BEST WISHES FOR A HAPPY NEW YEAR

This blog has now completed its second complete calendar year - 2.67 years in total. In 2007 I have posted 178 times - 166 more than the other IW Council related blog ! That's a post every two days and I hope my readers have found them reasonably interesting and informative.....

I had 14,566 page hits throughout the year - a 10% increase on last year - an average of 40 per day; and 5,878 new visitors to add to the 5,148 I had at the start of the year = 11,026 different visitors over the year - an annual increase of 114%. I suppose I am still providing some sort of service.....at least you get the truth here, not just spin.

At this time last year I said that I was doubtful if I would continue as Scrutiny Chair past April. I was only one month out, being compelled to resign in May due to Tory lies and deceit. Nothing much changes !

Consequently I have had more time to concentrate on the people who put me in County Hall - not that I was neglecting them before - and I hope I am still an effective and assiduous councillor for Pan. The indications are that I am. Also more time for Newport as a whole, where I have continued as the Town Management Committee Chair for a second year, and am looking forward to elections for a Newport Town Council in May.

Nationally the Brown honeymoon has lead into a very poor 3 months after the 'snap election' nonsense. However, I am remain confident that the British people are not daft enough to fall for the Cameron con and that Labour will revive its fortunes.

Best wishes for the New Year to all my readers.

MERRY XMAS AND A PEACEFUL NEW YEAR

To all my readers - my very best wishes for Christmas and hopes for a peaceful new year.

TIME FLIES

I just realised its a week since I blogged. Its been one of those weeks where I haven't had time to sit at the computer and think malevolent thoughts about this Council ! Maybe its something to do with the spirit of the season ?

Looking back - as one tends to do at this time of the year - I am slightly taken aback to realise that I have now been blogging here, on a reasonably regular basis, for three Xmases. No matter what you think about it that's a real feat of stamina as so many blogs tail off after a few months or are hardly ever updated. I can think of one that has had 12 posts in the last 12 months. I'll tell you in a week's time how may there have been here and how many visitors I have had. I think you will be impressed.

ANOTHER TORY JUMPS SHIP !

Just learnt that former Cabinet member Melanie Swan has resigned from the Tory Group. No idea why yet, but not that surprised.

So from the 35 Tories that were elected in 2005 they have lost two - Swan and Mosdell; ejected another - Whittaker; and banned from all committees another 5 - Sutton, Joyce, Bishop, Churchman and Peacey-Wilcox. On the 'positive' side they gained Mazillius who was a Tory anyway, but was elected as an 'Independent'.

What with the Liberals losing two of their group - Chapman and Bowker - Labour is the only Group that has been stable throughout. Its called being principled and comradely !

A LITTLE ROAD RELIEF ?

At the Pan Neighbourhood Partnership board meeting last night there was continuing disquiet at the absence of any Council intentions for a proper Relief Road as part of the Pan development when they go for planning permission next year. A Relief Road that would take rat-running out of Pan and away from Coppins Bridge.

I reminded resident board members that it was the Council Cabinet that took the decision not to have a Relief Road mainly due to the financial effect - less return for them on sale of the land - despite my support and (more importantly) the Island MP's.

Quite understandably there is an increasing feeling on Pan that the Council leadership are not interested in LISTENING to the views of Pan residents. I get the strong feeling that the planning process isn't going to be as smooth as the Council need it to be......

WHAT A SHAMBLES !

Tonight's Full Council was a total shambles - badly organised, badly prepared, and badly chaired.

Called as a special meeting to put to bed the Undercliff Final Report this should have been a professionally organised event by the administration, but after tonight's performance brewers have very little to fear.

The Council leadership were seemingly astounded to find there was opposition concern about the non-role of the District Auditor throughout this saga, and were particularly surprised that one LibDem had bothered to compile a list of those concerns with the intention of incorporating them into the Report's recommendations as an amendment.

It caused havoc in their ranks and the meeting had to be adjourned whilst they worked out their position - that is the Cabinet (excluding Cousins and Hunter-Henderson), the Chief Exec, and the Wragg & Co. solicitor who is seemingly still on call. They decided they were against the Liberal amendment and proceeded to vote it down by 22 votes to 6 (Knowles, Adams, Mosdell, Stephens, Gardiner and me) and 1 abstention- yes, there were about 18 (37.5%) of the Council missing tonight, mainly Tories - under-investigation and not.

The Tories then had to cobble together an amended recommendation accepting the Report for the Council, which saw another adjournment - even though much of it was just basic tidying up of their original proposal. This prompted the departure of the only journalist present, probably in disgust, which is probably just as well. This amendment went through 24 to 4 (Knowles, Adams, Gardiner and me) with 2 abstentions - and we awaited the substantive debate on the Final Report.

