Exeter Labour embarrassed by biggest spend ever

It has been the biggest expenditure by far on a single item in the history of Exeter City Council. So it is remarkable that in the year after it has been unveiled, it barely features in the Labour party campaign. They are embarrassed and the reason is clear - the £44 million cost of the new pool, the new bus station which is too small and a derelict bus station where a promised regeneration was to take place. The leisure service in Exeter is now being propped up by a £2 million per year subsidy when we were sold the notion of low running costs to justify the eye-watering expense of the new pool even before the cost more than doubled.

Labour are as usual featuring Ben Bradshaw prominently in this local election and are of course trying to distract Exeter voters into yet again using their local votes to protest against the Conservatives, despite Ben not having had a single Tory Councillor elected in his constituency since 2016. The remnants of the Conservatives are in decline here and the question really should be about how Labour have made use of their decade of dominance in Exeter and can we do better?

The decline is obvious with examples such as the loss of public toilets, the Clifton Hill leisure centre, the bridge on the quay, festivals, the Community patrol and our dog warden. Exeter is falling towards the bottom of the recycling league table with overflowing bottle banks and litter bins. Planning and Environmental Health enforcement have been stripped and many services are at the bare minimum. Despite claiming a "continued commitment", Labour are gutting community grants to just £15,000 per year - a fund which has supported countless volunteers in community activities for years.

As a Liberal Democrat standing for election this year, residents above all tell me they want to be heard and for the area near them to be clean, safe and well maintained. This core purpose of Exeter City Council has been lost under Labour as we are weighed down with the rising costs of debt to pay for their blunders. This isn't just about government funding - nearby Councils manage to do better.

When the General Election comes around, we can all choose our government. This year, I encourage voters to choose Liberal Democrat candidates to open our Council to accountability and to reconnect it with the people it is meant to represent.

Adrian Fullam
Liberal Democrat candidate for St Thomas