DURING the debate at Essex County Council recently on changes to social services charging policies for domestic care, I noticed within the Labour benches a shiny new framed certificate.
It looked very much like the certificates my mother used to present when she was chairman of the local Co-op Women's guild or the certificate given to my wife when she was 16-years-old to recognise the support and comfort she gave to our valiant soldiers during the Second World War. The support and comfort was knitting socks and scarves for them.
At the meeting, Labour's opposition to the charges was almost non-existent.
All we got was good old war horse Rene Morris putting two questions, accepting the answers, but no retorts.
The party then sat on its hands, there was no call for a named vote, and it gave tacit agreement to our new fairer charging policy.
Oh! The certificate proudly on display had been presented, I believe, by someone within the Labour Party to recognise the Labour group's good work in opposition.
JOE PIKE,
Chairman of Essex County Council's social services committee.
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000.Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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