And waited, and waited, and waited.......for the Chairman had decided that the vote on the last amendment constituted the final decision on the Final Report, so it went through without any real analysis of its serious deficiencies. Despite mine and Deborah's protestations. You would be lynched at some trade union meetings for such ineffectual chairing.

And that was basically it apart from the latest bout of constitutional tinkering with Scrutiny, the minutes silence at the beginning in memory of the recently deceased former Tory councillor Roy Westmore, and lots of public questions about the Chapel Street/Trafalgar Road debacle - which were answered most unsatisfactorily.

DETAILS OF IW COUNCIL RESERVES

OVERALL IW COUNCIL RESERVES & BALANCES 2007-08: (from public Scrutiny Committee last week)

1st column shows the reserves the Council leadership started with on 1.4.07, spread across lots of different pots;

2nd column shows how much each will be reduced by this financial year. 'Education' spending is good - 'Org Dev Reserve' is bad > where the Undercliff enquiry etc was funded from;

3rd column represents a tidying up of all the pots of money so that £14.372m can be put into the General Reserve. This is uncommitted money;

4th column shows the total in Reserves at the end of March 2008. Only the £16.427m is generally uncommitted - unless the 'doubtful debts' are chased up more actively !!!

Overall you can see that the TOTAL reserves have been reduced this year by nearly £8m.

Scrutiny is now seeking similar details for the previous two financial years.

LABOUR GOVERNMENT GENEROUS TO IW COUNCIL....AGAIN

Although there has been absolute silence from their Westminster City Council-based communications operation, last Thursday the IW Council found out that it will get a 6.3% increase next year in its Revenue Support Grant. That's 2% above the norm for local authorities like us, and 3% above inflation.

It was the same last year, when they received similar generosity - a 6.1% increase.

This means that the IW Council Tory Group can once again restrict Council Tax increases next year to inflation if they want, and still have some growth in service delivery.

LOBBY FODDER

Last night was the first Scrutiny Committee under Cllr Miller. I quite enjoyed it (!), and a lot of useful stuff was learnt, particularly about the Council's Reserves (of which more at a later date).

The committee now seems to be three very distinct groups - 1. those who want to hold the administration to account (me, the Liberal, the 3 co-optees, and the 2 parent school governors on education matters); 2. the two independents including Cllr Miller, uncertain whether to be critical or friendly; and 3. the Tories who made no worthwhile contribution last night and are there purely as lobby fodder.

There are only 4 Tories at present due to a cockup with all their recent sackings, but they will be back to a majority after next week's Full Council with the addition of one person so close to the Cabinet it is entirely unethical for them to be Scrutiny members.

The agenda last night included the Budget & Reserves, and school standards. Astonishingly the Tories had nothing worthwhile to say on these two fundamentally important topics ! Clear evidence that they are not interested in Scrutiny - just interested in stopping the committee making critical recommendations to the Cabinet.

When I got home afterwards something struck me. If I and one or two others hadn't been there the meeting would have had little credibility. Something to ponder over the next few weeks........

CART BEFORE THE HORSE

The IW Council is seeking a national award for regeneration work at Pan before it has achieved a thing itself.

In my view anything successful that has been achieved in Pan over the last 3 years has been down to the Pan Neighbourhood Partnership (PNP), the Police, Medina Housing Assoc., or me (in a very small way). None of these are IW Council services.

The time for awards should be once something has been achieved with the Pan development for local people. Something I am not convinced will happen just yet.

UNDER MAINLAND CONTROL

This week a new Chair of Medina HA will be appointed by the massive mainland Group - Spectrum Housing - that now controls it.

Despite there being no rules to stop such an application, and no contrary guidance from the regulating Housing Corporation, my own entirely credible application was blocked by Spectrum - by decision of their Group Board at a meeting in Christchurch, Dorset, early last month. They blocked me because they do not think that I am or can be 'independent' of the IW Council, because I am an IW Councillor and a Council nominee onto their subsidiary Medina Board !

I consider that to be both a ridiculous and an insulting assertion. However, I have not taken this any further as it would just take up too much of my valuable time challenging it.

Nonetheless I consider this to be a deeply worrying development in the sensitive balance between the Spectrum Group and its Medina subsidiary. Medina is the largest landlord for rented, social housing on the Island, and from my councillor point of view is the landlord to 40% plus of Pan households. And yet, decisions about how its governed here on the Island are now made in Christchurch by people who do not know the IW. That's is why the current Chair is standing down.

I thought I was a person who could redress the imbalance a little, but Spectrum have now made sure that cannot happen.

"MORE PUTIN THAN PUGH "!

So remarked a fellow Member when telling me of how the Tories now intend to further emasculate the new Scrutiny Committee.

A rule change will go to Full Council next week that will allow Tory office-holders that are currently banned from Scrutiny, due to their role in supporting the Cabinet's policy-making, to be members of the Scrutiny Committee. So we will see two Tory Policy Commissioners and the Cabinet Secretary for Town & Parish Councils on the Scrutiny Committee in the new year. Putin would be impressed indeed ! Next thing you know there will be Cabinet Members involved - though the Council's website still suggests there is - some 3 months after the coup !

