IT'S official, the Conservative group on the district council does not use the Whip to enforce its views. Councillor Peter Amos announced this in the press and repeated it at the full council meeting on October 28. His remarks will come as a surprise to observers of the council.
Coun Len Lawton, for example, held the position of Conservative Whip until a few months ago when he resigned in favour of becoming chairman of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee.
If there is no longer any whipping (and we must assume Coun Amos is truthful and sincere), then voting patterns demonstrate that Conservatives are adept at the game of follow my leader.
This could lead them into some interesting dilemmas. If the rumour that the Government is to attempt to sell off tracts of the Forest proves accurate, then this matter could come before the district council development control committee for debate. What will Conservative councillors do then? The ruling group will follow the Government as both are of the same political persuasion and will wish their members to vote in favour of the sale.
Conservative councillors will then have to decide whether to follow the dictates of their party or their conscience. They must be praying that the matter will not come to a head before next May's election for, if ever there were a test of a candidate's true commitment to local issues, this is it.
There is one person in the Forest with the influence at Government level to kill this matter stone-dead before it progresses any further. Why has Mark Harper, our Conservative Member of Parliament, not spoken?
Dr Daphne Pearson
Redbrook