HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Well that is a full year of blogging completed and with 168 posts from me that makes it one post every two days.

I also had 13,200 blog 'page hits over the year' - thats 36 average per day; and 2,705 new visitors to add to the 2,443 I had at the start of the year = 5,148 different visitors over the year. I suppose I am providing some sort of service.....

Reflecting on the year - last year at this time I was the best thing since sliced bread as the Council leadership were keen for me to become their third opposition Chair of Scrutiny. Of course I took it on in April and am still in post nine months later. However, for how much longer is questionable given their realisation that I am true to my politics and anything but a poodle ! If I make it to the Council's Annual Meeting in April 2007 I will be surprised. Whatever happens I will continue to provide real opposition to this intransigent administration.

I have continued to fight for Pan at every possible opportunity, never putting any other Council role ahead of the people I represent. I am sure that Pan will be a better neighbourhood to live in by the end of my term in 28 months time.

Nationally we are seeing the unnecessarily, long-drawn out retirement of the Labour leader and the temporary boost in Tory fortunes. However, I am confident of a Labour fourth term as the British people vote very practically and a majority of the British people know they are better off with Labour.

Well thats the end of this post. A very Happy New Year to all my readers. Please pass on my blog address as widely across the Island as you can, and please use the anonymous comment facility as frequently as you like. It makes me feel my labours are worthwhile !

MERRY XMAS AND A PEACEFUL NEW YEAR

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

ROBUST SCRUTINY !

Tension at the Scrutiny Commitee over the 'Constructionline' call-in. The Cabinet member had been called to the committee to explain her delegated decision, but was heavily criticised by committee members for the lack of consultation with local businesses over this new tendering scheme. This was refuted by the Cabinet member who made it clear she stood by her decision. The committee agreed to formally ask her to defer the decision until after doing more consultation with IW businesses. This was a very robust session, but it was right to be so as there are many unanswered questions.

We also had the Cabinet member for Education along who gave a bravura performance - showing that if you prepare well there is nothing to fear in being held to account ! The proof of his confidence in the effectiveness of his school improvment policies will be the exam results in the next couple of years.

COUNCIL BREAKING OWN RULES

People may have noticed that the recent edition of the Council magazine 'One Island' heavily featured councillor members of the ruling administration - which contravenes the Council's own agreed Constitution. I complained about this to the officer designated 'Monitoring Officer', who agreed with me, but then advised me the rules would be changed in the new year.

I bet they wouldn't change the rules for me when they are getting in a state about my personal publicity successes !

STILL BUSY....

Although most of the Council's other committees, commissions and such like closed down last week, the Scrutiny Committee - along with Development Control - has a scheduled meeting this week (Thursday 6pm).

In addition we will be setting next year' budget at Newport Town Management Committee tomorrow evening, and interviewing for a Newport Town Clerk on Wednesday.

So with my usual two days at work I will remain busy right up to the end of the week - just like most Islanders.

NEW CABINET MEMBER VISITS PAN

Yes, the new Tory Cabinet member responsible for the Pan development was taken on a tour by me today. Best they know the area they are talking about when making decisions. I do believe he found it useful and enjoyable. I then met with him and the responsible Director and was given various assurances about the urgent delivery of long-promised things like a recreation facility for the community - current and soon to be.

There does seem to be more of an urgency about the development in recent weeks, but we shall see.

ONE ISLAND, ONE PARTY ?

Saw the 2nd edition of the Council's glossy mag 'One Island' today. Full of pictures and quotes from leading Conservative councillors, in contravention of the Council's own protocol on publicity and the media, which states that the publication should be "a non-political publication, and will not ordinarily feature individual councillors".

I wonder how the 50%+ of Islanders who did not vote for this lot at the last elections will feel about politics being funded from their Council tax.

TOO POLITICAL ?

I frequently hear that many members of the ruling group at County Hall think I am far too political. I prefer to think of myself as honest. Forgive my naivety, but I am sure 35 of the 36 strong ruling group were elected as something labelled 'the Conservative Party candidate'.

