The new generation of Conservative councillors are proving to be rather good: so good the Dame often feels her days are over.
But there are headwinds that cannot be ignored....
The Leader, Cllr Campbell, commissioned an ‘independent’ report from American-owned Kroll at huge cost.
The Dame suggests readers read the report looking into four specific property transactions and the Leader’s opinion that it acknowledged no wrongdoing.
However, Campbell said things were not as they should have been pre 2017.
That admission leads the Dame to an awkward question and a suggestion.
Two members of what in those pre 2017 days was grandiosely described as the Cabinet still run the Council.
They are the leader, Cllr Campbell and Cllr Weale.
The Council is not a publicly quoted company.
Were it the directors would be forced to step aside until exonerated from any involvement in decisions leading to a catastrophe on the scale of Grenfell.
The Dame cannot believe the Leader and Cllr Weale have not given serious thought to their positions.
There is a groundswell of opinion that Campbell and Weale represent the ‘Old Order’.
Though sacrificing their substantial allowances might be painful they should step down pro tem and let the deputy leader, Kim Taylor-Smith, and another councillor untainted by the past take over.
People moot Cllrs Will or Cyron as having the qualities to deputise for Taylor-Smith during the interregnum but that is not a decision for the Dame.
It is good the Dame sees the high quality of the newer members. Well done, Julie Mills for your part in that.
ReplyDeleteSorry not true. Cllr Mills found limited talent and a lot of dross. There is a clear solution. Retire Cllrs Campbell and Weale. The people's choice is Cllr Elnaghi for Leader and Cllr Ali as Lead Member for Finance.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Comrade 19:18
DeleteHardworking and ever ready to serve the people.
This is a serious discussion. North Kensington Resident should not trivialize the subject with mention of the snowflakes Elnaghi and Ali. Two of the more ridiculous specimens of ridicule on the Council. As for EDC, she would do well to put her feet up and have a nice cup of tea.
DeleteHow dare you Sir. Councillor Elnaghi is an outstanding councillor. High intellect and much loved by his residents. You are clearly a reactionary and a Tory as well.
Delete"we hear but we don't listen, Weale" needs her £60k a year allowance to support the upkeep of her delicious chateau in France and Eton education for her kids....
ReplyDeletehttps://www.stayonedegree.com/en/home/1059/information/view....
Housing not an issue for the Weale's
It is out of order that Cllr Campbell and Cllr Weale are still hanging around the Council and drawing their large allowances. All the pomp and puffing plus near on £90k a year. Both are architects of much of what is currently wrong with the Council (absence of a balanced approach, bloated bureaucracy, culpable negligence with issues like Grenfell, profligate spending, poor Leadership)and it is time for them to clear off.
DeleteCampbell and Weale were both long time Cabinet members in the period leading up to Grenfell. They were both part of the social neglect that caused the disaster.
DeleteAfter hijacking the Leadership Campbell was forced to admit on the Today programme that she had never visited a Council flat. Of course she hadn't.
a sad state of affairs
ReplyDeleteA self imposed "sad state of affairs". The new Tory Councillors have the power to vote out dizzy and they should get on with it and give the rest of us the chance to breath a huge sigh of relief.
DeleteTime for these two to retire
ReplyDeleteThe solution to the problem would he to have Julie Mills as Leader (good decision maker, no nonsense, would help repair broken relations with North Kensington residents), with two Deputies. Kim Taylor-Smith in charge of finance and infrastructure, and Anne Cyron in charge of housing, Grenfell and communities.
ReplyDeleteCllr Mills was an outstanding Mayor. The common touch - so important to bring North Kensington into the tent. She may not have the intellect of ex Cllr Moylan but knows how to build a team around her to move the COuncil forward in the right direction. People warm to Julie Mills
DeleteAt the very least they could have halved their allowances
ReplyDeleteWhen I was doing succession planning (something you keep an eye on all the time) I was always on the look out for young managers who kept their heads down, did what they were given to do, and did it well. And built up a track record of success without grand standing, posturing, and boasting. These are the people best able to take over the running of an organisation and do it well.
ReplyDeleteThe Dame mentions Cllrs Will and Cryon. I made some discrete inquiries and it seems that they are well thought of. They both have a big workload and are respected by their colleagues and residents. Promising people. This is a contrast with attention seekers like disgraced Cllr Fielding-Mellen and "headline of the moment" Cllr Thalasites. Young men in a hurry and keen to tell the world that they are in a hurry. NOT promising material.
It is a great shame that the Tory system in Hornton Street cannot find a way to give great Councillors like Linda Wade more responsibility. For many years she has demonstrated that she cares, works hard, and is passionate about residents. She gets results and is not a puffer. A good Leader would find ways to include people lie this in the top team
DeleteCampbell a Leader? You must be joking
DeleteWeale?
ReplyDeleteCampbell??
Yesterdays Councillors
Is Cllr Weale related to ex Cllr Fielding-Mellen?
DeleteFielding-Mellen and Cllr Weale are cousins
DeleteFamily, and friends, and Masons. The story of Hornton Street
DeleteVery St Petersberg.....
DeleteThe Kroll Report is some VERY expensive consultancy work, paid for by Council Tax, for the Leader to give to the Inquiry (in evidence) that the Council was not responsible for Grenfell.
ReplyDeleteConsultants will take money to say anything. It is time for Campbell and Quirk to stop wasting money and start doing their jobs properly.
The legacy of Campbell and Weale
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcJPlkqOYX0
Council Leader Campbell was too quick to Weale out this report as a PR exercise. She has no interest in using it as a management tool to shape and improve the organisation. Just soundbites.