Nonetheless, little effective scrutiny is likely to be done in the remaining 18 dog-months of this appalling Council. Performance management is also to be dumped onto the Committee, and that can take up much of a public meeting if done properly.

UNDERCLIFF THOUGHT

Spent the last few hours closely reading the final report into the Undercliff Enquiry. As a result one thing keeps nagging at me - what is the purpose of the District Auditor ? Surely he should have picked up on the problems with this contract ages ago - something that I questioned at a Cabinet meeting in Ventnor last March and to which the DA seemed particularly twitchy.

I also see that the media have been told that some of the enquiries findings have been referred to the Police. ABOUT TIME, even if it is only part. I suppose we can console ourselves with the fact that we will now have double-handling out of our taxes.

TORY MP SUPPORTS LABOUR POSITION ON SCHOOLS

I need add nothing further to the report in the CP today, with the Island's Tory MP taking both Labour's and the 'Standards not Tiers' position on the latest schools 'consultation'. No unquestioning acceptance from him of the 'No change is not an option" mantra. Probably because unlike some of his colleagues at County Hall he thinks things through - even if I don't often agree with him.

What with him being photographed with pro-Palestine demonstrators outside his office last Friday, he is rapidly heading headlong to some of my long held political opinions !

PEOPLE IN GLASS HOUSES

After they were demanding the resignation of one ex-Tory councillor last week over a standards issue, the LibDems now have the embarrassment of one of their councillors - John Bowker - being suspended for bringing the council into disrepute.

No idea what this is all about, but I always thought the complainant - former Liberal councillor Reg Barry - and Bowker were drinking pals!

PULLING THEIR WEIGHT ?

Looking at the current Council committee membership of the 34 members of the Tory group, nearly one third - ELEVEN - are either members of no committees or just one.

With the recent removal of Cllrs Bishop and Churchman from all their committees they join Cllrs Sutton and Joyce as 'non-persons' due to the Standards Board referral. In addition we have two ex-Cabinet members - Ward & Swan - and new councillor Humber, all with NO committee role.

With just one committee each are Cllrs Arnold, Effemey, McRobert and Peacey-Wilcox.

CONFUSED THINKING

The only weapon a scrutiny committee has is one of 'call in' of a Cabinet members decision, where the Cabinet member can be grilled in public about why they made a decision. The recent Shanklin Theatre call-in was a good example - though it was only the fourth one of this Council. A weapon used sparingly.

This is because call-in requires four Scrutiny Committee members to sign-up for one, which given that the committee has EIGHT Tory places out of 14 voting members makes it very hard. Naturally there has to be a bit of arm-twisting and wheeler-dealing behind the scenes, but that doesn't matter because Scrutiny is not a quasi-judicial committee like Planning or Licensing. Its how politics works.

Sadly this is not clearly understood by at least one new (leading) member of the Scrutiny Committee, who confuses lobbying for a call-in with lobbying over a planning/licensing application. They are very different matters. Without lobbying for call-in we may as well abandon any hope of effective scrutiny of this Council.

TOWN COUNCIL FOR ENTIRE NEWPORT AREA

Today we learnt that the government will be approving the petition for the emparishment of the entire Newport area - including Carisbrooke - at the expense of a separate Carisbrooke petition.

As Chair of the shadow body 'Newport Town Management Committee' and one of the Newport petition organisers I am of course pleased at this news. However, I also feel some sympathy for the Carisbrooke petition organisers, who I can only hope will now participate fully in ensuring a smooth transition to democratic Town Council status from May 1st next year.

A "GEOFFREY HOWE MOMENT"

Last night was Full Council - and we witnessed what we can only hope will be our very own "Geoffrey Howe moment" as former Deputy Tory Leader Patrick Joyce savaged the new Tory administration for reneging on their manifesto commitments against a two-tier school system. He was joined in this by his fellow ex-Cabinet member Melanie Swan - but to no avail on the vote:

The proposed new schools organisation consultation went through overwhelmingly with the Liberals voting together for a change, but shamefully all in favour of the sham Tory consultation - two-tier or the madcap Tory scheme agreed last April (the one that puts Year 9 into middle schools). No option of 'no change of structures, just standards' - as Labour has CONSISTENTLY called for and voted for over the last year.

The vote was 31 in favour (including all 4 Liberals and the new Scrutiny Chair), 5 against (me, Gardiner, Joyce, Swan, Mosdell), and 3 abstentions (Tories Ward and McRobert, and Stephens - Independent)

Interestingly the Tory MP for the Island has apparently said that the reasons for change have NOT been demonstrated. So true ! But that won't bother the Mr Unfettered Ambition who now leads the Council.

