Thursday, June 29, 2006
SCRUTINY CONFERENCE
Spent yesterday in London at a conference for Scrutiny councillors and officers. Organised by the Centre for Public Scrutiny, it was not very good at all. Dominated by councillors from Tory authorities who have no idea what scrutiny is about, in my view. At least this Tory Council had the guts to allow an opposition chair of its Scrutiny Committee - yes, that's almost a compliment !
Friday, June 23, 2006
WIGHTCARE REPORT ENDORSED
After some fuss whilst I was away over the publication of the draft Wightcare report before it was formally approved - to comply with the end of May deadline we were given - last night the Scrutiny Committee did approve it with 6 votes in favour, 1 against and 1 abstention.
The rest of the meeting was pretty short as my planned agenda had been somewhat curtailed whilst I was away. A pity really as the MP turned up to listen, only for me to close the meeting 5 minutes after his arrival ! Next month will be back to normal.
The rest of the meeting was pretty short as my planned agenda had been somewhat curtailed whilst I was away. A pity really as the MP turned up to listen, only for me to close the meeting 5 minutes after his arrival ! Next month will be back to normal.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
......THE MICE DO PLAY
Full Council last night and the four LibDems were suddenly all bright and bushy-tailed ! Is it because the Council Leader wasn't there to give them their deserved monthly reprimand for a decade plus of political incompetence, or has at last establishing a proper Group under Henry Adams' benign leadership re-enthused them ? Time will tell.
Excellent question from the public gallery about the new £40k communications improvement contract with Westminster City Council, after they spent £14k on another communications consultant earlier this year and improved not one dot. Of course the gentleman did not get an answer, but later on I got an assurance that this is a fixed term contract and that communications will not be handled permanently by Westminster staff. Personally I take a view that the Council's communications are deperately poor and have ignored them since I became Scrutiny Chair and they failed with my early request for a media release.
This Council was the first with the new LibDem Chairman - may be that's another reason why his colleagues were so bullish - and the new Chief Executive. Suddenly all Directors are now in attendance for the first time in years......
A motion urging the government to do all it could to ensure the Royal Mail keeps existing sub-Post Offices was approved unanimously.
A change in the format of the Best Value Performance Plan was approved, with opposition councillors abstaning and one Cabinet Member mysteriously joining them. Just wait till the Leader gets up from his sick bed !
I asked a question about a scheduled high-level meeting to discuss the loss of Government funding for failing to tackle anti-social behavious, but was assured this was an error in the title of the meeting !
I also asked, on Deborah's behalf, a question about the claimed sudden loss of government housing grant (reported at Cabinet on May 23) and the contrary information we had received from Govt Office of South East. Lots of bluster - seemingly the main tactic now when we catch them out on dealings with government - but we will pursue this. Perhaps they will learn not to blame the government for things unless they have all their facts right ?
Excellent question from the public gallery about the new £40k communications improvement contract with Westminster City Council, after they spent £14k on another communications consultant earlier this year and improved not one dot. Of course the gentleman did not get an answer, but later on I got an assurance that this is a fixed term contract and that communications will not be handled permanently by Westminster staff. Personally I take a view that the Council's communications are deperately poor and have ignored them since I became Scrutiny Chair and they failed with my early request for a media release.
This Council was the first with the new LibDem Chairman - may be that's another reason why his colleagues were so bullish - and the new Chief Executive. Suddenly all Directors are now in attendance for the first time in years......
A motion urging the government to do all it could to ensure the Royal Mail keeps existing sub-Post Offices was approved unanimously.
A change in the format of the Best Value Performance Plan was approved, with opposition councillors abstaning and one Cabinet Member mysteriously joining them. Just wait till the Leader gets up from his sick bed !
I asked a question about a scheduled high-level meeting to discuss the loss of Government funding for failing to tackle anti-social behavious, but was assured this was an error in the title of the meeting !
I also asked, on Deborah's behalf, a question about the claimed sudden loss of government housing grant (reported at Cabinet on May 23) and the contrary information we had received from Govt Office of South East. Lots of bluster - seemingly the main tactic now when we catch them out on dealings with government - but we will pursue this. Perhaps they will learn not to blame the government for things unless they have all their facts right ?
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
WHILST THE CAT'S AWAY.......
Went into County Hall today for the first time during daytime in nearly a month. All very quiet. Didn't spot a Tory anywhere. Could this be something to do with the Leader slipping his disc ?
Saturday, June 17, 2006
RETURN TO THE FRONTLINE !
Well my 2 week holiday passed well and I have also returned from a Conference 'up north' last week feeling well-relaxed - until I saw the front page of the County Press at Portsmouth yesterday......'£300,000 pay rise for top Council officers'. Got my blood pressure right up.
It seems that the Cabinet meeting I missed this week has agreed a new top management structure to ensure the new semi-detached, £150,000 per annum Chief Executive is well-supported. You couldn't make it up ! Adverts have already been placed for new top managers and this Tory Council continues on its merry way of taking the p**s out of low-paid Islanders, and without anyone at Cabinet to at least try to challenge them.
Ironically, whilst I was away our Scrutiny report on Wightcare seems to have ruffled quite a number of Tory feathers - and all it does is try to ensure the transfer of low-paid, mainly female home carers to the private sector is deferred whilst a proper review is undertaken into this in-house service. At a part year cost of not much more than £300k !
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