Council leader refuses to meet Labour group after water bill outrage

Council Leader, Alan Taylor, has refused to meet with Councillor Colin Lambert over Rochdale's very own 'Water gate'.

The leader of Rochdale Council, Councillor Alan Taylor, has refused to meet with Labour group leader Councillor Colin Lambert to discuss council business.

The leaders of the three political parties in Rochdale hold a regular meeting to talk about council affairs but Councillor Taylor refused to meet Councillor Lambert yesterday (Tuesday 30 September) because he believes that Councillor Lambert misled the electorate when he revealed council plans to evict council tenants who fell behind on water payments.

The papers detailing the proposals were the matter of a private council meeting, which excluded members of the media and public, but Councillor Lambert revealed the papers because he believed they were in the public interest.

“It has come to a sorry pass when the leader of Rochdale Council can’t even speak to the leader of the Labour Party,” said Councillor Lambert. “We are facing an uncertain economic time and there is important council business to be discussed. But while our council leader is blinded by red mist it would appear that the people of Rochdale are of secondary importance.”

“I stand by my decision to publish these plans in the public’s best interest,” he said. “I do not believe it is the job of the council to be evicting people from council housing for the non-payment of a private debt. If Councillor Taylor cannot stand the heat of policies that he created, then maybe he should stand down.”

In response Councillor Taylor has unleashed a vicious verbal attack on the Labour leader, claiming that Councillor Lambert sat on the Cabinet that made an original decision to include water bills with tenant's rent in 2005, when the Council was run by an all-party administration.

Councillor Taylor said: "This policy by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing has been in place since 2005 and has not been changed at all. How many people have been evicted in the three years since this policy has been in place? None!

"I will not discuss complex issues with Councillor Lambert until he apologises for wholly misleading the electorate by claiming this was a recent decision. I cannot comment on Councillor Lambert's actions in leaking this information as this will be the subject of serious disiplinary action.

"The mark of a diligent Councillor is to raise issues of concern and act responsibily in working to change the opinion of the ruling group. Colin Lambert didn't raise this with me or anyone else and went off and misled the public and has effectively scared our most vulnerable in the process."

Councillor Taylor did meet with the leader of the Conservative group, Councillor Ashley Dearnley, yesterday and says that he will continue to meet with him to discuss issues that affect the residents of Rochdale.

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UPDATE

Councillor Lambert has responded to Councillor Taylor's comments by insisting that the threat of eviction for council tenants who do not pay their water bills was a new policy made in a private Cabinet meeting on 15 September, rather than the renewal of an old policy.

His response continued: "It is not true that I have never raised this issue previously. I objected along with then Councillor Brosnan when the collection of water rates went to informal and formal cabinets. The collection of water rates was only agreed on condition that eviction was not part of the policy.

"I spoke at the private cabinet meeting and stated that I believed it was wrong and immoral. There are other ways to collect the water debt, without a threat of eviction. No other resident of Rochdale will face eviction for non payment of water rates."

Councillor Taylor meanwhile is steadfastly refusing to accept Councillor Lambert's stance that this was a new policy introduced only last month. He said: "I reiterate that this decision was made in 2005 when Councillor Lambert was a Cabinet Member. If he was that concerned about it then why did he not change it the year after when in coalition with the Conservatives."