CAMPAIGNERS have slammed the ruling Conservatives’ decision to block plans for a Windsor town council (WTC) as “pathetic” and “poor”.
But they remain hopeful this is not the end and a town council for the unparished areas of Windsor is “inevitable”.
Since 2019, campaigners have been fighting for a WTC to be set up in order to bring local democracy and accountability back to the 21,000 Windsor electorates.
The paper and online petition has garnered a combined 2,004 signatures.
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Despite the council undertaking a review into a WTC and two rounds of consultation, the ruling Conservatives shot down officer recommendations of establishing a town council at a full council meeting on July 20.
They believed the 3.23 per cent response rate from the second consultation, which got 679 responses, “was not a good mandate” to establish a WTC and increase costs to Windsorians through the precept.
The Tories also deemed this extra layer of governance as “unnecessary” with 21 town councillors covering the unparished areas.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Richard Endacott, chairman of the West Windsor Residents’ Association, said this “proves” that Maidenhead councillors are “dominating” the decision-making and depriving what Windsor residents want.
He also slammed the administration reasons that there is no appetite for a town council as “disappointing” and “weak” as over 2,000 Windsorians signed a petition for the creation of one.
Mr Endacott claimed they could have “easily” doubled the number of signatures if it wasn’t for lockdown.
He said: There is real anger that once again political party loyalty has gone in the face of honest and open debate and that’s the biggest disappointment out of everything because the arguments were pathetic. No substance to them whatsoever and ours was very robust and very thought through and countered every single one.”
“To deny Windsor residents the same level of representation [as other parish areas] is just astonishing, and I think it’s sad that they're so blinkered by party politics that they cannot see the bigger picture and hiding behind lack of interest is just poor because that’s simply not true,” he added.
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But it’s not all doom and gloom as campaigners remain hopeful a WTC will happen in the next few years.
However, Mr Endacott believes the Tories have “blown the opportunity” to shape a town council and could find themselves in a pinch when they stand for Windsor wards at the 2023 borough election.
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