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Labour adopts Lib Dem policy

From the archive, first published Monday 4th Aug 2003.

Oxford's Labour councillors should have a chance publicly to explain their recent U-turn on leisure centres in Oxford.

A recent council environment committee heard Labour's new plans to dispose of the centres to a workers' co-operative, though there was no document on the council website to explain such a significant change.

Now, notwithstanding that this was the previous Lib Dem/Green administration's preferred option, and that Labour distributed leaflets at the last election scaremongering about this `privatisation', this is at first sight a welcome adoption of Lib Dem policy.

But perhaps they could clarify the following:

Whether leisure users and other stakeholders will be democratically and equally involved in ownership and policy making for the liberated centres, and how?

What tests must be passed so that we can all monitor them?

Whether the long awaited 'massive investment' they promised 18 months ago will now be channelled through the newly democratised structure which will have to bear the risk of major decisions taken before they take over?

Why was forming a co-operative 'privatisation' when the Lib Dems proposed it and not now when Labour propose it?

Why it has taken 18 months to come round to Lib Dem policy, and the cost of that delay?

Finally, I suppose an apology for deliberately misleading Oxford's voters and wasting time that should have been spent improving the leisure centres is out of the question?

JOCK COATS

Warden's Lodging

Morrell Avenue

Oxford

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