One of the campaign’s supporters sends us her reflections on the recent board meeting and last week’s Scrutiny Meeting at which supposedly independent board rubber stamped the closure decision, apparently voting on purely party political lines:
I am apalled about the outcome of the scrutiny meeting, a board that agrees the process of consulation was inadequate but which voted with Labour regardless? What a mockery of the system!
I went to the budget meeting (couldn’t make the scrutiny meeting), and realised this is not about saving or cutting services: it is about point scoring and Labour versus the Cons and Lib Dems.
I was very sad to witness this first hand at the budget meeting. Following a huge demonstration, the meeting was delayed and I had to fight to get a place in the public gallery, and judging by all the Leeds city council badges on view, I think myself and one or two others were the only real public in there!
After a long meeting and a vote, it was all over. Excellent arguments had been put across for the non-closure of the crisis centre, but to no avail.
I was deflated. As I was leaving the gallery, I passed Cllr Lucinda Yeadon [lead councillor for adults' services - see her pledges to protect front line services on her website]. She was making her way to Sandie Keane [Director of Adult Services, paid huge amounts of taxpayers' money to serve our most vulnerable people]. They do not know me, but I know them.
Sandie Keane was smiling and said ‘well done’ to Lucinda, she’d won!
So this is not about saving lives, proper and legal consultation, it is about getting one over the opposition, and the glee on these two women’s faces and the comments made proves it. Clearly they did not know a member of the public was beside them, probably assuming none got into the chamber. But never mind, it seems to have improved her career path, and that seems to be all that counts nowadays.
I feel very let down by my council, and hope we have raised lots of awareness of major flaws in the system. Think carefully before you vote and elect people who will go back on their pledges, put their interest and careers first. They do not seem to want to serve their citizens just benefit themselves. I hope they feel some shame.
The next step begins.
A very unhappy Leeds tax-payer and voter.
Many of us have fought long and hard to save The Crisis Centre. I believed commonsense and good would win-how could somebody who proports to work on behalf of what the people of Leeds want, and, more importantly, on behalf of our most vulnerable citizens, fail to see the wealth of support for keeping the centre and the proof of it’s necessity?
What I hadn’t reckoned on was that we did not all have an equal playing field. Whilst those of us fighting to keep The Crisis Centre were using strong, reasoned arguements, openness and honesty, we were to be met with underhand, devious motives and a list of untruths too long to mention. Whilst I am more saddened than I have words for that it seems we will lose this vital service, I can hold my head high and say I fought with truth, honesty, concern for my fellow citizens and emotion. I suspect many councillors would say the same, but this would be as believable as the idea that they are working for our good. Is corrupt too strong a word to describe the actions and motives of some of ‘our’ councillors? Perhaps, perhaps not. I have my own thoughts and so far, they are doing nothing to change my opinion of them.