TORIES TO BREAK PROMISE TO PENSIONERS ?

Went along to the Policy Commission that is dealing with the promised Islanders car park permit tonight. They had finalised a paper for the Cabinet giving options for introducing the long awaited £50 annual permit. It was due in mid-May, then December, and now planned for April.....next year I assume.

The Tories had promised in their manifesto that the pensioner permit would be 50p per week (or 48p in another section), but have now ruled that out as 'unrealistic' and gave no reasons in reponse to my enquiry. So it will be £35 per year, which is an increase of £9, or 35%, on their promise. £9 is a lot for those pensioners on very small fixed incomes running an old car as cheaply as they can, due to generally eratic and expensive public transport.

I also asked questions about - potential conflict of this policy with government expectations for reducing car usage (they will contest that), the projection that parking meter rates will increase by 10% to help pay for this policy (it is only a projection - we shall see), and what the Commission Chair's preference was out of the 4 options they were presenting to Cabinet. To be fair to him he honestly answered all my questions and indicated that he wanted a 24 hour permit, rather than one for shorter periods. However, another Tory member indicated he wanted the permit to be for no more than 3 hours.

Will be interesting to see if the Cabinet also reneges on the promise to pensioners. If they don't I would like to think it will be due to my own vigilance over their manifesto. They must be ruing the day they got manifestorial diarrhoea !

SITTING ON MY BACKSIDE, APPARENTLY !

The Island's Conservative MP was out leafleting Pan yesterday. I knew in advance that he would be out and about and I had a copy of his leaflet within a couple of hours of it hitting the doormats.

Apparently he is 'working for Pan all year round - not just at election time'!!!! The implication being that I have been sat on my backside since May wallowing in the status I have as local councillor.

Of course as anyone who knows me or reads this blog or my regular newsletters - my third one since the election out from next weekend - this is a total nonsense. Indeed the MP contradicts himself in his leaflet by admitting that I have been campaigning successfully against main Ryde bus routes being diverted along Furrlongs. He asks if this is what people actually want, as after all it will only involve noisy double-decker buses running through Pan, but then goes on to to say the streets of Pan should be 'quiet residential roads'. Me thinks he needs to make his mind up!

Other issues he wants views on that I already have in progress at the request of locals are: priority parking for local residents over commuters; support for a Pan by-pass when the new development is started; community wardens in place thanks to Labour government funding and the local partnership; more CCTV in the pipeline for where local people know there is a problem; long-term provision of cheap local milk at Downside Middle School when I was Chair of Governors.

The MP may work for the IW all year round on his generous salary and with all his many support staff. As a local councillor, however, I believe I am achieving far more for local residents despite the fact I still have to earn my living. I do that by being involved in Pan issues all week long - not just when I have a spare Saturday !

SINGULARLY UNIMPRESSIVE !

Went along to the IW School Governors Conference today. Very enjoyable day, all rounded up with an appalling presentation to the assembled governors by the Council cabinet member responsible for Education & Children's Services. Essentially all the standards problems on the IW are the fault of teachers and governors and it is for them to sort it out. No attempt to take people with him or to assure them he is on their side. And this to people who give hours of their own time to what is a voluntary role. A clear example of how not to win friends and influence !

SCRUTINY DEFINITELY NOT IN HANDS OF OPPOSITION

Went along to the new Scrutiny Committee for an hour or so last night. It was chaired by the renegade Liberal Garry Price who was accompanied by three of the Tory members (with the fourth member waiting in the wings until they get their parish council representative), and two members of the public appointed by the Tories, all supervised for the first 45 minutes by the two Tory 'Cabinet Secretaries'. Who knows what their role was ???? Given this committee is supposed to be in 'opposition control' even I almost felt a little sorry for Cllr Price all on his lonesome. There were no members of the public present, with just me and two other Tories observing. Mind you there was no agenda item for either public or members questions, so there is not a lot of point in turning up unless you are really interested - like me !