DeleteDizzy has no interest in organisation improvement. Her mission is to use RBKC as a stepping stone to the House of Lords
DeleteNothing is surprising with this Council. Including the fact that after a huge catastrophic tragedy in their Borough they were left in charge to do more of the same. The culture did not change by magic overnight. They hide, lie, cheat and they say they're doing b it all through "engagement" but with whom? Their mates and their pillows? Any other Borough would have put into spe ial measures after Grenfell. But that would have been too difficult for the Government to swallow. Half the Government Cabinet past and present lives in the Borough.
ReplyDeleteI hear what you say but I am too grand too listen. I am the only breadwinner in my family and keeping my chateau in France going requires my £60k allowance. Plebs? Stop carping on and accept the fact that like my mentor, Sir Merrick, I am here for the duration so get f*****g used to it...
ReplyDeleteWell said, Mary...the proles need to be told where to get off.
DeleteMary, hold fast. Allow not these spiteful, envious creatures to get you down. We have sacrificed our private lives on the altar of public service and are entitled to recognition and reward. I was told that I would be made Local Government Minister in the House of Lords. It was a challenge I was ready, willing and able to take up. Because of the lying Dame and her so called expose of my legitimate expenses travelling to foreign parts the public were deprived of my continued public service. Looking forward to visiting chez toi this summer.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Merrick...beat you to the Lords eh?
ReplyDeleteIt is not just about the appropriateness of Cllr Campbell clinging on to power when she was part of the problem: as seriously it is about her lamentable lack of leadership skills. This lack gives Quirk and senior officers great control and influence allowing them to import their left wing Lewisham ways into the Borough. For that too, she can not be forgiven.
ReplyDeleteAssociation Member
ReplyDeleteIf I were in the shoes of Felicity Buchan with a majority of just 150 I would be very concerned about the co-lateral damage that a bad Grenfell verdict might have. Miss Buchan is very much perceived as an ally of Campbell. If Campbell and Weale are seen as part of the Cabinet rump then it would damage the MP.
This is why Felicity needs to encourage a 'clear the decks'so when the enquiry reports a new and untainted crop of councillors are seen running things. Felicity's worst fear should be Ian Henderson as Labour's parliamentary candidate. We know Felicity is fiercely ambitious: she should not let Campbell and Weale damage her opportunities.
One Who Knows needs to sharpen his pencil. Felicity Buchan's majority is 15. She must be mightily concerned about the antics of Cllr Campbell. There will be such an outburst of fury from North Kensington residents if Campbell hangs on after the Council is cross examined in June that Buchan will be toast
DeleteThere is a new group of Tory Councillors whose selection was engineered by that wise old bird, Cllr Mills, when she was Chairman of the Conservative Association. She moved so fast that the sleepy old guard did not realise what was going on. This new group of Tories needs to kick out the likes of Campbell and Weale who are the architects of the current nonsense in Hornton Street. And the Councillors need to take back control from the Officers who are pursuing a blatantly WOKE agenda. They belong in the National Trust, not Conservative Kensington and Chelsea
DeleteCampbell is Buchan's Achilles heal
ReplyDeleteCampbell has failed residents (for a long period of time), she is failing her Office, she is failing her Party, and she is shafting Buchan in North Kensigton. A disgrace.
ReplyDeleteThe boat is lost at sea. Town Clerk Barry Quirk has taken over and is running the show. Informants say that he has told Cllr Campbell: "Leader, you are in a spot of bother over the Grenfell stuff. Leave it to me. I will commission some reports and fix things. Will get you off the hook. Promise".
DeleteOf course dizzy has fallen for it. Time for the politicians to refresh the Leadership take back ownership of local Government in RBKC.
If Quirk thinks that any numbers of reports exonerating RBKC of Grenfell blame is a way forward, then he is off his head.
ReplyDeletePublic opinion requires a public hanging. This will not change. It is the reality. The fact.
Campbell and Weale need to take note of this reality
Not just those two need take not but those councillors who want to put some distance from the OLD GUARD. It really is time for Felicity Buchan to exert influence and have a firm word with Campbell and Weale.The Conservative Party needs to get tough.
Delete"The Conservative Party needs to get tough" is a correct assessment by 16.16. It is not only Campbell and Weale who need to be retired, it is also Officers who need to be brought under control. Chief Clerk Barry Quirk has mounted an intrusive WOKE agenda in RBKC as a diversionary tactic to try and deflect attention from the Grenfell inquiry. This is a cynical ploy and something that the Tories need to stamp on
DeleteThousands of Hornton Street Officers are at home on FULL PAY because of COVID. It is an 18 month holiday. These Officers have run out of DIY things to do and are now fully deployed being a pest and irritant to residents with a WOKE agaenda
ReplyDeleteDizzy Campbell his given over control to Chief Clerk Quirk. Elected representatives are out of the loop. Never consulted, no participation in local Government. A sad state of affiars
DeleteThere is a full scale WOKE agenda underway in Hornton Street, spearheaded by Chief Clerk Quirk - the WOKE in chief from Lewisham who is now inflicting his nonsense on Kensington and Chelsea. On March 11th Quirk has organised a ZOOM call for residents:
ReplyDelete"Creating a Greener Borough: your chance to shape local action on climate change, air quality and biodiversity".
All of this has to be national and regional policy. RBKC alone is a joke. And the skill set and money (Council Tax) to do all of this?????
Local Government should be about clearing the dustbins and cleaning the parks and keeping Council Tax low.......