After the Westminster training, I went to the East Finchley festival committee, to plan ahead for this year. Colin Rogers is a highly efficient chair, and we got a lot covered in good time. we planned for the stalls, security, stewarding (which is henceforth my responsibility), food and entertainment.
I am always struck by how well served by what a dynamic and talented group co-ordinate the event. They are well organised and capable, which leaves me wondering why on earth they need the services of a bumpkin like me.
I thought I would advertise that the battle of the bands will be held at the East Finchley Constitutional club on Saturday 16th March from 2pm. There are some excellent acts lined up, and our newest member Pat is full of brilliant innovative ideas, so I expect the festival will be bigger and better than before.
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Committee training in Westminster
On Monday afternoon, a delegation of Councillors and governance officers went to Portcullis House in Westminster as part of a Parliamentary outreach program, looking into how committees should run.
We met the chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee, Clive Betts MP and the committee clerk, Glenn. They explained how the system works in Parliament and the kind of things they do, the kind of things they look into and how they do it. They gave us some good advice about how to manage them too.
Parliamentary committees clearly have more powers, better resources, better media coverage and clearer rules, but there was a lot we could take back. I am particularly keen to see that we make better use of members items, so that we can talk about our priorities, not just what we are told to talk about. I already have plans for the residents forum!
Sadly, the quality of Parliamentary committees will never be replicated in Barnet, as demonstrated in my last article about the Budget Committee meeting. We can, however, try to reform them. There are efforts afoot to return to the the old fashioned Committee structure, and I now have a better idea of how they would work, but I hope they are not run on the same lines they were before, and that there will be some reforms.
I find that in Barnet, committee works well when there is a good chair, who wants to know the answers, rather than protect their own side.
I was joined on the day by Alison Moore, Barry Rawlings, Andreas Ioannidis, Anne Hutton, Alan Schneiderman, Ansuya Sodha, Kath McGuirk, Jack Cohen, Brian and Kate Salinger and Sury Khatri.
(It was during the meeting that I noticed how many Labour Councillors names start with an "A". Myself, Anita, Alison, Alan, Anne, Andreas, Angnes, Ansuya and Alex. 9/22! Last year, when I, Andrew Dismore and Andreas Ioannidis won, we joked that Barnet Labour were Triple A rated, how prescient that was!)
We met the chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee, Clive Betts MP and the committee clerk, Glenn. They explained how the system works in Parliament and the kind of things they do, the kind of things they look into and how they do it. They gave us some good advice about how to manage them too.
Parliamentary committees clearly have more powers, better resources, better media coverage and clearer rules, but there was a lot we could take back. I am particularly keen to see that we make better use of members items, so that we can talk about our priorities, not just what we are told to talk about. I already have plans for the residents forum!
Sadly, the quality of Parliamentary committees will never be replicated in Barnet, as demonstrated in my last article about the Budget Committee meeting. We can, however, try to reform them. There are efforts afoot to return to the the old fashioned Committee structure, and I now have a better idea of how they would work, but I hope they are not run on the same lines they were before, and that there will be some reforms.
I find that in Barnet, committee works well when there is a good chair, who wants to know the answers, rather than protect their own side.
I was joined on the day by Alison Moore, Barry Rawlings, Andreas Ioannidis, Anne Hutton, Alan Schneiderman, Ansuya Sodha, Kath McGuirk, Jack Cohen, Brian and Kate Salinger and Sury Khatri.
(It was during the meeting that I noticed how many Labour Councillors names start with an "A". Myself, Anita, Alison, Alan, Anne, Andreas, Angnes, Ansuya and Alex. 9/22! Last year, when I, Andrew Dismore and Andreas Ioannidis won, we joked that Barnet Labour were Triple A rated, how prescient that was!)
Budget and Performance
I always hold the Health Committee as a model of a good working committee, with knowledgeable members who contribute a great deal of expertise and do so in a non partisan manner. The committee is chaired by the excellent Cllr Alison Cornelius, who is fair minded, and wants to get to the bottom of issues, rather than hide them away. The same cannot be said of Budget and Performance.
Given we had important cabinet members and officers, such as Cllr Rajput, Cllr Thomas, Cllr Harper, Cllr Dean Cohen. it's sad that the Tory Councillors waste time being counter productive. When questioning Cllr Thomas and Mr Hooton, Cllr Marshall asked about our banking with the Co-op Bank. The Co-op Bank won the contract fair and square, and won the re-tendering as well. The Tories want to get a "better deal" out of the best deal they had, they want abank that offers a higher rate of investment. I pointed out to them that they had tried that with the Icelandic Banks. Cue a hail of abuse. None of it stopped by the chair, except when I tried to reply to some of it. Cllr Rayner said he had wondered when the Icelandic Banks would be brought up.