NB. The back of the Council Chamber used to have chief officers sat there that I recognised. Its now a line up of many mystery people - three or four last night. The usual lack of respect to opposition backbenchers. .......

COMPLIMENTS AT CABINET

I went along to a Cabinet meeting tonight for the first time since I stood down as Scrutiny Chair last May. In that role I saw attendance as an integral part of the job - but tonight was for some sort of personal, masochistic 'pleasure' !

The new, tame Scrutiny Chair wasn't there, which is no real surprise. After all they were only making decisions about our schools, concessionary bus fares, planning performance and enforcement, budget overspend, the Undercliff Drive project, and performance measures. Nothing too troubling in the world of an independent.......though I guess there was probably good reason.

The meeting went on for about four times as long as the average Sutton Cabinet, and gave me welcome opportunity to ask questions as I desired - until I thought I better shut up as time pressed on.

Amazingly - and at last - I secured recognition from two Cabinet members for the work the old Scrutiny Committee did that informed the 'planning performance' decision they made tonight, and the Wightcare delegated decision of last month. This is the first public acknowledgement we have ever had, though they will probably be gushing in the future...........

The other news of the day - COUNCILLOR REFUSES TO RESIGN AFTER INVESTIGATION - I will leave for now, other than to observe: when will all of this stop ?

THE USUAL LACK OF RESPECT

Got back from a working visit to Glasgow last night - much warmer than here !

The latest Forward Plan of planned Cabinet/Council decisions arrived today and indicated that a 'Final Report of the Undercliff Investigation' will go to Full Council on 12 December.

Fine you think - until you realise that there is no Full Council scheduled for December. No one has shown backbench councillors like me the respect of telling me there will be a meeting then. Nothing changes.

MADNESS

According to one councillor - who also happens to be a member of the local Standards Committee - one councillor attempting to influence another to 'call in' a dodgy delegated decision by a Cabinet member,

"is a dangerous thing to do at the moment with so many councillors being referred to the Standards board and I do not want Scrutiny process to be tainted in anyway and so will not sign the call in"

Madness clearly prevails at County Hall ! Scrutiny is entirely different to a quasi-judicial Council function like Planning or Licensing.

NO CHOICE AT ALL

So the Tories are pretending that they are now giving parents a choice again over 2-tiers or 3-tiers for our school system. The only trouble being that supporting 3 tier will mean supporting their previously agreed plans to retain Year 9 in middle schools - which no one but them want.

There is still no option for retention of the existing 3-tier system - which is yet another breaking of their manifesto commitments to the Island back in 2005.

Why or why are they so obsessed with structures? Standards are all that matter.

FINAL UNDERCLIFF CASES DEALT WITH

Although the Council have been very quiet about it subsequently the cases against the final two Undercliff suspended members of staff have now been settled. One receved a written warning, and the other has decided to resign.

So for £1.5 - £2 million there was one dismissal, one early retirement, two resignations, two who got written warnings, and one further resignation that they aimed a petulant kick at on the way out. I think many of us would have expected a bit more - something a bit more 'scandalous' - for our money.

We now await the final report at the end of the month.....

IW AN ECO TRAILBLAZER ? WHAT RUBBISH !

I nearly choked on my breakfast today when I looked at my daily newspaper - The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/nov/02/isleofwight

This of a local authority that one year ago was voting against wind turbines being located here. Half-decent research by this journalist would have uncovered that salient fact - and I will be making sure that this nonsense is corrected. Its enough to stop me reading the paper after 30 years !

FROM SLICED BREAD TO SHARK

And so it came to pass after 9 months that the Undercliff Enquiry- after the expenditure of at least £1.5 million of our money - caught its first real shark. The former Deputy Chief Executive had already resigned last week after an allegedly condemning independent report, but the Show Trial on Monday decided to retrospectively sack him. Interestingly the independent report this time hasn't been published as it was with the cleared Finance Director.

The main question that springs to mind is: could the alleged misdemeanours of this officer have been uncovered without the massive legal expenditure of nearly £1 million?

What also springs to mind is how the Deputy Chief Executive was just about the greatest thing since sliced bread for the Tory administration between the elections of 2005 and the arrival of the new Chief Executive one year later....................

BORDERING ON THE BIZARRE

The Boundary Review of the Island's Council wards has just issued its draft report, and has essentially sat back and accepted the Council's submission for 40 councillors. A reduction by just one-sixth, when the Tory election manifesto pledged to seek a reduction by one-third. Labour proposed a reduction by a third to 33, the Liberals 30, and neither of us were asked by the Review - as the Council was - to provide further justification for our suggested numbers.

Additionally we asked the Review to get rid of some of the ridiculous boundaries in the centre of Island towns. They have done that, but by accepting the Council's submission have just moved the ridiculous boundary problem to other residential streets, especially in Newport.

