The Dame has her own view of Victoria Borwick having seen her in action helping residents in distress.
Emma's victory had nothing to do with Brexit but all to do with a council steadfastly refusing to admit they had merely a leasehold rather than a freehold on power....to quote a Tory MP.
Sadly, the anger that residents felt towards the Council was turned on Borwick.
She was also not helped by an atrociously run campaign led by Cllr Mills.
And one more thing....the Tri Borough experiment has been a disaster.
Pooter Cockell, the Dame's old expense grubbing enemy engineered the fiasco.
Pooter Cockell, the Dame's old expense grubbing enemy engineered the fiasco.
It was of such importance residents should have been able to have their say.
The fact they were excluded speaks volumes.
The Dame has allowed Guy Oliver to write his analysis of events.
If the Council has any sense it will listen....and listen hard.
If the Council has any sense it will listen....and listen hard.
Guy Oliver was one of the driver's behind the ultimately unsuccessful campaign to save the wonderful Kensington Odeon.
The remarkable win in Kensington by Labour’s Emma Dent Coad may have passed all but unnoticed had it not been for the phenomenal arrogance of the local party’s campaign masterminded by Cllr Julie Mills. Such was her disbelief she demanded three recounts.
This made the constituency the last in the country to declare and as a result, an announcement was made, under the full scrutiny of the press, just in time for the 10.00pm news bulletins.
It underlined Theresa May’s failed gamble to unite the country behind her “strong and stable” leadership (long may she rue having taken Lynton Crosby’s advice on those words! ) but there was more to it than that.....
Why would this most Tory of boroughs, with even former Prime Minister David Cameron as a constituent, apparently turn on their own?
Partially, the answer lies in Emma Dent Coad’s appeal as a community activist, rallying the support of the people that she represents.
Her approach is typically non-partisan and she will speak out against any injustice, although in The Royal Borough these are routinely perpetrated by a ruling party perceived by many to be socially divisive and without much moral compass.
Victoria Borwick’s position was made untenable for the same reasons, with many believing that she represented an out of touch, un-listening and uncaring group of councillors, typified by the likes of Daniel Moylan who claims to know better than the people he is supposed to represent (ironic when you think some of the world’s most successful citizens live here!).
Who amongst us voted for our local councillors to be the property developers of our community assets?
Worse still, for them to side with property developers against our wishes? (There is a certain poetic justice that the overseas buyers of the luxury developments that have spawned in the Borough over recent years cannot vote for the councillors who encouraged them ) .
There is a long list of campaigns where the council has ignored the wishes of the community:
- Crossrail
- Sutton Dwellings
- Marlborough School
- North Kensington Library
- The Kensington Odeon
- Earls Court
and then there is the:
- decline of the High Street
- the soon to be destroyed arcade by the tube station
- air pollution by Westway
and the embarrassing 'intimate relationship between the council and certain private schools
Emma’s outspoken voice about these and many other issues has often put her at odds with her own party, as well as with her political opposition, but her position comes from a strong sense of justice and what is right. She understands process and has inspired, guided and galvanised community groups to demand better representation.
In turn, this has inspired people to vote. Winning by 20 votes may seem like a slim margin, put in the context of overturning a majority of 7000, we can start to comprehend the magnitude of what happened last week.
Watch out Cllrs Fielding-Mellen, Paget-Brown, Coleridge, Moylan, Warrick et al, in the inimitable words of Bob Dylan “the times they are a changing”.
Perhaps now you will start to listen to the community? ……or perhaps they will replace you too? The choice is in your hands.....
Well said Guy Oliver, I have spent the last few days explaining this to non Kensington residents. At the moment Fielding-Mellon and Moylan take the prize for the most insidious of the lot. Moylan was proudly boasting at one of the local plan consultations how he personally had been in talks to develope the Kensington Arcade, High Street Ken -Wrights Lane building. Another useless project to decimate the High Street and cause months of construction, pollution and traffic.
ReplyDeleteSerious fire at Grenfell tower, very bad!
ReplyDeleteThe building has gone up like a candle! There have been fires at Trellick that were contained within the flat, but Grenfell is burned to the ground. What the hell happened here?
DeleteProperty developer?
Delete"Gone up like a candle!" If you mix with Gas fire and plastic cladding....it's as good as a massive candle. :( Whose idea was that?! My blood is boiling.
DeleteNews media full of the Trellick fire disaster as I type. Cllr Blakeman (North Kensington Councillor) and the Mayor of London are both very prominent showing Leadership and a presence at this difficult time. No sign of the Leader of the Council (Cllr Paget Brown) or the TMO.
