TORY councillors in London’s East End have rolled out their new streamline’ Town Hall shadow cabinet ready to take on Labour in next year’s local council elections. They re-elected Peter Golds as Opposition group leader at their annual meeting in recognition of his skills as architect’ of the 2006 election campaign which quadrupled their seats on Tower Hamlets council

By Mike Brooke

TORY councillors in London’s East End have rolled out their new streamline’ Town Hall shadow cabinet ready to take on Labour in next year’s local council elections.

They re-elected Peter Golds as their Opposition group leader at their annual group meeting in recognition of his skills as architect’ of the 2006 election campaign which quadrupled their seats on Tower Hamlets council.

The vote of confidence comes days after the successful campaign he sparked off to save the East End’s historic Bancroft archive collection from a Labour administration sell off—which won the media industry’s Campaign of the Year’ award for the East London Advertiser.

STRONGER

“We have never been stronger than this moment,” he told the group’s annual meeting.

“Over the past three years we have highlighted the failures of the Labour administration and fought in the Town Hall for residents.

“Now we are set to present our policies to solve the chronic problems of this borough—caused by a failed Labour Party mired in its own complacency and ambivalence.”

The Tories also re-elected Tim Archer, their Parliamentary candidate for Poplar & Limehouse, to the post of Deputy leader.

ELECTION LOOMING

Cllr Golds then announced his Shadow cabinet which takes them into the 2010 local council elections against Labour, Lib Dems and Respect.

Archer gets the key Housing portfolio in a borough with one of Britain’s worst overcrowding and social deprivation, while David Snowdon takes on the Finance & Resources role.

Environment goes to Shirley Houghton, Crime & Safety to Phil Briscoe, Planning & Regeneration to Rupert Eckhardt, Health & Social Services to Emma Jones and Children & Education to Ahmed Hussain.

The Portfolios are the framework of a Conservative administration if they win the 2010 elections, with the number of cabinet posts cut from Labour’s 10 to just eight which would knock �23,700-a-year off council taxpayers’ bills in cabinet allowance savings.