Isn't it extraordinary that people who spend their time blaming their failing policies on the last Labour Government can't handle it when their recklessness that cost the borough is even mentioned? And isn't it typical of the coward and bully that when you stand up to them they resort to abuse and whining to the chair. I suppose if you are winding these lot up then you are doing a good job.
Then we were treated to a series of fawning softball questions from the chair, who, completely coincidentally, is also the Tory Group whip. How many years has CTAX been frozen is it? Can you keep carrying on with your excellent budgetary management? Aren't you marvellous Daniel? Ok I made the second one up.... I have never seen Alison Cornelius ask soft questions to Cllr Helena Hart like this.
I asked what Plan B was if the judicial review of One Barnet was successful. Apparently, there is no Plan B. They can afford one month delay before it starts costing, but if it all falls apart, there is nothing there. And then they made the threats. If One Barnet doesn't go through then we will have to close libraries and stop services. So if the people dare say what they think, if you stop us from going ahead with something we never asked for permission to do then you're all in trouble. It's your fault for stopping our wonderful plan. I don't recall in my A Level Geography where exactly Cloud Cuckoo Land is, but I'm sure the Barnet Tories have some serious real estate there.
The questions sessions with Cllr Rajput and Cllr Harper and Kate Kennally went well I thought- a little less partisan, so better questions about budget lines and we got to tease out some details, and have queries answered. All three are very fair minded when answering questions.
The questions with Cllr Cohen and Pam Wharf were productive, but due to time we weren't able to explore things fuller. I do keep insisting when I see them that I hope there is money in the street scene budget to maintain a proper works program. I report a fair few things in East Finchley, and I hope there is the budget to deal with them.
Given we had important cabinet members and officers, such as Cllr Rajput, Cllr Thomas, Cllr Harper, Cllr Dean Cohen. it's sad that the Tory Councillors waste time being counter productive. When questioning Cllr Thomas and Mr Hooton, Cllr Marshall asked about our banking with the Co-op Bank. The Co-op Bank won the contract fair and square, and won the re-tendering as well. The Tories want to get a "better deal" out of the best deal they had, they want abank that offers a higher rate of investment. I pointed out to them that they had tried that with the Icelandic Banks. Cue a hail of abuse. None of it stopped by the chair, except when I tried to reply to some of it. Cllr Rayner said he had wondered when the Icelandic Banks would be brought up.
Isn't it extraordinary that people who spend their time blaming their failing policies on the last Labour Government can't handle it when their recklessness that cost the borough is even mentioned? And isn't it typical of the coward and bully that when you stand up to them they resort to abuse and whining to the chair. I suppose if you are winding these lot up then you are doing a good job.
Then we were treated to a series of fawning softball questions from the chair, who, completely coincidentally, is also the Tory Group whip. How many years has CTAX been frozen is it? Can you keep carrying on with your excellent budgetary management? Aren't you marvellous Daniel? Ok I made the second one up.... I have never seen Alison Cornelius ask soft questions to Cllr Helena Hart like this.
I asked what Plan B was if the judicial review of One Barnet was successful. Apparently, there is no Plan B. They can afford one month delay before it starts costing, but if it all falls apart, there is nothing there. And then they made the threats. If One Barnet doesn't go through then we will have to close libraries and stop services. So if the people dare say what they think, if you stop us from going ahead with something we never asked for permission to do then you're all in trouble. It's your fault for stopping our wonderful plan. I don't recall in my A Level Geography where exactly Cloud Cuckoo Land is, but I'm sure the Barnet Tories have some serious real estate there.
The questions sessions with Cllr Rajput and Cllr Harper and Kate Kennally went well I thought- a little less partisan, so better questions about budget lines and we got to tease out some details, and have queries answered. All three are very fair minded when answering questions.
The questions with Cllr Cohen and Pam Wharf were productive, but due to time we weren't able to explore things fuller. I do keep insisting when I see them that I hope there is money in the street scene budget to maintain a proper works program. I report a fair few things in East Finchley, and I hope there is the budget to deal with them.