Finally, after my complaint, they have upheld the Council's projections that just 116 extra adults will live in the Pan development after nearly 3 years of building. Clearly this is going to be the slowest built development in modern times ! Other than that the ward I am lucky to represent would be re-named Newport East and will basically be Pan plus 350 extra voters in the Shide area.

The draft report is open for comment until late January, and I will now be busy preparing further submissions to the Review with party colleagues from around the Island.

TOWN CENTRE CON

I learnt at the end of last week that the ten new Town Centre Managers - at a cost of £700k per annum - will be covering very small parts of their designated towns indeed. The two Newport ones will cover just one and a half of the eight Newport wards.

Therefore, if two cover just 1.5 wards, thats less than 20% of the public expectation in the towns........

£900k SPEND ON LEGAL BILLS & FIRST HEAD ROLLS

And so the Undercliff enquiry dispatches its first victim. One out of 4. Three more to go. I fear for them.

The day after we learnt that the enquiry's legal expenses limit is to be increased to £900,000 next Monday (from its last increase to £700k, which in itself was an increase from £500k, which.......you get the pattern), an email appeared in my Inbox. Telling me that the Head of Highways has been dismissed ------ in his absence ------ and that the most junior of the seven suspended staff will be back at work shortly after a warning.

So to recap - the boss of the Highways head was too ill to appear before the Investigatory and Disciplinary Committee and left quietly, but even though he is also ill his junior - the Highways boss - carries the can even though he is too ill to attend. Cowardly is what I think. No matter if he has done something wrong they should have done it in his presence. There is no suggestion that he was given an ultimatum to turn up or else.

YOU WOULDN'T MAKE IT UP !

The Agenda for the next Undercliff Show Trial - aka the Investigatory & Disciplinary Committee - on 29 October is out today. This is the one that will deal with the 3rd of the three suspended chief officers.

Top of the agenda before they go into secret session is,

"To consider the report from the Interim Director of Legal and Democratic Services on the approval of cost limits to Wragge & Co. (Paper B) (To Follow)"

I'll say no more on the matter of legal costs spiralling out of control. And to whose benefit ?

A VERY SHORT ODDS BET ?

Given the Standards Board of England's investigation into five IW Councillors, what's the betting that there will soon be a new chair of the Audit & Performance Committee and a new vice-chair of the Scrutiny Committee ?

AS NYE BEVAN SAID OF SOME TORIES...........

Last April when the Tories threw my colleague Deborah Gardiner off the Scrutiny Committee one of their professional liars wrote to me,

"because the remit of the Scrutiny Committee has changed significantly, we are taking up our full allocation on the new-look committee, (and)we are no longer able to offer a seat "on loan" to any other groups."

Today I have learnt that this only applies to councillors from the Labour Party as the new Chair of Scrutiny will not be displacing her independent colleague Cllr Humby, but will be given a vacant Tory place on the committee.

IT'S MILLER TIME.........

Tonight was Full Council, with more notable Tory absentees than I could count. Apparently being in Kent sharing your coup defeats is now a note worthy excuse....Anyway the agenda was short, but I still left the meeting as popular as ever.

Firstly we had a long debate on saving Post Offices, which we all voted for; though some pointed out that a few positive actions from the Council to help local Post Offices wouldn't go amiss.

We then turned to the election of the next Chair of Scrutiny. No surprise there as 'independent' Muriel Miller was elected by 31 votes to one (me - Deborah wasn't there), with 4 abstentions (including the 3 other ex-Cabinet members and the LibDem member of the Scrutiny Committee). I detailed my opposition to this appointment at some length and said I would not vote for or support a 'poodle' as an opposition Chair. It sounds harsh when you say it, but the facts stack up that way. (Later she even tried to suggest that Committee's were subject to some sort of 'collective responsibility' just by virtue of joint committee membership. Beyond belief.)

Anyway I was roundly condemned by all and sundry for my 'tirade', 'attack', etc etc, and I will now await the referral to the Standards Committee, since that is the new game in town.

A WELL DESERVED NOBEL WINNER

Turning away from the parochial to the world of literature, how delighted I was last Friday to learn that DORIS LESSING had been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature at the age of 88.

Of course it was about 20 years later than it should have been, but Ms Lessing is in my opinon the supreme post-war novelist. Her 'Children of Violence' series was an important part of my reading in my 20s and when I return to the real world with perhaps time on my hands I will sit down with them again - and perhaps the other twenty-odd books of her's that are on my book shelves.

AN INAPPROPRIATE PERSON

In February 2006 the following was said by my colleague, Cllr Gardiner, to the prospective new Chair of Scrutiny the last time she had expressed interest in the role . It was after that year's Budget Council meeting:

"As your emails to me have said, you probably won't like this... I'm sorry but we could not support you as Chair of the Scrutiny Committee. We would have been entirely neutral on this matter until last night when I walked into the Council Chamber to hear you supporting a move to the vote without the Opposition having had the chance to speak. You then spoke and indicated that if Opposition members were not there (including members of your own group who had, unlike you, chosen to attend the briefing from the Assistant Chief Executive) then they have lost their rights.

