Council debate leaves a nasty taste

The key debate in December's Council meeting left a nasty taste in the mouths of some who listened to it.

Cllr Halstead (Labour) one of the youngest members of Rushmoor Council, put down a motion expressing his concerns about the poor customer service of some of our housing associations.

I share his concerns, and like him, I feel the Council could do far more to make housing associations provide a better service to our local tenants.

Yet the reaction from most of the Conservative councillors who spoke was aggressive, destructive and demeaning.

While the motion could have framed better, in no way did that justify the venom with which their objections were put. And their accusations that the motion was in some way "political" amounted to rank hypocrisy from a Conservative group that has ridden roughshod over objections from others.

The only statesmanlike comment from the Conservatives came from the Council Leader who, while disagreeing with the motion, did so in a balanced way, thanking the young councillor for his contributions.

If that's the standard of debate we can expect from the majority of Conservatives on the Council, I'm sure voters will express their dissatisfaction and distaste at the next opportunity.