AS a child I loved the circus, particularly the acts with the real skills, talent and daring like the trapeze artists and the fire-eaters but I never much cared for the clowns.

The Conservative administration in Harlow Council may have a new ringmaster but the headline acts are deserting the big top. Cllrs Joel Charles and Nicky Purse have quit their posts leaving a much diminished pool, or puddle, of talent from which to select a Cabinet.

The new leader, Cllr Dan Swords, was selected on the same day as Liverpool hosted Eurovision. The parallels are clear for any follower of either politics, the song contest or both. Watching both events unfold left me asking the question ‘if this is the best they can offer, who did they reject?’

Cllr Swords recently quit his Deputy Leader role with a stinging rebuke of the lack of leadership and disgruntlement at the direction of travel for his party. 

With this comeback he now has to deliver a new direction and focus at the same time as lying in front of the bulldozers in Purford Green whilst wearing his Batman costume. If he doesn’t his petulant departure will be exposed as little more than the posturing for position that we all suspected was behind it in the first place.

The world-class cycle paths he promised are nowhere to be seen.

Regeneration is nothing but a demolition site pipe dream so far.

Where are all the new homes they promised?

Where is the new Health Security Agency campus? 

Where is the long promised new hospital?

The broken promises of this Tory administration already have Dan’s fingerprints all over them, he’s got nowhere to hide now.

For the sake of Harlow I wish Dan well in his endeavours but in doing so it rather feels like offering congratulations to Capt Edward Smith on his appointment to the command of RMS Titanic; except in this case the captain knows there are many obstacles ahead and navigating them will be a huge challenge.

Cllr James Griggs

Netteswell – Labour