His name was Nicholas Freeman and even has a prize named for him!
Freeman's grand plan was to build a pretentiously vulgar new Town Hall and nothing was going to get in his way; after all, the great Sir Basil Spence had shown him plans for the hideous monstrosity in Hornton St.It would be replete with armorial bearings of past and present mayors(some mayors never had enough dosh to get that sorted!) and space for the Mayoral Roller and Jag....oh, and a vast Leader's Office.
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| Very common |
There was just one slight problem....dosh again.
Where was the dosh to come from to build this municipal Kubla Khan style palace?
Freeman decided he would quickly bulldoze the Old Town Hall.
However, fuddy-duddy lovers of Victorian architecture got wind of it and applied for a listing. Undeterred and over the weekend, Freeman sent in the bulldozers(yes, a bit like the Odeon in the High Street).
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| Vandalised! |
By Monday, there was nothing left.
So, the new Town Hall was built on the proceeds of a criminal action.
More Gossip from the Town Hall...
The Dame hears that Cllr Tim 'Oirish' Ahern has been 'pepping' up the staff, telling them it's all ok and in any case there are over 450 towers in the UK with similar cladding.
Tim's ex wife is 'social alpinist' and Yorkshire ex-copper's daughter, Phillipa Rose.
Poor old Pippa has been fingered by HMRC and told she owes millions for the film finance 'investment' that went wrong.
Tim was a shareholder in her now defunct head hunting operation so might be feeling the pinch.
Also worth noting that councillors are privately apologising for the public's behaviour.
ReplyDeletethis particularly interesting as the it is the elected officials and leadership team who should be apologising to officers and to the local community.
There will always be horrific people but it takes a certain kind of person to vote for them. And keep voting for them.
ReplyDelete'Councillors are privately apologising for the public's behaviour'? "I'm so sorry the peasants are revolting. I'm arranging for the rest of them to be burned alive or moved to Peterborough. We'll sort it out as quickly and cheaply as we can. Sorry for any teeny inconvenience you may have experienced."
Really, there's do limit to the depths these polite, neat, respectable people will plumb without knowing they're already in hell.
When was this? The sixties? RBKC's wrecking ball was recorded by TV cameras, probably in black & white on BBC London news or the old Tonight programme.
ReplyDeleteAs for the behaviour of current councillors, it seems that with literally a handful of exceptions, they are currently focused on ignoring the crime for which they are likely to be corporately responsible, rather than ensuring their victims receive help.
Our beloved Cllr N-P-B, soon to be kicked out or rehoused in Wandsworth, blaming the residents for lack of sprinklers. It's never his fault, is it? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZypXmlLg210
ReplyDeleteA local resident has mentioned, all of KCTMO staff are now sent home, told not to show up as the criminal investigation takes over. Could that be?
ReplyDeleteBravo! Right thing to happen.
DeleteKCTMO staff should now download the JSA form and try desperately to apply.... That's all they are likely to get...and fit for. There not many public/private organisations that will bent backwards to employ these people, who may be facing criminal investigation....from Black to Dack
ReplyDeleteDear Dame, have some comments been removed? Has an entire entry been removed?
ReplyDeleteThese are confusing days but you'd bring comfort to this elderly lady if she knew she wasn't going mad.
No, my dear, as one very elderly person to another you are not going mad.
DeleteThe Dame, in the wisdom of her many decades, decided that it was quite inappropriate to speculate on who might follow the leader.
The topic will be revisited soon.
The Dame is a great believer in green tea as a memory boost.
Many thanks. I'm relieved and have had my person put in an emergency order at Fortnam's.
Deleteexactly so, dear ladies.....
Delete