It comes to something when the Leader of the Council (whatever his motives might have been for doing so…) stands up for the rights of Opposition members to be fairly treated more vigorously than a Member of the Opposition, indeed an Opposition Group Leader.

The Chair of Scrutiny must, in my opinion, believe that opposition members have a fundamental right to scrutinise, have access to information, the tools to the do the job well and, at time, criticise. After last night where you tried to marginalise the Opposition, including your own group members, and take away their opportunity (always previously exercised) to have a break to consider what has been presented and then make a response; we do not feel you would have the mind-set to provide what the Administration and we want – an effective, robust Opposition Chair of Scrutiny."

This is why we will make a fuss if the appointment is proposed next Wednesday.

NB The Scrutiny meeting planned for 25 October has been cancelled due to the unavailablity of a certain Cabinet member and his chief officer. Next one will be 12 weeks after the last one......

"ALWAYS UP THERE"

I am informed that the next Scrutiny Chair - someone who has shown no interest whatsoever in the scrutiny function in this Council - spends a lot of time in the Chief Execs office. "Always up there" was the phrase that was used.

A poodle indeed.

ON THE OTHER SIDE..........

I saw how another councillor operates tonight in my private capacity as resident. It was quite startling.

I went along to a meeting for my area called to finalise plans to close off a residential road to the rear of my house that has become an illegal rat-run. How this will be done is a little contentious to say the least and I take a minority view. Nonetheless I went to the meeting to say my piece and hopefully be listened to, but without much hope.

Sadly not only was I constantly interupted by my local councillor when trying to speak, but so were neighbours of mine who share my view. After a few attempts at speaking I just gave in and went home before the meeting ended.

I would be ashamed if I did that to a constituent at one of the meetings I have held, even more so if they held a minority view.

NEXT SCRUTINY CHAIR.....hMM

Looks like someone is going to get their reward for being a good poodle at next week's Full Council !

A proven poodle in a revised role for a poodle will be very appropriate !

SO THEY CAUGHT A SPRAT

So the Undercliff fishing trip - set up to catch dreadful sharks - yesterday succeeded in catching a couple of sprats, one of which still managed to bite them back.

The report on the Chief Financial Officer by an Independent Person - not one being paid £700k to string out an investigation - found that he was guilty of just one of the three charges against him in that he had made a 'serious error of judgment' for which he should receive a written warning and return to work.

However, the members of the Committee - 4 Tories (Anne Bishop was kicked off), LibDem David Knowles, and 'independent' Muriel Miller - did not accept this report as they did not want him back at work. AND THERE WILL NOT BE A MINORITY REPORT............

So 6 months after it could probably have been arranged they agreed to release his pension a couple of years early. Spitefully they then decided to release all of the personal details to the media. Unprecedented. Bad losers !

Additionally another of the seven suspended officers was allowed to resign without any payoff as he is deemed - by their own medical adviser - to be too ill to face their disciplinary charges.

Sadly the fishing trip will now get increasingly desperate.

Two asides:

1. If the Undercliff contract (that is the root of all this) was illegally let, isn't it still illegal as it has not been terminated ? Shouldn't someone be disciplined ??????

2. Only just learnt that the lead man for the increasingly successful advising Solicitors was a leader of Tory Bucks County Council in the early part of this decade.............

ALONE

When the 'Undercliff fishing trip' went to St Lawrence recently to seek public input, there was precisely one person for them to deal with !

ARROGANCE !

The arrogance of this Council seemingly knows no bounds.

Council Cabinet Member's can make policy decisions provided they firstly offer ordinary members - like me - the chance to comment on their proposals. Such a decision - about Wightcare's future - was yesterday published, giving me a week to comment.

Before I could even open the document we then received a Press Release from the Council telling us of the decision that was going to be made !!!!!!!! So much for the chance to comment.......

Of course when I checked on the constitutionality of this I received the usual, predictable exonerations of all things from the administration.

So I won't make any representations about the new policy for Wightcare even if I wanted to, because there is no point - the decision has effectively been made.

YEAR 9 U-TURN IN THE OFFING

Late Friday afternoon's are very much a time when the Council communications operation likes to sneak out press releases that may not be reported on so comprehensively.

This Friday it was a Council decision to DEFER any final decision on school re-organisation - in particular regarding the future location of Year 9 - by a month. The excuse is they need more time to consider the comments they have had about the proposals; thus causing continuing uncertainty.

Are they on the point of making a sane decision ?

BOOTED OUT ?

No matter how they dress it up it would seem that there was another Cabinet sacking last week. Jilly Wood was demoted to a sort of 'Cabinet Secretary' in last weeks reshuffle, and seemed to be suggesting she would still be part of the Cabinet. She sent out on Friday a very helpful guide (from the Constitution) as to what Cabinet Secs are supposed to do; only for her then to 'recall' the message 6 hours later - probably because she was wrongly assuming her role would be similar to the two original Cabinet Secs - Pugh and Wells. Clearly not. Very presumptive. Those two know how powerful the full role was.......

