Rebecca Elliott (@Bexview) November 3, 2018
This article originally appeared on ITV News
The Institute cannot confirm the accuracy of this story or confirm that it presents a balanced view. If you feel this is inaccurate we would welcome your perspective and evidence that this is the case.