Tuesday, 19 February 2013
Energy costs could rise again soon
It isn't often I read the Guardian, but they have an interesting article about the UK power network, and how their physical assets are getting old, and reserves are low. Significant investment is needed, and it may come at a price, such as asking for 40 year contracts for nuclear power.
I always find it galling when I get the letter saying "we haven't increased our prices for two years, what a good job we've done. So now were going to increase it by 18%" and that sort of thing. For the poorest, after a decade of progress, energy bills, food bills, travel costs and clothing costs are rising as a portion of household expenditure, leaving little money left in family budgets to enjoy life with. I for one will be asking the council what they plan on doing to help reduce household bills on these necessities of life. Let's be honest, but there isn't much they really can do on those blls, but it will be interesting to see the response.
East Finchley is a community with strong ethical and environmental standards, so if anyone has any projects going to help in these kind of areas, please let us know, and we will help in whatever way we can.
I always find it galling when I get the letter saying "we haven't increased our prices for two years, what a good job we've done. So now were going to increase it by 18%" and that sort of thing. For the poorest, after a decade of progress, energy bills, food bills, travel costs and clothing costs are rising as a portion of household expenditure, leaving little money left in family budgets to enjoy life with. I for one will be asking the council what they plan on doing to help reduce household bills on these necessities of life. Let's be honest, but there isn't much they really can do on those blls, but it will be interesting to see the response.
East Finchley is a community with strong ethical and environmental standards, so if anyone has any projects going to help in these kind of areas, please let us know, and we will help in whatever way we can.
The Northern Line
Commuters will know that the Northern Line is usually very busy, and is a vast service that covers the top to the bottom of London. Here are some interesting tidbits about the history of the line. You can also stay up to date on the weekend closures as well.
999SOS
I hope you will join with me and sign up to the London Labour Party campaign against emergency service cuts. You can sign up here.
Monday, 18 February 2013
More support for East Finchley Post Office
You can sign the petition against the proposed changes to the East Finchley Post office here.
The local papers have been talking to local residents, who seem to share many of my concerns.
The local papers have been talking to local residents, who seem to share many of my concerns.
GP funding shortfall
The Barnet Labour Group have called for an extraordinary Council meeting to discuss the whopping £110 million shortfall in GP funding, despite the Prime Minister's pledge to keep NHS funding rising above inflation. The initial agreement with the Clinical Comkmissioning Group (CCG) was for £470 million to just £380 million.
There are many issues to consider, and there are wider ramifications, which we will go into during the debate. They are very worrying, and I hope all parties will respond positively to our call.
There are many issues to consider, and there are wider ramifications, which we will go into during the debate. They are very worrying, and I hope all parties will respond positively to our call.
What is Barnet telling Boris Johnson?
In a brief follow up on the residents perception survey carried out by Barnet, the top concern, expressed by 31% of respondents was crime.
The survey findings show that there is real concern about burglaries, which I find comes up with alarming regularity on the doorstep in some ares, especially Friern Barnet, but also Childs Hill and North Finchley (both of which are the worst in London for burglaies).
Resident priorities were greater police visibility, more CCTV, naming and shaming, better neighbourhood watches. ensuring criminals pay back to society and better street lighting.
I simply cannot see how Boris Johnson is listening to Barnet residents, given what they say, and his policy response, which is to close down police station front desks and reduce neighbourhood policing teams.
As we have said before, residents of Chipping Barnet will have to go to Edmonton or Colindale for a 24 hour desk to report a crime, which is a gross neglection of a constituency which turned out in high numbers to vote for Mr Johnson last year. Don't expect a defence by the local MP, or the Tory Councillors. Their petition, set up by the Council Leader himself has just 66 signatures on the Council website, even though one of the closing stations is in his ward.
When residents want greater visibility, Mr Johnson fudges the numbers so badly, the GLA Labour Group have reported him to the UK Statistics Authority, as Andrew Dismore AM reports. He is fixated with his 32,000 figures that he is willing to risk incredulity to sprout it. It's a sad and shocking indictment of the press that Mayor Johnson never gets properly exposed to the public for these sorts of things. He just seems to pluck these figures out of thin air.
Residents want stronger neighbourhood teams, and a visible presence, so why is Mr Johnson reducing the number of dedicated ward officers to just one? this is a mockery of community policing. These officers are extremely important intelligence for the police, and build those links with young people that make the police a more trusted and friendlier face than they were before. Now they are being decimated so Boris can keep his 32,000 figure, which no one seems to know how he gets to.
Barnet residents want to see the police on the streets and they want community policing, but they won't get it from this Mayor.
