The Storm Clouds Are Gathering...
At the Main Council meeting tonight 20 councillors did not bother turn up and Pooter arrived late and testy from his LGA meeting in Moylan's hometown, Brum.
There was a sort of debate about the Tri Borough project which was introduced by Cllr Lindsay (Conservative). With the ruling Party these days one needs to read between the lines. Lindsay made some extraordinary obfuscations. "The situation is fast moving and our report is out of date" he said. "But we will continue to monitor". Small crumb of comfort there. Lindsay went on to say that "the complexity of IT means there is significant risk in the project and the protocol for Adult Social Services needs to be reviewed because there is a weak mandate and Sovereignty needs to be strengthened".
This is code for the fact that the programme is a shambles and K&C is about to be shafted by Hammersmith and Fulham.
Lindsay went on to say that "changes in Social Services are taking place alongside parallel and major change in the NHS". More code that the programme is about to implode. Finally Lindsay admitted that "it is important for the Scrutiny Committee to be kept informed". Could it be that they are being kept in the dark? What a thought......
There was a more straightforward intervention by Cllr Foreman whose stature grows every day. He made three clear contributions to the debate. First, "A major programme like Tri Borough should be put to the electorate first and it was not". Second, "Experts in corporate restructuring have not been consulted". And third, "There is huge employee risk with different salaries being paid for the same jobs in the three Boroughs with knock on risk for industrial relations". No code there. There is no mandate, no one knows what they are doing and it is a shambles.
And then the code started again. The barely intelligible Cllr Campion (Conservative) seemed to be communicating that IT "is a quagmire" and "Sovereignty is threatened". He was followed by the slightly less coded Cllr Gardner who stressed that "we must focus on delivery of quality before deterioration sets in". What could she be talking about? But then in a flash of insight Cllr Gardner announced that her 10 years of experience in IT (I thought she was a solicitor! Editor) she ventured to advise that "it is essential to draw up a specification and determine a budget before IT contracts are signed with contractors". What is going on here one wonders? She then followed with the wisdom. "Changes must appear seamless to the outside world" she advised. So we are clear about the cock up that is about to be created.
Cllr Lindsay was obviously deeply shaken by these contributions and closed the debate by saying that "residents are confident that we will deliver" and Cllr Foreman should understand that the Tri Borough was "invented after the election" so there was no possibility of seeking a mandate. What a silly boy Cllr Foreman was to challenge the Conservatives.
What on earth is Cllr Lindsay on about? "Residents are confident that we will deliver"
ReplyDeleteWhere does the prat get this intelligence from? No one has a clue what is going on. And we are all in the dark until the shit hits the fan
Cllr Cockell is pumping out Press Releases saying what a wonderful thing Tri Borough is and it will save £40 million out of the £2 billion spend by 2015. Rather a different story emerging from the Council chamber.
ReplyDeletePooter and his self seeking PR need to be brought under control by the Conservative Councillors
For the last nine months residents have been warning Cllr Cockell and their Ward Councillors about the incorrect way that the Tri Borough is being implemented and also the pitfalls. These warnings have not even been acknowledged, let alone discussed.
ReplyDeleteThe warnings about Chelsea Care were also brushed aside.
Leaders need to be aware of the impact on the troops when they are too tired or can't be bothered to turn up to important events like Main Counsel Meetings. De-motivation sets in. In difficult times a demotivated team can be devastating
ReplyDeleteI suspect cllrs are beginning to feel that if Cockell can spend little time on council work then why should they
ReplyDeleteA curious meeting altogether.
ReplyDeleteThere was a typical ritual to wind up the Standards Committee at the end of this week following Cameron's purge of the quangos. Independent Chairperson Sophia Lambert told the Council what a good job she and her Committee had done (Cllr Coleridge vigorously agreed)and went on to say that some residents felt that she and her fellow independent members were not independent and in the pocket of the leadership. "We are independent" she announced.
The Deputy Leader, Cllr Paget-Brown, then told Cllr Lambert what a wonderful person she is and since the council has not found an independent member for the new Scrutiny Committee, Ms Lambert has agreed to return as the "new" independent member.
These clowns do not understand what the word "perception" means
Cllr Palmer has obviously been stung by the Dame's reference to his Billy Bunter appearance. He has grown a mustache!
ReplyDeleteSophia Lambert is not telling the truth. She and her ludicrous Committee were in the pocket of Cockell and most residents knew it
ReplyDeleteCan we have a pic of the moustachioed
ReplyDeleteBunter Dame?
Very interesting interpersonal dynamics on the Conservative benches. The intense dislike of Cllr Holt for Cllr Coates (Bt, FRCIS etc)was evident for all to see. During a diatribe by Coates which was so boring that it is impossible even to remember what it was about, Cllr Holt sat six places away with fist firmly gripped to the table and his knuckles white. A look of thunder on his face. Not good for an old man with high blood pressure. And Cllr Marshall had not a single word or acknowledgment for his neighbour, ambitious Cllr Read. I wonder what is going on between them?
