Brompton Association accused by The London Standard Of Not Backing Residents

The Dame has been accused by Miss Andreae, chair of the Brompton Association of not consulting her eminent self. She went on to say what a stalwart defender of residents was Cllr Quent Marshall. Well,  it seems, from the huge volume of comments, she is alone in her conviction. And it appears that the London Standard don't credit this august personage with being a mistress of consultation.
The Dame gives everybody the right to comment, but Miss Andreae seems curiously reluctant to embroil herself in discussion. She may THINK she is a representative of 300 residents but the facts don't seem to bear it out. The Dame is waiting.....and leaves other to ponder upon the below...
Maybe, Miss Andreae can have a quiet word with Cllr  'Danny Boys' Moylan at the 11.00am Mass at The Oratory......

And yes, Miss Andreae...the Dame still wants to know what the hell is going on! Your Association has just 300 members-insignificant, compared to the thousands of residents who do not wish the station to be developed



INTERNECINE WARFARE is breaking out in well-heeled corners of South Kensington over the controversial redevelopment of the Tube station and Thurloe Street.
Word reaches me that furious members of the Brompton Association have banned their chairman Jeremy Taylor and Honorary Secretary, Lady Anstruther from speaking in public about the scheme.
Members of the residents’ group were livid when it transpired the chairman and secretary had written to Kensington & Chelsea Council earlier this year to back the scheme without actually consulting them, particularly since Lady Anstruther’s family interests are at stake.
Developers Stanhope and Hutchison Whampoa want to demolish an historic terrace on Thurloe Street, including the celebrated Polish restaurant Daquise, and are proposing an 11-storey tower on top of the tube station.
While householders are disgruntled, landowners like the Anstruther family who own the Thurloe Estate worth hundreds of millions could stand to gain value and opportunities for their properties.
The Brompton Association will now be writing to the council withdrawing the earlier letter and joining other South Ken objectors like Edward Fox’s daughter Lucy Gormanston, Julian Lloyd Webber, Wayne Sleep and Mark Birley, owner of Annabel’s.
Let battle commence.

Pooter Cockell uses the 'Regal We'...Is he hiding something from us?

		11 April 2012

From the LGA Chairman An exclusive message for LGA member councils A Queen writes...... Dear Colleagues, I hope you had a good Easter break! I had a cracking good one- though thanks to the Dame Mr Myers has stopped all my Virgin Upper Classes 'freebies' We come back to a comparatively quiet week in Westminster, before the return of Parliament next Monday. The temporary respite offers a welcome opportunity to look ahead over the next few months and see what I can do about the embarrassing Lamont case.I do wish people would stop talking about child sex rings at the Rotten Borough. As we begin to implement the 2012/13 LGA Business Plan, we will see the launch of a raft of corporate campaigns which we hope will be a driving force behind the Plan. This includes securing the future of adult social care, pushing for a sustainable funding model for local government, renewed efforts on housing and, of course, the continuation of our Hidden Talents campaign. On the first, we have already been lobbying strongly ahead of next month's publication of the Government's Social Care White Paper which will be influential in modelling any forthcoming legislation. Though, of course, no one listens to us and they all want to close our cosy little quango down! We are also looking forward to the Queen's Speech on 9 May when, in addition to legislation on social care, we are expecting the Government to announce the continuation of the Local Government Finance Bill, as well as their plans on adoption and anti-social behaviour. The LGA Leadership Board will be considering this month all the areas of legislation likely to be announced, in order to re-prioritise our parliamentary activity. Later in May we will be offering written evidence to the Communities and Local Government Select Committee's new inquiry into councillors and the role they play in their communities, which is bound to draw significant interest from both Whitehall and the press. We will also be offering oral evidence to the Committee towards the end of June. And of course, we are all looking forward to the 2012 LGA conference, which is once again shaping up to be the local government event of the year. Full details can be found on our dedicated website. I do hope you are able to join us. Finally, would like to take this opportunity to wish those of you up for election on 3 May the best of luck. Local government continues to find itself in challenging times and we need the most capable leaders available.As you know I have been an exemplar and also have proven there is money to be made!! Last year I picked up nearly £133k-more than that ghastly Moylan.  It is our local electoral mandate that makes us unique. With the opportunity for real localism growing, I know we can all help our communities prosper, with their support. Real local localism means more Special Responsibility Allowances-and I know you all love those! Best wishes, Cllr Sir Merrick Cockell Chairman, Local Government Association PS Do you all like my new speechwriter? He says I need to be more 'Stately"....

LUDO 'FINGERS' DEZ

Ludo, The Dame's Nephew fingers....

........Dez O'Neil!

