LETTER: Lacking courage to stand up for beliefs

I looked at the photographs and my immediate reaction was where is Cllr Ray Dawe, our esteemed leader and Cllr Helena Croft his deputy who on 1st May 2013, told the County Times ‘number one (objective) is to support the leader’.

Then I read on and Nik Butler said he had spoken to two other district councillors. I don’t know who these two councillors were. Logically these two councillors must be from the Tory group since the Lib Dems and UKIP have signed the Free Speech Charter.

One was reported as saying: ‘they would need to discuss it in their Group to decide democratically’. What a joke with everything we know that has gone on at HDC!

The signing of the Charter is intended to be a personal and solemn commitment to what in effect is an extension of HDC’s Councillors’ Code of Conduct, which they all agree to individually when they join the council.

It isn’t a ‘Group’ thing. That is what is wrong with this lot, they haven’t the courage to stand up for their individual beliefs.

Nik Butler goes on to say, ‘the other called it ‘ridiculous nonsense and a waste of time and they would not sign it’. Well, at least this other anonymous councillor had made an individual decision. Why doesn’t he/she come out and say that publicly? No, that wouldn’t fit the culture of these Tory councillors – because we’d all know. Let’s do everything in secret.

But the wheels are coming off the bus, Cllrs Ray Dawe and Helena Croft, and we are not in a forgiving mood.

David Shipton

Downsview Road, Horsham