At Tuesday’s Council Meeting the Administration made clear that they are still sticking to this idiotic theory.  Do residents really want a Council run like a budget airline?

They also refused to sanction any real joined up thinking between Barnet Brent and Camden in the Cricklewood area.  However it does look as though we may get the ‘No drinking zone ‘pushed by my clleague Cllr Monroe Palmer which is very good news.

Splendid dinner in the new Rickett Quadrangle with entertainment from musical students and food introductions from the Chef!  I usually find dinner table conversation difficult but it all went with a swing.  I hope it will prove to be an annual event (and that I will be invited!.)

I rarely (never? well hardly ever!)approve of shadow Chancellor Osbourne but ‘The Times (Fri 11 Sep, p.28 notes “George Osbourne cited a number of Conservative Councils yesterday but Barnet which has been dubbed ‘EasyCouncil’ admits to a relentless drive for efficiency was not one of them.’ “

Quite right too. Their ‘no frills’ airline scheme of which the Tory Leader Cllr Mike Freer is so proud will cut services in all directions and, as usual, with this administration people who can pay will jump the queue of the merely needy

According to Friday’s Guardian the Leader of Barnet Council is planning to run Barnet ‘like Ryanair’, for example if you want your planning application to go to the front of the queue it will cost extra. I think Cllr Freer and Barnet’s Conservative Administration have missed the point. A Council is not a cheap airline but should be a body with social and communal responsibility. Ruthless cutting of services by a Borough (which already has a higher Council Tax rate than the neighbouring Liberal Democrat led Boroughs , Brent and Camden) cannot and will not provide the services that residents are entitled to expect.

This administration seems obsessed with ‘improvements’ to the ‘back office’ system.  This means replacing people with IT.  In the case of parking visitors permits it seems to have been singularly unsucessful.  The backlog is only now being cleared.  I have just dealt with a case outstanding since April.

I am told more IT is being applied to the parking permit telephone lines so that the ridiculously long waiting times will be reduced.  I hope it works.

Susette

Responding to the Ad Hac Scrutiny committee Deloittes seem to have found that according to the ‘governance at the time’ the Cabinet member (i.e.the Leader Cllr Freer also Chair of Cabinet Resources)was not responsible for the £27million currently locked up in Icelandic Banks. I thought that ‘power without responsibility’ was, throughout the ages, the perogative of an entirely different group of people!

I cannot believe that Richard Cornelius-he of the ‘I didn’t go to meetings with residents because I would have found it too upsetting’ has the nerve to put down a resolution asking COuncil to approve the removal of wardens as part of a ‘better service’.

Monroe and I attended the Barnet Schools Music Festival last night. It was brilliant . 78 schools are taking part over the 6 evenings of the festival and it really does your heart good to hear them. All the Barnet staff and pupils concerned are to be congratulated.

As my colleague Cllr Macdonald reports on the new Mayor’s speech” We were told that he would not tolerate their attempts to bring down Barnet’s civic dignity (or words to that effect as we can’t listen to his speech as Barnet don’t publish Council meetings on the web). My view is that it is not Barnet’s bloggers that are the danger to local democracy, but rather the clinging to outmoded protocol that prevents valid critFirst up, where Barnet’s bloggers. We were told that he would not tolerate their attempts to bring down Barnet’s civic dignity (or words to that effect as we can’t listen to his speech as Barnet don’t publish Council meetings on the web). My view is that it is not Barnet’s bloggers that are the danger to local democracy, but rather the clinging to outmoded protocol that prevents valid criticism of both the system and the people running that system. “

Absolutely right Duncan. Anyway I don’t think Cllr Coleman will be able to ’stop the blogs’. The internet is more democratic than Barnet COuncil (not difficult).We are now only able to ‘call in ‘ a very reduced list of Cabinet decisions for scrutiny.

I have received an invitation from The Jewish Community Housing Assoc. to a Tea party prior to the Cabinet Meeting of 27th May ‘when the future of sheltered housing will be decided within the Borough’.  I think the Association cannot be aware of how limited the effect of COuncillors other than the Cabinet are at this stage and how many of the Conservative back bench COuncillors had an opportunity to vote against this disgraceful decision but voted for it (see my previous blog about their disgraceful behavior and the Mayor’s dismissive comment on my request that they at least listen to the case for retaining wardens being made ,eloquently ,by opposition speakers.

The last Council meeting before the end of the Council Year discussed the removal of wardens from sheltered housing.  The Conservative administration remains adamant that it is not needed. It is.  The Lib Dem group feel strongly that it is a needed and valued service.

I understand that the Conservative Party in Barnet has different ideals to ours. What I cannot understand is the apalling way that they giggled among themselves while this serious item was being discussed.

An appeal to the Mayor brough no reprimand to them, just the suggestion that “Cllr Palmer should go back to her knitting”.

How did they get to be so arrogant (and so wrong).