FIRST CONCLUSIONS ?

It looks like the first conclusions of the Council's Undercliff investigation may be on their way. The secretive Council committee (that occasionally meets in public and then throws the public out almost immediately) is scheduled to meet in a week's time. It will consider the recommendations of the independent person who has investigated the disciplinary charges against one of the chief officers currently suspended. Presumably the recommendations and what they then decide to do might get into the public domain sometime soon after.

STILL NOT LISTENING

In the CP's softly-softly interview with the new leader of the Council today he is quoted as wanting 'to involve the Council's opposition members in the process (of listening), should they wish to engage'.

Such a short memory ! The Labour (and it has to be said independent) members of the Council have always engaged with the Council as fully as possible - until last May. Labour did it more fully through the old Scrutiny Committee when I was Chair, and the committee attempted to have input into policy and advice on decision-making. But the Tories didn't like it and broke their promises to me - made by the now leader.

Ever since the new Scrutiny Committee, barring one rare incident over Shanklin Theatre, has generally been a Tory cheerleaders forum.

If the new leader really wants to listen to opposition members he could start by creating a proper opposition-run internal Scrutiny Committee, which also dealt with performance review - and leave the current committee to the external stuff that will need to be done in the months to come.

But he won't.

NO PLACE FOR NICE GUYS ?

After spending yesterday in the CCU at St Mary's after experiencing some chest pains* - I have returned home today to find that the fallout from last week's coup is continuing. A Cabinet reshuffle by the new Leader has proved the old adage that there is no place for nice guys in the nasty party !!! Ian Ward has been unceremoniously dumped by the new leader in a re-shuffle that saw him replaced by someone who is both a JP and a member of the Hants Police Authority - wonder how she is going to fit all of this in......

* And in case any one is wondering - no there isn't likely to be a by-election ! I hope.

PLANNING DECISION CHANGED

After the almost unprecedented criticism by Council officers of the recent controversial planning decision, it returned to the Planning Committee tonight after the due period of 'cooling off'. And I went along feeling like the curious bystander at a funeral........

As expected arms had been twisted sufficiently for the decision to be overturned, with two of the Gang of 6 who approved the application last July missing, two changing their minds, and two showing they weren't 'heated up' in the first place. Interestingly two missing Tories from the last decision turned up this time and voted for approval !

An independent former-Tory councillor initially attempted to defer any fresh decision, but was trampled on from a great height whilst protesting about 'Mickey Mouse' proceedings. I think he had a point........

WHAT SORT OF COUNCIL.......

........would seriously name part of its Budget monitoring process as a 'Star Chamber' ? The following is a desciption of the historical origin of the name from Wikipedia,

"The Star Chamber was an English court of law at the royal Palace of Westminster that sat between 1487 and 1641, when the court itself was abolished. Its primary purpose was to hear political libel and treason cases.

In modern usage, legal or administrative bodies with strict, arbitrary rulings and secretive proceedings are sometimes called, metaphorically or poetically, star chambers. This is a pejorative term and intended to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the proceedings."

Surely only a mad one like the Isle of Wight ! What next I wonder - The Inquisition perhaps?

OH DEAR........OH DEAR .....

After referring the suspiciously decided Planning application (see my yesterdays blog) to the national Standards Board last Monday, the leader of the Council today offered his resignation to the Tory group - and they accepted it. Also resigning at what must have been an even more blood-soaked Tory Group meeting than usual are the Deputy Leader Cllr Joyce and and his sidekick Cabinet member for Children's Services, Cllr Swan.

At Full Council tonight Cllr David Pugh - the baby faced assassin, as the comment on my last post describes him ? - was elected Leader, with Cllr George Brown as Deputy. Only Deborah and I opposed, with the other 'opposition' members abstaining. Cllr Alan Wells takes on the Childrens Services portfolio. Further Cabinet changes will be announced later. Cllr Sutton is going to be some sort of mainland emissary - just like fallen patricians were exiled from Rome, to prevent them getting revenge.

One thing you should never do is offer to resign unless you are certain it won't be accepted. Otherwise, just resign and have done without any messing around.

I suspect the style of the new leader will be less abrasive than his predecessor, but the substance will change not one jot.

After that the Full Council tonight was quite subdued. Deborah and I were our usual difficult selves - voting against Tory policies, whilst the Liberals and Independents generally supported them.

My plea to know something about the latest mysterious people appointed to the local Standards Committee was treated as if I was asking for nuclear secrets. That committee is seriously worrying me under its new direction.

A new Housing Strategy that failed to convince me that the Council will up its game in actual delivery of affordable housing for Islanders was carried with only Deborah and I against. Warm words don't provide roofs.