The survey findings show that there is real concern about burglaries, which I find comes up with alarming regularity on the doorstep in some ares, especially Friern Barnet, but also Childs Hill and North Finchley (both of which are the worst in London for burglaies).
Resident priorities were greater police visibility, more CCTV, naming and shaming, better neighbourhood watches. ensuring criminals pay back to society and better street lighting.
I simply cannot see how Boris Johnson is listening to Barnet residents, given what they say, and his policy response, which is to close down police station front desks and reduce neighbourhood policing teams.
As we have said before, residents of Chipping Barnet will have to go to Edmonton or Colindale for a 24 hour desk to report a crime, which is a gross neglection of a constituency which turned out in high numbers to vote for Mr Johnson last year. Don't expect a defence by the local MP, or the Tory Councillors. Their petition, set up by the Council Leader himself has just 66 signatures on the Council website, even though one of the closing stations is in his ward.
When residents want greater visibility, Mr Johnson fudges the numbers so badly, the GLA Labour Group have reported him to the UK Statistics Authority, as Andrew Dismore AM reports. He is fixated with his 32,000 figures that he is willing to risk incredulity to sprout it. It's a sad and shocking indictment of the press that Mayor Johnson never gets properly exposed to the public for these sorts of things. He just seems to pluck these figures out of thin air.
Residents want stronger neighbourhood teams, and a visible presence, so why is Mr Johnson reducing the number of dedicated ward officers to just one? this is a mockery of community policing. These officers are extremely important intelligence for the police, and build those links with young people that make the police a more trusted and friendlier face than they were before. Now they are being decimated so Boris can keep his 32,000 figure, which no one seems to know how he gets to.
Barnet residents want to see the police on the streets and they want community policing, but they won't get it from this Mayor.
Residents perception survey
I am going through the Budget and Performance Committee papers for this Wednesday (7PM Hendon Town Hall) and looking at the business planning report, which is pre-decision scrutiny on the budget. There are plenty of goodies, but it's in the residents perception survey that something very interesting crops up.
Top of the worries were crime, and I have written before about the shambolic and incompetent performance of the Mayor of London in regard to his crime strategy.
Second was an issue I have raised many times before, which is the state of roads and pavements. I find this fascinating. As we know, the funds available to fix them has been badly hit by the Tory Parking policy omnishambles of 2012. Residents are more and more worried about pavements, because they can see the Council just aren't interested in them.
Apparently, the Council have a target of 90% of all potholes being made safe within 48 hours of reporting from members and residents. How many of you recall my article about the chasm in the middle of Beresford Road when I first started this blog? Making safe is not the same thing as fixing, which is thier statisticl flexible friend. The survey (on page 57 of the BPOSC papers) says "[repair rates for potholes] were not of good quality and damage soon reappeared" wich was exactly the point I made, especially in relation to the large boulder that came loose on Market Place.
Residents also raised concerns about the scarcity of grit. I have been concerned about this in hilly areas, where icy pavements can really do damage.
There are many interesting things in these reports, and I will report more on them after I raise them at the meeting. I would reccommend these fascinating papers for all to read if they want to know what people really think.
You can read all 243 pages of the report here. It's a large file though, so not sensible to open on some computers or on mobiles.
Top of the worries were crime, and I have written before about the shambolic and incompetent performance of the Mayor of London in regard to his crime strategy.
Second was an issue I have raised many times before, which is the state of roads and pavements. I find this fascinating. As we know, the funds available to fix them has been badly hit by the Tory Parking policy omnishambles of 2012. Residents are more and more worried about pavements, because they can see the Council just aren't interested in them.
Apparently, the Council have a target of 90% of all potholes being made safe within 48 hours of reporting from members and residents. How many of you recall my article about the chasm in the middle of Beresford Road when I first started this blog? Making safe is not the same thing as fixing, which is thier statisticl flexible friend. The survey (on page 57 of the BPOSC papers) says "[repair rates for potholes] were not of good quality and damage soon reappeared" wich was exactly the point I made, especially in relation to the large boulder that came loose on Market Place.
Residents also raised concerns about the scarcity of grit. I have been concerned about this in hilly areas, where icy pavements can really do damage.
There are many interesting things in these reports, and I will report more on them after I raise them at the meeting. I would reccommend these fascinating papers for all to read if they want to know what people really think.
You can read all 243 pages of the report here. It's a large file though, so not sensible to open on some computers or on mobiles.
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