ReplyDeleteSpeaks volumes.
Its Grenfel Tower, not Trellick, that burned down. Just wait for the Grenfel Action Group to get going - they have been ignored by the Council and "Social Cleansing" Cllr Rock Fielding-Mellen for years.
DeleteTheir time has come
I wish them well and we will join in when appropriate. Let's get this started....if not now WHEN?!
DeleteThe sitting Tories in Kensington and Chelsea need to be massively cleared out. Complacent, bloated, and supremely disinterested in residents and resident issues.
ReplyDeleteI was on the TMO Board with Emma Dent Coad. She was deadbeat useless on it. I can tell you now that Emma only listens to those who agree with her and she bitches about those who don't. I wasn't in the least bit surprised when Emma got the sack from Labour Councillors as Opposition Party.
ReplyDeleteAs a sole force of nature maybe she will be the ideal MP for Kensington.
DeleteAs for EDC's problems with the K&C Labour Group, it is sometimes difficult to work alongside the living dead.
Has anyone told Jeremy Corbyn that she got sacked by her own party and that the only reason she is the MP for Kensington is because Labour thought they didn't have a hope in hell of winning so they put Emma up as the fall guy?
DeleteEmma was on the TMO Board for eight years during which time many residents raised concerns about fire hazards in Council owned flats.
I have not heard or seen the Leader of the Council taking a Leadership position at this catastrophic event.
ReplyDeleteIs he having a lie in today?
NPB there all night. Take a look at EDC's Twitter account. Just self congratulations about her number of Twitter followers. What have we wished on ourselves?
ReplyDeleteYou're quite right. She should be busy crafting her twitter page rather than being on site at Grenfell.
DeleteDon't blame Black?!
ReplyDeleteI've just heard many emergency services rushes towards Notting Hill area and Grenfell Tower is on BBC News. Was it TMO's fault by neglecting outstanding repairs? Isn't it convenient now that the Tower has fell (re: regeneration talk)? I think Black should go. My thoughts are with the ones that lost their lives and their families. :(
Could someone is in the area please report back the details of the calamity? I do not believe what the mainstream media reports.
Who was the contractor who put the gas pipe in?
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RirJAvX9EMw
It wasn't Keepmoat was it?
I was one of Emma Dent Coat's counting agent on 8 & 9 June 2017, in charge of keeping a close eye over the counting process. By 4am on 9 June, from the surge of counted bulletins in favour of Labour, I knew the election was ours. Rather than conceding, the Tories dragged the counting on and on, leading to 3 counts in total, sore losers that they are, with no respect towards the counting staff, who were kept counting from 10.30pm (8 June) till 7.30am the following day, non-stop. Borwick did not show up until the evening o 9 June, shortly before the results were announced. This is only a beginning, and indeed, the times, they are a-changing, and we shall overcome.
ReplyDeleteAs a Kensington Tory party member, I must disagree with you about Lady Borwick. The loss of this seat to Labour has everything to do with her. Her complete lack of ability to communicate with constituents about issues affecting them was her downfall. The website theworkforyou.com has a catalogue showing her inability to represent Kensington. During the two years Borwick;
ReplyDeleteSpoke only 15 times in debates - well below average amongst MPs.
Only places 8 written questions - well below average amongst MPs.
Replied to a very low amount of correspondence.
Only signed 3 Early Day Motions - well below average amongst MPs.
Her record speaks for itself.
I do agree with you about Cllr Mills, she must take some responsibility along with Borwick for this loss. The two of them have been at each other from the start. The Association has lost it leadership and campaigning ability in the last 2 years with infighting amongst officers, councillors and our two MPs.
The time has come for Mills to stand down and allow the Association to rebuild and select a new candidate to fight Dent-Code (this cannot be Lady Bowrick)!
I think time for recriminations are now over. Everybody has had their say....one way or another.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, HornetsNest.
ReplyDeleteI've been appalled at the sniping and snarking across the web this morning. Happily, there've been far more expressions of good will and people wanting to be helpful.
Tenants have been warning about the fire risk at Grenfell and dismissed as noisy prolls who should just shut up. There could be no greater disaster than this. Tenants have lost everything, some of them their lives. There is concern about the tower falling onto homes around it.
There are no second homes to go to, no way of replacing what's lost, most tenants won't have insurance, and you can be sure that they will be dismissed as feckless oiks by any number of unempathic monsters for that.
Heads. Must. Roll.
"Heads. Must. Roll."
DeleteDefinitely.
TMO is a registered company. When there are fatalities, those that are responsible should be arrested and charged. We should voice to get justice for those that lost lives and everything. This is no hide and seek power game. Enough is enough.