Main item they were looking at was the Budget process for next year. They had invited Cllr Wood, Cabinet member for Resources, along but she did not turn up. So much for accountability! The Asst Chief Exec (Finance) told them he would not be in a position to give them real information until mid/late-December when he knew the government settlement and the Tory political priorities. Price tried to pursue a line of questioning about the whole shortened budget-setting process, but was hi-jacked by one of the Tories - Mosdell - who was more interested in a line of - we can help retain funding for vulnerable adults by reneging on at least part of our parking permit manifesto commitment.......

The budget for vulnerable adults, Adult Services, is to be cutback by the Tories by 13% or £4m next year, but so far the cabinet member for Care, Health & Housing (Cousins) has only identified less than £1m. Mosdell clearly comprehends how badly this is going to go down on an Island with so many vulnerable adults. But does his leadership ? Cllr Cousins was invited to make comment to the committee and undertook to 'never do anything that will put people at risk'. We shall see.....

I had to leave at 7.15, but it was clear to me that Price is entirely isolated on this committee. Deborah and I are still happy to be involved, but there is no place for us. We could take the untaken 'independent' place, but that could easily have to be given up at a moments notice. What would be more acceptable would be for the Tories to give up their fourth place to us for the duration of this Council. One thing is for certain - we will never again get the well-structured Scrutiny Committee we had until July before the Tories cleverly wrecked it, as it requires Council unanimity to be re-established. That will never happen now......

FULL COUNCIL LAST NIGHT

Last night was Full Council. Again poorly attended by the Tories - I made seven of them missing, plus as ever the new Scrutiny Chair. Deborah and I have yet to miss one. Main issues from my perspective were:

1. December meeting will be cancelled to save money. I asked if this meant that democracy now has a price rather than a value and would it now be privatised by this administration;

2. Two lay people were appointed to the Scrutiny Committee. Only the Tories supported, with all opposition members voting against or abstaining. Mainly because there was no opportunity to question the Scutiny Chair about the candidates, given he was involved in their appointment. I proposed deferrment until he was present but that went down - predictably. Deborah and I were urged to propose a motion in future that will give us places on this committee as we are so 'talented'. Beware those who would.... etc......The only way we would get that place now would be with unanimous support - which isn't going to happen. Consequently we will persist with our rigorous questioning of them at Full Council;

3. 'Aim High' went through with us and LibDems opposing and independents abstaining. I made a number of points about very low staff morale and the lack of ambition of some of their targets - the former were rubbished by the Leader, the latter he seemed to agree with;

4. I disassociated Labour councillors from the decision to get rid of two senior Council officers in Education and I was assured that press releases in future will not suggest all elected members are in favour of something they did not get consulted about; other opposition members seemed to welcome my remarks;

5. I queried the £2 million in year budget overspend and was assured that this will be addressed;

6. I asked if the Council are still committed to integration with the bankrupt local Health trusts and was told they are ! Astounding. They seem to believe anything they are told....

All in all a most unedifying meeting. Its like sitting in a room of sheep at times there is so little debate in favour of the administration apart from their Cabinet members/secretaries. Deborah and I are having to work very hard at providing real opposition; though that is something we are both comfortable with.

A WASTED TALENT

Learnt of former councillor Bernard Buckle's death today. I got to know Bernard in the late 90s when he was recovering from alcoholism. IW Labour selected him as a Council candidate in early 2001 and he went on to win Cowes Central by 8 votes - much to many people's surprise. From then on things went very badly indeed. He started drinking again and after too many embarrassments the Labour group whip was withdrawn in October 2001 and he was asked to leave the party. After that I had nothing to do with him, but his death just made me feel what a wasted talent. Bernard had many qualities and many drawbacks, but his end is perhaps the inevitable consequence of his own spiral of decline.

Arrived at Cabinet 30 minutes late tonight after a Medina High governors meeting. Meeting was just drawing to a close ! No opportunity to ask questions about the dreadful performance indicators for July-September (over half now being missed, up from a third the previous quarter) and the £2 million in-year budget shortfall without knowing what had gone before. Checked with someone afterwards and no one else attending had questioned these - only one other opposition member there, but he said nothing.

This is becoming quite disgraceful ! With Mazillius back in his tribe, it is down to Deborah and I to hold this Council to account. The LibDems are entirely absent and the independents practically the same. However, if I can't make the Cabinet meetings due to other commitments (pursuing school standards in this instance) Deborah certainly can't as 6pm is just the worst possible time for a parent of a young child. If we are having evening meetings they should be at 7/7.30 if they are to be really inclusive and engaging.

