A politician hoping to become the youngest-ever South Holland district councillor insists that he wants his prospective ward residents to have much more say in how members’ budgets are spent.
Tory Jack McLean’s vision is at odds with that of Conservative council leader Gary Porter, who wants to see fewer hurdles to enable the funds to be spent.
Every financial year, each of the 37 district councillors is allocated £5,000 to spend on projects by groups or individuals. Recent examples include siting of new litter bins, and contributions to Spalding Street Pastors and In Bloom efforts.
Mr McLean said: “Ward budgets were designed to bypass council bureaucracy and, if someone wants a litter bin in a particular spot, Coun Porter says any councillor can tell them on the spot ‘I have got £250 in my ward budget, I will pay for it’.
“For me, it is about ensuring residents are represented, and ward budget decisions are made final by a ward and not by a councillor.”
Mr McLean (20) – hoping to win one of two seats in Spalding St John’s ward currently held by Independent members – has made a promise that, if successful, he will survey for every decision on where his share of the ward budget is spent.
He believes it will better represent the views of the local residents.
“This will be the first time anybody has introduced this method of spending for their ward budget and I believe it is a step in the right direction,” Mr McLean said. “People need to know that their representative on the council always has their views at heart, there is simply no room for hidden agendas and general ignorance in local politics.
“This was not a hard decision to make as I truly believe this is the way things should be.”
Mr McLean is chairman of South Holland and the Deepings Conservative Future.