"by @psmith, Finally got through to Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, it's a 'no comment' for time being, statement due soon."
ReplyDeleteLucky, customer service didn't put the phone down without saying anything.... (normal occurance)
No Sprinklers no fire alarms! Council have blood on their hands!
ReplyDeleteEpic! KCTMO is famous world wide now for the wrong reason!
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna go down to the sports centre to deliver some bedding and stuff which they need.
That's very good of you. It is terrible that something like this has to happen to show that we are a decent and humain community.
DeletePiggy finally on TV at 1.00pm, 12 hours after the fire started. This is not good enough. Leaders need to be visible. And they need to say more than "there will be an investigation".
ReplyDelete10.23 says piggy was "there all night". Maybe so - but he is not a spectator, he was elected to be Leader of Kensington and Chelsea. He needs to be up there, in front of the event, inspiring people, giving confidence and expressing sorrow. In person.
Just Amazed
DeleteGive it a rest, please. There has been a tragedy of epic proportions but don't use it in this way.
I don't think N P-B is leader material but the fact he was there doesn't mean he was a mere spectator. After every carnival he would go very early in the morning to thank street cleaners.
Just shut up for a bit and stop making political capital out of a tragedy.
Yes 16:35 an avoidable tragedy. 12 people dead and those in the council ignored it. No sprinklers or fire alarms. When will it be the right time to highlight those responsible for those deaths?
DeletePeople are upset and furious, Daily Mail of all papers are reporting the conditions which our fellow residents were living in were third world. How could there have been only one fire exit, the cladding was known to be a fire hazard and looks like it fuelled the fire.
Kensington & Chelsea too busy intimidating the Grenfell Action Group blogger to concern themselves with the safety of our poorest and most vulnerable residents.
Why have planning department and enviroment health department allowed this to happen, it is their repsonsibility!
Dent Coad was on the TMO Board for around eight years. She tells us how clever she is and how highly qualified she is. She knew better than others, because she is better than others, just how incompetent TMO management past and present really are (Perry, Evans, Black and hundreds of other hangers on over those eight years), and she did nothing to put an end to resident misery.
DeleteWhy? Emma Dent Coad MP has as many questions to answer as Paget Brown and Black.
20:41 is correct Holier than thou Dent Coad might end up being as responsible as any of the other TMO board.
ReplyDelete20:41, 20:54, how sad that this is your response to this tragedy.
ReplyDeleteWhere were you when tenants were begging for support in making their homes safer? Your salivating over the punishment of someone that you don't like is repugnant.
I would suggest that you go down to one of the many places that are doing tremendously useful work but no doubt you'd get in the way and make it all about you. Could you bear to donate 10% of your income? Really do it rather than say you've done it?
Casual spite has caused this. You'd do well not to add to it.
5.51. An entirely appropriate response to a tragedy is to suggest where fault might lie. By the way, I have made a substantial donation to help the desperate from Grenfell Tower. It seems that your best defence is attack which makes me wonder if you work at the TMO.
ReplyDeleteNow for the nitty gritty, The TMO Board including Condon Simmonds, Dent Coad and Blakeman knew the plight of Grenfell Tower residents and their concerns over safety. The only Councillor who made a difference to Grenfell Tower Residents when the TMO bullied them was Councillor Sam Makeover. I have been thanked by a Grenfell Tower Action Group Person for supporting them. Hope that answers your questions.
What did the TMO think it was doing by not having a working audible fire alarm and a operational sprinkler system?
So the Prime Minister has announced a Judge led enquiry in to the Grenfell House fire.
ReplyDeleteI have not forgotten the dirty tricks of Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea when it suppressed the production of Maria Memoli's Report in 2009 in to the failings of the Tenant Management Organisation by refusing to provide it to tenants until the day after the TMO's Annual General Meeting later that year. The Council claimed that the Memoli Report did not meet expectations but those of us who read it found it incisive and outstanding.
Councillors Condon Simmonds and Dent Coad both continued to serve on the TMO Board as Council Nominated Non-Executive Directors of the Company and both failed to condemn the Council's high handedness in suppressing the Report. At least with a Judge led enquiry the Council will not be able to suppress anything no matter how much it might like to do so. Don't trust any politician, Labour or Tory.
That's right 00.46. Jeremy Corbyn MP told a Black Guy at Grenfell Tower yesterday, "Emma is your MP, she will speak out on behalf of this community." It is a pity that she did not resign from the TMO Board to speak out loudly on behalf of the oppressed before the Grenfell House Tragedy. She sat on that TMO Board for years and played the collective responsibility game exactly as expected.
Delete