 

The Dame's utterly useless nephew, Ludovic, has been foisted upon her by worried parents with the words, 'Dame, can you find the boy a stimulating job not just using him to pick up your laundry and chauffeur you to Damien Thirst’s Retrospective at the Tate Modern?'

So pity swelling her ample bosom the Dame set Ludovic with the task of taking a peek at our councillors 'interests' and crosschecking with Companies House.                    
She completely revised her opinion of the lad when he reported back with some quite shocking news. According to dear Ludo, under the Localism Bill it is a criminal offence not to update your interests, but certain of our councillors seem to think that being members of the Rotten Borough they are exempted. And she was equally surprised to find that many councillors have 'businesses' but no business-not dissimilar to Pooter Cockell's Abingdon Cockell!

Here are a few highlights with information taken from company check, which uses Companies House data, so don't blame any errors on the Dame's boy

Cllr Palmer states Councilperson as his business, but this has no internet presence apart from his  basic off-the-shelf website, and no accounts have been tabled.

Cllr Read declares he has two businesses: Financial Academic Derivatives Inc which is worth £zero; the other Finac Group is dormant.

Cllr Paget-Brown claims two businesses, Pelham Research and UKEN Ltd; neither have any record at Companies House whatever.

The idiotic Cllr Betsy Campbell has no visible means of support, but states that she is a Board member of KCTMO, which is certainly not the case.

Cllr Rock FM declares his charming-sounding Socially Conscious Capital, but the dear thing only had £1,126 funds in it at last count.

Cllr Moylan's three businesses are all registered abroad, which certainly fostered our curiosity and the Dame has sent her intern over to Ireland to investigate further.

Cllr P Warrick has two businesses, Vincomida Ltd and Shareholder Travel Ltd; both have £zero assets.

Cllr T Buxton has Pembridge Properties Ltd, with quite a handsome bank balance.

Another one with his own v profitable business is the mysterious Cllr Mackover! Here’s one to watch, and we never thought we’d say that of him.

Most bizarrely,Pooter Cockell still says he is Commissioner at the Audit Commission, which no longer exists. No mention of his chairmanship of the LGA, which is really very naughty indeed.

Amazingly, a few of the Councillors have actual daytime jobs!

But the worst miscreant of all is Labour’s Cllr O’Neill. He hasn’t updated his Interests since 2007, which is surprising since he is the only one who actually does business direct with the Council through his Westway Project, and makes a fair few quid out of it too. Ludovic sniffed about, and tells me his business has now changed its name and is at times promoted by O’Neill at meetings where he doesn't declare an interest, and is very much favoured for contracts by his friend Paget-Brown. Surely this murky situation is precisely what the transparency rules are there to avoid?  It’s about time the Labour leadership dealt with this person as it all stinks to high heaven.

When Not Playing Polo What Other Games Are You Playing Cllr Marshall?

 

Cllr Marshall-when not on global polo expeditions, is supposed to be fighting for residents of Brompton Ward....but whose side is he REALLY on?

Is he friend-or foe-of those he is paid to represent?  Or has he aligned himself with the greedy commercial interests of TfL..... 

Residents in South Kensington are increasingly puzzled by Quent's rabid defence of TfL's hideous development plans for their beloved architectural gem of an underground station. 

A Vile Carbuncle and a ......

........local Wimp

Some are thinking the very thinkable...Could Quent's gutless behaviour have all to do with a close council colleague. TfL's £130,000 a year deputy chairman, is none other than the Great Architect, RBKC Cllr Danny Moylan. And Danny is a friend and colleague of Quentin......

TfL want to build this monstrous office block over the historic and universally admired historic Underground station. They say unless they are given permission to develop the site there will be no money available to build the step-free access. Now this is where it all gets very mysterious...

TfL have gone out for just one quote. Normally, one would have expected competitive tendering. But it seems as if only one £19 million quote is traceable! It looks suspiciously as if someone is manipulating public opinion by telling residents-No Development: No Step Free Access. But even more mysterious is the fact that TfL has already received the money for the access, but has spent it elsewhere and refuses to say where

Come on Quent, you may be terrified of Daniel Moylan but you have a duty to speak up for residents and tell TfL to stop bullying us. 
You work for us-not TfL and certainly not it's deputy chairman and your neighbouring ward councillor, Daniel Moylan. 

The Dame wants to know what the hell is going on!

Cockell Should Step Aside During Independent Lamont Investigation

Two Conservative councillors, Barry Phelps and Mark Daley, have so far been forced to resign over the  dissemination of material featuring young boys in suggestive poses: now a third has been the subject of a successful prosecution for possession of child porn.
It is an extraordinary record for a council boasting it has a superior child protection regime in place.