And aren't they now members of the most political administration we have had at County Hall in many years ? Just think back to the 2006 budget Council......

Hypocrisy comes to mind.

TENT PHILOSOPHY

US President Johnson said in the 1960s of his critics, "Better to have them in the tent pi**ing out, than on the outside pi**ing in".

Clearly this philosophy still holds sway with regard to the Council's relationship with the local media. I learnt today from a number of people - having been told originally in strictest secrecy - that they have recruited a senior journalist from what the Leader was calling the 'County Depresser' until only recently.

Better start carrying an umbrella.........

HEALTH WORRIES

Learnt yesterday afternoon that the Island's MP had had a stroke on Friday afternoon. An hour or two later I spoke with a close friend of Andrew's who had seen him that afternoon and the day before and told me he was much better - which is good news. I had been in a meeting with Andrew myself on Friday morning when he appeared to be in fine health. I really hope he recovers completely from this.

What with this and the Council Leader's ill-health - both in their early fifties - its all a bit of a warning to those of us just a few years younger.....

More important things than politics ?

WHO IS DRIVING FIRE CONSULTATION ?

Went along to the Newport consultation meeting last evening on a possible merger of our Fire & Rescue Service with Hampshire's. Not brilliantly attended and I was disappointed that only one other of the eight Newport area councillors bothered to turn up.

Despite a very biased style of running a consultation meeting by the Council's consultants, the meeting was 100% AGAINST merger or closer collaboration - though the consultant seemed reluctant to record that fact. Two previous public meetings have had similar outcomes.

What is very disconcerting is that it is clear that the Cabinet Member responsible does not want this merger, and neither does the relevant Policy Commissioner. There are claims that the Government is pushing it, but Labour councillors know that is rubbish - as I told the meeting. The Government wants an improved Fire Service here and is unlikely to go against local opinion if convinced the service is on a significantly improving trajectory. All the current indicators are showing that it is.

So the question needs to be asked - exactly why is the Council spending £35,000 of Council Taxpayers money on consultation - by Consultants - that no one appears to want ? My guess is that it lies at the door of someone higher than the Cabinet Member.........

CONSEQUENCES OF BUDGET EFFICIENCIES

Yesterday we had the Council Tories claiming that £6million of budget efficiencies have been delivered this year without affecting frontline services. They also claimed the moon is made of green cheese and that the River Medina flows with milk and honey. So wonderful is this Island nirvana that Islanders are encouraged to suspend all disbelief and enjoy the fairy stories.

IN THIS BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS, EVERYTHING IS FOR THE BEST (Voltaire)

No, you are at the correct blog ! Not some clever philosophers. As I referred to Voltaire's quote at Cabinet tonight I thought I better post it here in a recognisable form.

I used it ironically, as it was intended, because that is the feeling you get after reading a quarterly Performance Management Report, which was the only real item on tonight's Cabinet agenda. I asked a number of questions of this Report - and wondered why all indicators that show they are way off target are still forecast to be achieved by 31 March. Hence the reference to Candide.

NOT SO STARRY-EYED

Read the Council's 'Reputation and the Media' survey of 400 residents at the weekend. One of the most striking findings was that 72% of Council employees are likely to be critics of the Council. This does not reflect the claims we have had from the Council Leader over the last 18 months that staff are 'starry eyed' about the new Council.

Also noticed that 1 in 6 Council critics blame poor Communications. If 4 of them are Council employees can you blame them ? Especially when Council 'blogging' seems to be a weekly chore compared to what you get here and elsewhere !!!!

LABOUR GOVERNMENT LOOKS AFTER ISLAND

With a 6.1% increase in their national funding for the IW Council next year - 2% above the average for similar Councils, which will help the Council Tories to keep Council Tax increases down to inflation levels - our Labour government is looking after Islanders, particularly those on pensions and fixed incomes.

Of course the MP and his Council henchmen are claiming all the credit. With no Tory government in prospect they have little alternative.