I asked Pugh about the Undercliff enquiry and was told that it is drawing to a conclusion. Amazing how we still don't get briefed on anything. I also asked him when, if ever, we were going to get a non-Tory Chair of the Tory-controlled new Scrutiny Committee, and was told that he wants to re-engage with opposition members of the Council !

Finally I got a commitment from Cllr Cousins that the NHS Trust's recent decision to conduct much of its financial decision-making behing closed doors - as reported in the press a few weeks ago - was something she would raise with them as part of their close working. She told me 'my point was well made'. I look forward to the response.

And so a new era dawns. To think, just one year the now ex-Leader was berating me at Full Council for being an atheist. Live by the sword - die by the sword ! Who next.......

THEY CAN'T BE SERIOUS !

The Council's website has won an award from something called Hantsweb for the 'Best Public Sector Website'. Fair enough.

Though you start to wonder what the standard was like when they also praise the Chief Execs blog! With just 11 posts since the new year it isn't really what you could call an active, cutting edge blog.

Perhaps the judges need some help with the standards currently available in blogging. And no, I don't consider this blog as even in the best 90%.

OH DEAR........

Sometimes Councillors across the UK do things that taint the entire reputation of local government. How often am I told by people that everything to do with local government, especially Planning, is corrupt ? It really annoys me.

Sadly something suspicious seems to have been happening here in Planning, that seems to involve Members primarily, but not exclusively, of the ruling group.

See
http://www.iwight.com/council/committees/Planning%20Committee/25-9-07/Paper%20B.pdf


The matter has rightly been referred to the Standards Board of England. I hope the suspicions are unfounded. If they are I will expect and demand resignations.

ALMOST LIKE THE GOOD OLD DAYS !

Last night's meeting of what I call the New Scrutiny Committee - as opposed to the excellent Old Scrutiny Committee - was tremendous. Even with its in-built Tory majority.

The main business was a call-in of a Cabinet-member decision on the future of Shanklin Theatre (right). Everything but the kitchen sink had been thrown at stopping this call in, and I can see why now. Fortunately the call-in was achieved.

The best bit of the questioning of the relevant Cabinet member last night was that by one of our co-optees who knows a thing or two about rescuing theatres. She tore him and his unsubstantiated decision apart and left him squirming and sweating profusely. Very rarely you get moments like this. Cllrs Mosdell and Bishop over Constructionline last December, Cllr Gardiner over Wightcare earlier in 2006. And each time the hairs stand up on the back of my neck as we see real scrutiny an action. If only we had our Old committee back, though I suspect this will be the last time this will be allowed to happen on any form of Scrutiny Committee.

The outcome was a referral back of the decision to the Cabinet member, with a recommendation that he talk further with our co-optee before revising his decision at the end of the month. This went through 6:3 with the votes in favour Cllrs Price (LibDem), Foster (Ind), Bishop & Churchman (Con) and me, plus the aforementioned co-optee Mrs Poston. Against were Tory Cllrs Tuson, Bulwer and Burt - who said he would like to see the theatre knocked down and developed as flats !

NEWS ON THE PAN DEVELOPMENT

MISSING......BACK SOON

Yes, I know, my record on this blog hasn't been too good lately. You'll be calling me Duckegg next! A mixture of post-by-election blues and loads to do in Pan. There is something about this Council that seems to engender a feeling of wading through treacle. You never get straight answers to simple questions and chasing up simple requests takes increasing amounts of time.

Nevertheless, once this brief summer period is out of the way it will be back to the battle at Full Council next week, where I have much to pursue.

HARDLY A RINGING ENDORSEMENT

Last week the Conservatives at County Hall held Newport North ward with the support of just over 10% of the local electorate - or 35% of those who turned out to vote. Their Leader is now claiming it as a "ringing endorsement" of his Council leadership.

Talk about desperate !

DISASTER ! TORIES HOLD NEWPORT NORTH.

Clearly the 1 in 10 of the Newport North electorate that voted for them don't want to teach the Tories a lesson ! Off to lick my wounds for the weekend. This is seriously bad news.

IF YOU CAN TOMORROW......

and teach the Tories a lesson ! The Liberal Democrats are irrelevant.


(posted and published by Geoff Lumley on behalf of Laraine Pascoe, both c/o 30 Fairlee Road, Newport, IW)

UNSIGNED COUNTRYSIDE

Spent the weekend in the Island's countryside in our small motorhome, as the by-election plans are going so well and we really don't want to be harassing Newport North residents like the other parties.

We did some extensive walking with our dogs - in the Shorwell and Brighstone area on this occasion. What strikes me is how difficult it is sometimes to get around due to the absence of signposting. Try following a footpath into Shorwell and you will see what I mean. I'm not asking for anything like the photo - far from it. Just some idea of where you are supposed to go ! Not a lot to ask .....