PLANNING THE SACK OF OLD NEWPORT

I went along to the IW Council Planning Committee tonight to support a new Newport parish councillor who was endeavouring to put a stop to Sainsbury's manoevuring to secure the re-routing of historic Petticoat Lane as part of their approved (but highly controversial) expansion plans. Our parish council had supported her objections earlier this month and she volunteered - as one of the local members - to make the objections to Sainsbury's seeking to overturn a planning condition about the lane only imposed on them - with their agreement - last March.

Well she made her objections - not easy in the Council Chamber when you have a quiet voice and the PA system is absolute rubbish (still) - supported by the other local parish member and IW councillor, but to no avail. The quality of debate by the committee shed no intelligence on the issue, with only one councillor having any real understanding of what the issue was. The rest of the contributions were bordering at times on the asinine and the variation to the planning condition was approved by a clear majority. The only Newport member of the committee voted in favour of this variation.

On the way home it got me thinking about how this committee works. It is a deeply unimpressive body of people who, in the main, seem to have little understanding of what they are deliberating. And these people will determine the biggest planning application in a generation next April.................All the consultation in the world will never deliver people from the whims of this deeply flawed committee.

THE FIBBING LIBERALS, part 1

I came across a discarded Liberal 'Focus' flyer today in a part of Newport soon to have a by-election......

These flyers always give me real laugh at the bare-faced cheek of people who will never govern Britain and who were overwhelmingly ejected from County Hall by Islanders just 3 years ago.

An absolute classic in this edition was, "We want to cut Tory waste by replacing highly-paid chief officers (of the IW Council) with staff who actually do the work".

Of course cutting Tory waste is laudable, but this suggested solution is complete balderdash. The best they could do is terminate the contracts of the current chief officers, involving massive compensation costs - out of our pockets. They would then have to replace most of them as Council's have to have certain chief officers, who by their nature don't come cheap if they are any good. The thought of a new chief executive on say £100k per year instead of the £175k paid by the Tories, then doing front-line work - issuing parking penalties perhaps? - is just so ridiculous it can only be a LibFib !

Watch out for more LibFibs............(1st in a new series)

REFUGEE FROM PLANET TORY DEPARTS

So Melanie Swan has decided to resign as IW Councillor for Mount Joy ward in Newport. Thankfully after 5 years or so on Planet Tory, Melanie returned to civilisation in December 2007 and joined the small band of IW councillors I have any respect for. I will never forget the shock I had in March 2003 seeing her door-knocking in Newport with the Tory MP, having always previously considered her to be the antithesis of a Tory. She will be missed, particularly by those who have campaigned against the school reorganisation. I am pleased she is staying on with the less burdensome Newport Parish Council.

Now for a by-election. Not something a Labour activist relishes much these days, though at least here on the Island the voters now remember how arrogant the Tories are in power - and how invisible the Liberals are.

HOW THIS COUNCIL NOW WORKS, part 2

Prior to last summer and the subsequent coup at County Hall the overview and scrutiny functions necessary to democratic forms of modernised local government seemed to work quite well.

The functions on the IW Council are spread between 4 Policy Commissions and the single Scrutiny Committee. Prior to last summer the Policy Commissions had delivered in two years 14 so-called 'blue papers' suggesting policy changes to the Council leadership, and the Scrutiny Committee had delivered 8 enquiry Reports, with 2 more almost complete.

However, since the coup last September the Policy Commissions have delivered just 5 'blue papers' and the Scrutiny Committee just 2 Reports on new enquiries.

Clearly effective overview and scrutiny has been reduced in the last of the 3 years of this Council.

HOW THIS COUNCIL NOW WORKS, part 1

The latest Forward Plan of decisions intended by the leadership up to the end of the year demonstates how undemocratic the Island Tories have become.

Out of 42 Council-level decisions planned for the next 4 months, 18 will be made by individual Cabinet members under 'delegated' powers (a whopping 43%), 21 will be made by the Cabinet collectively, and just 3 will go to Full Council (just 7%).

Interestingly the Forward Plan at this time last year - pre-Coup - had 28 decisions planned, 8 by Cabinet member (29%), with 5 to go to Full Council (18%).

