Andrew Eade was full-some in his praise of the Council during the recent emergency, but raised concerns about child welfare and the future finance, and offered to work with the council.
He said:
"I must say that I fully agree with Cllr Davies about the unprecedented scope and breadth of the challenges facing this authority and all of us across our Borough and beyond.
Who would ever have thought that we would be faced by a pandemic such as this that has already devastated so many lives and is probably set to wreak further havoc for a long time to come.
The challenges now facing us as an authority and community are mostly beyond living memory and without parallel for three quarters of a century.
It is an event which I am sure will shape a much different world in the future and prove a unstoppable vehicle for the present.
Local Authorities such as Telford and Wrekin have found themselves on the front line in doing all that they can to cope with - and mitigate the worst effects of this virus whose effects range from financial hardship to social wellbeing, education, and protection of the vulnerable, health – both mental and physical, leisure and of course isolation.
It is quite true that the challenges involved in coming to terms with and responding to this current emergency by all organisations is at times confusing, reactive, and contradictory as is the medical advice trying to cope with the dynamics of this virus.
Mistakes and missed opportunities abound by everyone and all organisations on the front line – something which is inescapable in a unique situation such as this.
And yet it has also brought out the very best in people.
We all applaud the courage and dedication of our doctors and nurses along with those involved in caring for others, those in the community and of course everyone here at Telford & Wrekin who have worked so hard to bring a sense of normality and support into the community.
I have to say that I think that this Authorities response to Covid, whilst inevitably not perfect, has been a quality and speedy reponse and I would like to pay tribute to all concerned.
However worries inevitably remain, particularly around a downturn in local reporting of children’s and other welfare issues.
Our concern’s also encompass our children’s safe education and of course, despite unimagined and unprecedented amounts of government money being pumped into the Borough by one route or another, the financial well being and security of our services in the future.
And it is to this future that we must also now look.
It is incumbent on the current Council’s administration to work with all agencies and individuals in order to do all that is possible to secure the stability and prosperity of our Borough’s future
And for our part ... we have a great desire to do just that and play a helpful and constructive role as a key part of this council.
We remain available and ready to support the administration at this time and help with any issues which will bring about a secure and brighter future.
It is an offer we make without any strings attached whatsoever, and remain keen to assist the council and our community.
Consequently it is incumbent on all of us here to rise and meet the daunting challenges which lie ahead. And we need to do so on a much different platform than has previously been the case.
Speaker, I do hope that we can add some flesh to our thoughts and do all we can to secure the best possible future for our Borough."