Last year, Councillor Reggie Jones gave us this heads-up on the deceitful habits of Chester's Tories.  This week, he provides us with more evidence of the head-in-the-sand attitudes of our local "leaders-in-waiting".

Your readers may be confused about the state of Chester’s prosperity due to different stories that have appeared in the press during the last few years. As a member of the former administration at Chester City Council, I have voiced my opinions on the deceitful nature of what a number of senior Tories continue to air in the press and what they say privately. Earlier in the year I highlighted, through the Chronicle, how the Tory Leader Margaret Parker told a tale of two cities. One tale was of decline, which she blamed the former administration, and the other was of prosperity, which she gave the Tories full credit. She changed stories to suit the audience.

The Tories have been happy to promote scare stories such as ten empty shops were a sign of significant economic decline. The walls are falling down and present a safety hazard. None of this have been truthful and it is unfortunate that many residents and visitors have been hoodwinked into believing this propaganda. Council Leader Margaret Parker, quoted in the Chronicle, page 31, dated 22nd June, said the following:

“When I moved to Chester it was buzzing, the streets were clean, it had the right shops, all of them occupied. We had unique family-run businesses which we don’t have any more. In that time I have seen it decline. I can look out the Town Hall windows and see as I have seen over the last 4 years that people are not coming here. The numbers have slowly diminished.”

Now we find the Leader and the Deputy Leader Stephen Mosley, who is the "leader-in-waiting", are upset and claim the Chronicle is being melodramatic in its analysis of our City. The problem for the Town Hall Tories is that being habitually untruthful has come back to haunt them. They have not grasped the first principle of representative democracy in that residents do not like the art of political lying. They have corrupted the truth and rewritten history on so many occasions even they don't know the truth any more. It is sad for the people of Chester to be represented by these people. Time will judge the merits of the former administration and this one. I can assure your readers that judgement will be hard on Tories who have lost this city millions of pounds worth of investment due to their incompetence.

Regards,

Cllr Reggie Jones

Blacon Lodge

Do you have any experience of the duplicitous behaviour of local Tories?  Please post your comments in the box below.