I know modernisation of local government was supposed to lead to more streamlined decision-making (though I had my doubts), but I am sure that negating the need for Full Council meetings was not the overall intention.

One very interesting decision planned to be taken by a Cabinet member is on an "Unreasonably persistent customers policy" ! With no consultation with other Elected members......... It must only be a matter of time before I am subject to an "Unreasonably persistent councillor policy".....

PAN DEVELOPMENT - IS IT GOING AHEAD ?

"Is it still going ahead", people keep asking me about the Pan development in the light of the downturn in the housing market ? A question I keep repeating to IW Council officers, especially after you read about the cutbacks being made by other national housing developers like Barretts and Persimmion—both of whom were interested in Pan before Miller Homes won the bidding round. And the answer is always—'definitely'………………..

However, at the time of writing:

*** the Development Agreement—or contract—between the IW Council and Miller Homes remains as yet to be agreed;
*** the Planning Application will now not be submitted until December/January (it was supposed to be submitted in June/July just gone) and will be considered by the Planning Committee in April 2009, not this November;
*** and the works will not commence until September 2009 at the earliest, instead of April 1st 2009.

And even when it does go ahead we are still not getting the 30% affordable housing that we were promised at the beginning and which we really need on the Island. Currently more like 25%…….though IW Council officers are assuring me they are seeking more funding to increase this.

So yes, I suppose it is still going ahead. Sort of....

SCHOOL REORGANISATION contd.......

For your diaries if you are still keeping an eye on what is going on - notification to IW Council Members:

"There will be an additional meeting of the (IW Council) Cabinet on Monday 3 November 2008 at 6.00pm in Committee Room 1, County Hall.

This is to deal with the paper -

'School Re-organisation: Publication of the Specifications for New Schools and Decision to Invite Potential Proposers to Bring Forward Proposals'. "

2008 ELEVEN YEAR OLDS's SATS RESULTS

Just picked this up from the newspapers, not good news:

% of 11-year-olds achieving level 4 or above in reading, writing and maths.

Bottom 10:

1 City of London 34
2 Isle of Wight 48
3 Portsmouth 49
4 Southampton 49
5 Kingston upon Hull 51
6 City of Nottingham 51
7 Thurrock 52
8 Hackney 52
9 Stoke-on-Trent 53
10 Luton 53

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/aug/06/sats.primaryschools

CAN'T 'READ ALL ABOUT IT' !

I saw the first edition of a free newspaper on a Council Director's desk today. 'The Island Gasbag' or something. The only copy I've seen and it was dated 1 August. Which is surprising given how many other local publications end up in my reading pile. Oh well - clearly not a paper that wants the working-class hoi-poloi to see it........

CAN WE TRUST 'TRUST' SCHOOLS ?

The Tory Council's refusal to apply for a Government waiver from having to offer the planned new Secondary Schools for tender - as they believe they have a 'slim chance of success' despite the creditable performances of Sandown and Medina High Schools in recent years (see my post of 3rd June) - could see a rush of applications by current High Schools to become Trust Schools ahead of the tender process in November-February. That way existing High School governing bodies can tender to take over the new Secondary Schools, which are likely to become Trust schools anyway, no matter who ends up winning the tender process. At least two or three applications are rumoured to be in the pipeline.

Some people may see that as the sensible way forward, particularly if the school is an improving one, but personally I deeply regret and oppose the Tory decision not to apply for a waiver.

'Trust schools' were a very contentious part of the Government's 2006 Education & Inspections Act within the Labour Party. The reasons being:

1. School land and buildings transfer from Local Authority ownership (i.e. ours) to the Trust; also all staff are employed by the Trust rather than the Council;

2. The Trust will appoint more than half the new governing body - no more of the significant elected parent governor bloc (usually one third) - a major reduction in parent power;

3. The Trust can set its own admission arrangements - a threat to fair access opportunities.

I was opposed to the legislation as it went through Parliament and I maintain my belief that Trust Schools are a very bad thing for the above reasons.

Therefore, although we will not get a waiver from them on the Island due to the Tory Council's refusal to apply for one, I will maintain my opposition to them and will seek to ensure that the consultation on establishing them early on the Island is as wide and as open as possible.