ReplyDeleteNot so for Billy Bunter (aka Inspector Palmer). He and Cllr Marshall chatted away all night, shared jokes, an Evening Standard, and lots of little congratulations to each other after their speeches. Cllr Palmer presented a petition from 1,982 of his residents. What a busy chap he is
Cllr Cockell left the meeting after about half an hour, following the tributes to Cllr Ritchie. The Tories had to make do without him
ReplyDeleteA Leaderless council
Cockell came only for the tributes to Shireen Ritchie. There seem to have been two Councillor Ritchies, the one the subject of the tributes and the one most people knew. Cockell then returned to the LGA conference as there was an important dinner that he thought he must attend. It is, as everyone has always known, imposible to be Leader of the Council and chairman of the LGA at the same time without one suffering. Cockell gives preference to the LGA. The Council is so much more pleasant without him and Myers there, more relaxed and more productive that most councillors are very happy not to see Cockell in Hornton Street and to see Myers in Fulham.
ReplyDeleteAnother absence was Cllr Moylan. No doobt now focused on the GLA. Good news
ReplyDeleteStyle is still very important in K&C. The Bentley and the Jaguar (Mayor and Deputy Mayor) grandly drawn up and parked outside the Council Chamber entrance. The valuable cargoes delivered and cars and drivers waiting for them to depart after the meeting.
ReplyDeleteRidiculous of course. Both Mayors live 200 yards from the Chamber and should walk to work. Do their health good. And save overtime for the drivers and pollution in the atmosphere. And the drivers could spend time with their families
It is a small Hitler style growth,23.41
ReplyDeleteLooks very odd indeed. But Cllr Marshall seems to like it
The Chamber seems to have become rather accident prone of late. Poor Cllr Foreman was on crutches
ReplyDeleteFast moving out of date = confused and no plans
ReplyDeleteComplexity of IT = didn't notice we had different systems
Sovereignty= there is really none.
S Committee informed = after the horse has bolted and they have created chaos.
Quality before deterioration sets in= already services are suffering and I'm getting it in the neck.
IT needs budget = I've been screwed by an IT person because I don't know what they do. (did she question exhibitionist roads budget?)
Changes must 'appear seamless to the outside world' = Lets continue to pretend everything is dandy to the voters.
Its disgraceful that 20 didn't turn up, Cockup couldn't be bothered to stay and slithered off to grease another pole or gravy train.
Two very worrying things stand out from this fiasco, Sovereignty is under threat, this was meant to be the get out clause if it all wrong, so the Borough is clearly under threat of loosing this. And the clear demonstration of what the paid servants of the public think of residents and voters that we should be kept in the dark about what they do in our name and everything should 'appear seamless'.
As for them all getting along together without Cockup, Moylan et al don't believe it, they are now so sure they have complete control of what happens that they don't need to be here. When they left did anyone state they needed a new leader, needed to get out of this trough Borough? No they sat patting each other on their backs.
Role on the elections.
Dear Mr. Moylan
ReplyDeleteI remind you of our offer to help
07799647160
Amazing that Cllr Fiona Buxton (inventor of Chelsea Care) still dares to show her face at Council Meetings.
ReplyDeleteObviously she has taken a lesson or three from disgraced ex Cllr Phelps
Anonymous at 23.20 said "No one has a clue what is going on". This is almost certainly true and includes the cllrs themselves.
ReplyDeleteThey are arrogantly attempting to implement something in which they have absolutely no knowledge or experience. They are currently lost and will soon be flailing around like dying fish in the bottom of the boat.
It is all about box ticking 23.37
ReplyDeleteThe system has lost sight of what the process is supposed to do. If the meeting takes place, a person is in position, and a record is kept, then the show is on the road.
It is sad when things slide this far. Terminal
Cllr Fiona Buxton is a Very Important Person. A senior member of the Cabinet of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and a noted Head hunter in the Local govt space. And she has a powerful sponsor
ReplyDeleteBuxton is all of these things indeed. But she still gets it all wrong. Always did
ReplyDeleteAnd anyway, who would want a cockroach as a sponsor?
ReplyDeleteBefore the meeting, "City Living - Local Life" arranged for councillors to meet some residents groups in the lobby of the Chamber. With a few notable exceptions, including Cllrs Caruana, Hargreaves and Paget Brown, the councillors failed to appear. Cllrs Faulkes & Lightfoot argued with a resident, while on seeing real people, Cllr Ahern fled the room. Outside, councillors formed up and marched straight through the lobby - eyes front. So while residents stood for 90 minutes, only to be ignored by their councillors, the main topic of conversation was The Hornet.
ReplyDeleteThe most important debate of the year and Cllr Cockell could not be bothered to turn up because he had a dinner date in Birmingham
ReplyDeleteSays it all really
Palmer's 'moustache' is covering up a nasty cut where he was punched in the mouth.
ReplyDeleteSome colleagues want to know who was the perpetrator of this act - as they would like to shake him or her by the hand.
Goodness me! Billy Bunter seems to get up rather too many people's noses
ReplyDeleteHas the Dame been delivering violence? Her patience has, after all, been stretched to unbelievable limits by Inspector Palmer.
ReplyDelete