Quick, this Public Money isn’t going to spend itself!

27th OCT 2024

When four year old Timmy is in the supermarket with his pocket money, how long does it take him to think of something he wants to spend it on, to insist on wanting it and get that pocket money spent? Money through fingers in 10 seconds?

Of course a four-year old might be spending how much? A pound?

Town Councillors decide the spending of tens of thousands of pounds, and they do this time and again. Do they need to justify the spending to a grown-up like little Timmy does? No, but they do have responsibilities and should be accountable as per the Nolan Principles.

Let’s face it anyone who is or has been a parent to a four year old knows how utterly committed they can be to their own decision making. When questioned, they immediately will articulate that whatever it is they have just said they want IS exactly what they want, and yes mummy that they have thought about it a lot. The pace of the chain of events from having the money available to spending it can be quite breathtaking!

Ross-on-Wye is clearly a town where many people do indeed worry about Town Council spending decisions…

Town Councils only have PUBLIC money to spend, not their own personal pocket money. Is it worth remembering this when we vote for Town Councillors? Perhaps we should think to ourselves how we would rate Councillors on the following criteria “on a scale of Timmy to Ten”:

- Is this person good at getting value for money when they make spending decisions?
- Do they carefully consider if what they are spending the money on is wise?
- Are they doing it in-line with the wishes of those they represent?
- Are they listening to all their fellow councillors adequately?
- …and have they slowed down spending processes to a considered pace, to ensure all these things happen?

Public money is YOUR money, NOT the Town Councillors’ money.

Councillors have a responsibility to provide Accountability, Transparency and Openness, as per the Nolan Principles.

Now, examples please… crayons are provided…

In a recent meeting of Ross-on-Wye Town Council it was decided that £25,000 of Public Money was to be spent on a feasibility study for pedestrianisation. This was along with what sounds like a big flat whopping-great terrace outside the Market House that would change this important historical view forever, or at least until a flood washes it away or it falls apart in slew of loose gravel.

In that meeting the Town Council was told this huge amount of money had become available by a Herefordshire Councillor who had come along to tell them it was no longer needed for another study. It did at least seem that the spending was shifted to a being spent on a pedestrianisation study at Timmy-like speeds!

Nowhere in that meeting’s minutes was it recorded that any Councillor had questioned whether the decision of what to now spend the money on was one that had to be made right there and then.

IF it was a stipulation that the decision had to be taken right at that moment “or else mate”, then it wasn’t something minuted as being challenged?

Of course, it is hardly believable that the councillors were pressed into committing the spending right there and then in the few minutes available. If they could have asked for more time to consider it why didn’t they? Why opt for what had all the appearance of a toddler at-sweet-purchasing-speed decision?

Could there have been other ideas? Of course, here’s just one….

Following the flooding which decimated the trade of businesses through road closures, why did no Town Councillor present even think to suggest using the funds to work out the feasibility of a project to stop the Brookend Street flooding? Tip - one of them would have done exactly that but unfortunately was away.

Did any Councillor suggest that being a huge amount of public money to spend, that they first talk to all the other councillors who couldn’t attend the meeting, to make sure other ideas weren’t overlooked? Well, no, nothing like that was minuted and £25,000 is a LOT of money.

To make a hash(tag) of it, perhaps on occasion councillors could: #BeLessTimmy with decisions?

“No mummy, I have thought about it, I really want it, it is what I want”.

Want to read more… how about this article about ideas and projects?