The Council Leader, Merrick Cockell, has many questions to answer. But the vital one is one is why he ever allowed Andrew Lamont to continue serving as a councillor knowing of the gravity of the charges hanging over him. It is one that Derek Myers, the Chief Executive also needs to reflect upon.

Were the Dame a parent at St. Anne’s Nursery School & Children’s Centre, she would be addressing her concerns directly to Cllr Cockell.

If Cockell is not able to persuade parents and residents that he acted correctly we should be demanding he step aside until a full and independent investigation either exonerated him or otherwise...but he won't do that: he loves his £70k a year too much.


The Dame has removed the one of many disgusting images ex Mayor Phelps circulated on the grounds that it was too shocking. This was at the request of a shocked reader.
What a corrupt council!

ANDREW LAMONT:THE RAMIFICATIONS

The Dame has decided that Andrew Lamont has been punished enough so won't be commenting further on the outcome of the trial. It's all here in the K&C Chronicle
She would prefer that people did not make any comments-unless of course, they relate to the very serious question of procedures, as picked up below.
Lamont has suffered enough: there is no point in further humiliating him.

However, there should be much concern over the manner in which the Chief Executive, Derek Myers and the Leader, Cllr Cockell handled matters.

K&C Labour Group press release for immediate publication

The Kensington and Chelsea Labour Opposition Group will not comment on the outcome of this criminal trial, except to say that we acknowledge that justice has taken its course.

However, the Labour Group believes it is time for the Council to review the procedures and protocols covering Councillors who may face criminal charges. As in any other area of public life, a person who has been arrested and faces possible criminal charges should immediately be requested formally to withdraw from his or her duties. This can be done either by resignation or by an agreed suspension of duties. It is simply not enough, as in the case of former Councillor Lamont, to make a private agreement that the individual ceases to attend meetings.

The Labour Group challenged the Council leadership through the Standards Committee, and subsequently at appeal, suggesting that existing procedures were not followed, the Code of Conduct was breached and as a consequence the Council had been brought into disrepute. The Standards Committee response, given on 28 February, stated that no further action would be taken as the Council had followed its existing procedures correctly. The response said that the Committee ‘could not establish how matters might have been handled differently, however unsatisfactory this might have appeared to other Members or members of the public’.

However, the implication of this decision is that, should any other Councillor be arrested and face possible charges and subsequent conviction, the alleged criminal could remain as an active Councillor until the day before s/he goes to Court.

Labour Leader Judith Blakeman said: ‘Residents expect more of the Council. There must now be a thorough review of procedures to put a more transparent process in place. Allowing a possible criminal to stay in post for almost a year and keep it secret until the day before he was charged is simply not good enough.’

Deputy Leader Cllr. Emma Dent Coad said: ‘Kensington and Chelsea’s lack of action contrasts badly with the Mayor of London, who faced a similar situation and demanded the immediate resignation of his colleague. The Council says it prides itself on openness and transparency; it must live up to this ideal or suffer the consequences at the ballot-box ’.

 

The Dame Praises Dent Coad

The Dame is rarely wracked by any of the Deadly Sins but envy did rear it's ugly head up when reading  Cllr Dent Coad's stylish demolition job on Cockell.
It is informative, amusing and sad in equal measure.
And before any silly person starts declaiming that the Dame is being partisan...DON'T GO THERE
as our American cousins are irritatingly prone to say.
Anyone, can send in an interesting link to their community blog and the Dame will be happy to highlight it.
The Dame has made clear in the past that her vast wealth and social pretensions make it far more likely that she would vote Conservative. She attacks this Council because it has long forgotten Conservative values under the rule of Cockell. Instead we have seen a culture of greed and vulgar excess.
It is very sad.....

The Dame has singled out Cllr Dent Coad for praise because, like certain of her Conservative opposite numbers, she cares deeply for those she represents.

The Dame And The Mystery of the Housekeeper

The Dame is very curious.....

It appears the story about Cllr Condon-Simmonds and the application, by her, for community funds to  fence off part of a communal space was likely to benefit-mainly, one particular person- and perhaps one or two others.

One who knows says, 'the gate from a particular person's balcony or something, would give them pretty well exclusive access to the closed off space.'
The whole issue was subject to an abortive report to the Standards Committee....but, it appears that there is much more to this than was ever disclosed to the Standards Committee.

So who was the beneficiary of Cllr Condon-Simmond's act of munificence? And why did no consultation with other residents take place. And why were council funds used in this most unusual way.

The Dame needs to know who was this the lady who was a beneficiary of this extraordinary act of generosity. And did she have any connection to any other councillor....