Liberal Candidate: Roger Jenking
Biographical Details
Roger Jenking has lived in Wood Farm for several years and works on the edge of the ward as a Field Studies teacher. A former school governor, Parliamentary candidate and Parish Councillor, Roger has been a Liberal for over thirty years and has carried the Party's standard in Wood Farm for a long time, being a candidate in Wood Farm elections every year since 1993. Last year he got his highest ever vote. He is Editor of the Wood Farm Liberal which goes to most fo the ward's homes in February or March each year. Roger has other interests and is long time County Organiser of Baby Milk Action and, at present, is much involved in opposing the proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment. A single 50 year old, he still plays the odd informal game of Aussie Rules Football, to which his fanatical loyalty is much misunderstood (!), and Rugby League and keeps up his Volleyball and Circuit Training.
The Party
The Liberal Party consists of principled individuals who put freedom and participatory democracy first and are determined that none shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity. They rejected the old Liberal Party's merger with the SDP in the late eighties.It is a small but not minute party, strong in several English regions. We have many more Councillors nationwide than the Green Party.
The Promise
Everything which you read in this leaflet will be relevant to the City Council elections. For this purpose, Liberal have no interest in how well or badly the Government or County Council is diong. You can't do anything about these when you are voting for a City Councillor.This is in line with the promises that we make in the Voters Charter which as pioneered by Oxford Liberals. Let us hope that other Election leaflets do the same thing!
The Problems
Oxford has had exclusively Labour control for 18 years. Statistics show that it is not well governed. The two things are connected.People who work for the City Council are as efficient as anyone else. All Councillors are elected with good intentions. So what is the problem? It may be that Labour control has become stale and complacent.
Some examples: despite its high Council Tax, Oxford processes planning applications more slowly than just a handful of other Councils. A few years ago it was shown that Oxford re-let Council houses seven times more slowly than Rugby. Locally, two small parks were shut all through last year's summer holidays. The outdoor swimming pool was closed one hot summer day because the Council had sent Leisure staff on holiday at the height of the summer! If you use the Council Office in Wood Farm, it can only help you with housing enquiries.
A last example: some time ago, a Liberal found a nail in some exercise equipment in South Park. Instead of sending someone who lives in Headington home five minutes early with a clar hammer, Council staff had to make out a work order for staff at Cuttleslowe Park. Bureaucracy gone made!
Towards a Solution
One Councillor can only put forward suggestions but fresh thinking is desperately needed at Council level. Government is already interfering in local government to an unacceptable degree. If Oxford fails to improve, it could impose solutions.- The Housing Office in Wood Farm should be a one stop office for all services preferably combined with a County Council office. Many Councils already have these.
- In the absence of a Parish Council, there should be a Ward Neighbourhood Council with controls passed down from the City. Power to the people!
- Council admin. should be shaken up. Simple single function departments should be looked after by matching Council Committees: Parks, Housing, Refuse and so on, meeting in the evening to encourage working people to stand for Council. Old fashioned titles like Mayors and Sheriffs should be done away with.
- Public meetings dominated by Councillors and the Council's newspaper should be replaced with meetings at which Council Chairs are questioned by people and a simple leaflet with Council decisions, events and contacts.
- Tenants to have more control of Council housing.
- Council to collect re-cyclable material from housing.
- Wood Farm Rec, to be reserved for play and the ornamental areas grassed over.
- Outside experts to look at Council efficiency.
- Support for existing scheme to reduce traffic in City Centre as first step. More radical measures quickly.
- Detailed thought of environmental impact of all Council Decisions.