I will pursue my planned questions at Full Council tomorrow evening..........

NEWPORT FORUM TO SEEK TOWN COUNCIL

In the likelihood of the IW Council imposing a local tax on Newport (& Ryde) residents from April as a punishment for not being emparished, to be administered by god knows who, Newport Area Forum decdied tonight to 'actively pursue' the establishment of a Town Council. This will mean collecting about 1500-2000 signatures from residents in the new year, depending on which wards are to be part of it - doubts about Parkhurst and Carisbrooke West. Any Council would not be established until April 2007, so for one year there would be taxation without representation. All the five Newport councillors present supported this - for Pan, Fairlee, Mountjoy, Newport South & Carisbrooke East - with the business members voting against.

On residents parking it was agreed that I should take a proposal to our January meeting, but there was clear support from the other councillors

MANY ISSUES THIS WEEK

This week will be interesting: Monday - Newport Forum where I am going to seek support for residents to have priority parking in their own roads within say half a mile of the centre; two local Tories have already indicated support. Also will be duscussing a possible Newport Town Council again.

Tuesday: First Full Governors meeting at Medina High, followed by Cabinet - where it will be interesting to hear the excuses for the poor performance against standards over the July - Sept quarter. The administration need to start getting good at excuses....

Wednesday: Full Council - Aim High and all that bo***cks. Deborah and I will have some points to make !

Thursday: Full Governors at Barton Primary, followed by the first Scrutiny Committee since July. I have a number of questions for this.

ISLE OF WIGHT - THE NEW ROME !

I watched the first two episodes of BBC's 'Rome' at the weekend whilst recovering from a tooth extraction and stomach virus. Much of it resembled what is seemingly happening down at County Hall. The Romans had something called 'decimation' - take out one in ten of the enemy ringleaders after they won; our local Tories seem to prefer a much more exacting and punitive 'octo-decimation' of anyone who ran services for the previous administration. As I understand it, they will complete this week the removal of four of the five Directors they started with on May 8th, together with another very senior officer. And then there was one.......

How much this is all going to cost the Council Tax paper is of course one question? Another is - where is the principle of non-politicisation of senior local government officers in all of this ? It is just not healthy to cast aside so much experience the way they are doing at a time of great change for staff.

What with Strategic 'noses in the trough' Partnering for central services, PFI (Private Fingers in the till Initiatives) for Highways, proposed integration of our adult social services with the financial mystics from the local heath trusts, and the visit to the Island last week of some organisation called SERCO (Sod Education, lets get Rich Cwik Organisation) to look at privatising education support services, it is beginning to feel like the Roman republic just before Caesar crossed the Rubicon. And we will all learn in the BBC 'Rome' episodes to come what happened to Rome once Caesar and his successors became emperor. It wasn't nice, it wasn't edifying, and it certainly wasn't democratic !

Fortunately it won't be 500 years to this decline and fall........

DELUSIONAL...

With a commitment to keep next years Council Tax rise to a rate of inflation - about 2.5% on the 25% of the Council budget that is raised locally - and a likely 1.5% increase from government for the other 75% of the budget, just about everyone is predicting budget cuts next year of about £10million.

So why does the Council Leader think there will be nothing like that figure to cut ? Does he know something or is he just in dreamland ?

SCHOOL STANDARDS

Went along to the Policy Commission for Children & School Results on Wednesday evening. Interesting information on standards from the LEA's Senior Inspector, much of which will be publicised in 2 weeks time. Still not going as far as I would like, but I will continue to pursue that. I can't seem to get through to people that too many Island schools are coasting, particularly in Years 3/4 and (especially) Years 7/8. What we need to see with GCSE results is the primary/middle route that 16 year old have followed. Only then will schools be truly be held to account - rather than just the High Schools.

Also went to the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Joseph Stalin would feel at home !!!

First governors meeting at Barton Primary last night - seems to be a good group of governors in a good school.

Got a tooth abscess tonight, so feeling lousy