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| Dep Leader needing a trim |
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| Click if you have bad eyesight
Would the Leader NOT wear her Dior sunglasses stuck up in her hair. Put them in a case when not being worn.
So Rhode Island!
But on to the meat of the matter. We now have two deputy leaders. Does this mean they will both earn a deputy leader's allowance of £45,000 a year? Outrageous if true.
Especially as Cllr Taylor-Smith appears to be as rich as the Dame herself with millions in the bank. Cllr, do this work pro bono: you do not need the money and being a property developer etc.
The Dame sees Kim got rolled over by a conman! CHURCHILLIAN BLUNDER
What of the others? Mary Weale desperately needs the dough having lost her job. But is an idiot who claimed, 'We hear, but we don't listen' the right person to be looking after the community? Very doubtful. She is also the laziest ward cllr in history.
Emma Will is very nice but tends to blub if upset....like Belloc's, Lord Lundy.
Charles Williams has had a charisma by pass
The Cabinet should have taken the Dame's advice and done two things:
Nothing has changed....oh, and by the way, who has got the plum planning brief. Surely, not Cllr Taylor-Smith?
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Business as usual at RBKC.
ReplyDeleteCllr Weal has responsibilities for communities.
"We listen but we don't hear"!
"Politics is not a game"
ReplyDeleteThe Leader could not even bother to get up little earlier this morning and appear on the Breakfast TV. Instead, K T-S was wheeled out, whose performance was just abysmal, rightfully warranting the interview's comment that it is all nothing but NONSENSE. Indeed, what has changed? Nixie, dear readers. They still have their snouts in the trough - hoovering all they can.
ReplyDeleteAfter her roasting last night at the Council she is shit scared to appear in public
DeleteShe is a devious Tory and set up her mate Kim Smith. He is too naive and inexperienced to figure out that he is being used
DeleteLast night RBKC followed usual practice of trying to suppress free speech. Sixty security officers received £100 each to protect our rotten council from residents. Hundreds noisily demonstrated outside the town hall, talking to journalists.
ReplyDeleteThe meeting itself was not held in the great hall as promised, but in the small council chamber. A few survivors were allowed in, till they demanded others be let into the room. Survivors of an horrific fire had been forced to queue for over an hour on a narrow, steep staircase. They were then made to stand for several hours listening to the meeting.
Cllr EC's statement was the expected drivel. She might have been apologising for the weather. The unknown councillor chosen to lead on housing was equally inadequate. He followed up on this morning's Victoria Derbyshire show by describing survivors as "poor," before correcting himself. His discomfort was acute, his platitudes weak.
Last night Labour called for commissioners to run the council, since its incapable of running itself. They were ignored.
In the great hall about 200 exiled residents watched proceedings on a screen. It was riveting viewing. The audience was fully engaged; booing and clapping in unison with survivors the council chamber. It was an extraordinary experience. Survivors spoke in turn. Their anger, courage and humanity were deeply moving.
The council voted to confirm EC as Leader; only 38 votes without abstention. So 20 or more councillors were absent. Rats and sinking ships come to mind. After almost 4 hours someone fainted. The meeting was closed. RBKC's new chief executive, Mr Quirk was seen standing for several minutes, alone and bemused.
RBKC streamed the meeting live, then immediately deleted it from the website.
The entrance to the Great Hall was made to look as if it was closed down, with metal barriers and a heavy security presence (I presume because of the Justice For Grenfell demo a few meters away). I only got in because a friend, who was already in there, literally pulled me through the barriers. I was patted down by big burly security men. So much for democracy.
DeleteThe account immediately above is 100% correct. It is shameful that the video recording of the broadcast was deleted. I hope at least that all interventions were minuted. The Campbell gang behaved like robots, unable to amend their programming as the Grenfell people gave their accounts of their current personal circumstances, such as "in a hotel bedroom with my wife and my 3 children". An elderly gentleman even offered to cut off his legs and give them to the council if his situation could be improved on. Although the residents speeches were not interrupted by the Chair, no one offered a thanks or shook hands with or hugged them as they spoke in turn.
From these accounts, extremely little has been done to sort out circumstances on the ground and organise practical day to day help. I invite K&C residents to write to Campbell via the town hall and query (and publish via this site) the exact nature of whatever help plans are currently in place.
Leadership team or Cabinet? Campbell can't even decide on that. Business as usual - Weale, Wills and Hargreaves still in posts - 'lead' by a discredited airhead without conviction or integrity
ReplyDeleteTo govern requires a mandate from the people. It was clear from the Council meeting last night that the present Cabinet, and Cllr Campbell in particular, does not have a mandate.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that Cllr Campbell continues to be transfixed by the opportunity to gather dinner table gossip for her Sloane Square parties. After all the clamouring and media coverage of recent weeks she still does not understand that the Cabinet system is wrong. And the Tory Group in Hornton Street still do not understand that Cllr Cambell is the wrong person to elect as Leader.
One resident speaker at the meeting who lost family in the fire told us that Cllr Campbell could not even be bothered to reply to her email.
It is unfortunately true that the only way forward is to call in the Commissioners. The people understand this, the Mayor of London understands this and Labour understands this. It is only the Tory group that still behaves like an ostrich. It is time to get rid of the group of Conservative imposters who have hijacked the Council and continue to behave in a way that is all about personal gain.
A very strange Cabinet line up. In the past there were ten portfolios. Now there are eight. No one to be responsible for Planning (the number one hot potato in the Borough) and no one to look after Finance (maybe not so urgent. £300 million in the bank from over taxing so scope for every Tom and Dick and Harry to dip their wick without building up an overdraft).
ReplyDeleteLack of finance discipline, as we know, is heaven for the new Leader ("Holland Park School cost nothing")
And two Deputy Leaders!!! The Borough has two Mayors and two Mayors cars (RBKC 1 and 2) so why not two Deputy Leaders. Nice one.
Unfortunately it may not be that easy to change from cabinet to committee government. The cabinet system of government for local councils was brought in by the Local Government Act of 2000. Under the Localism Act of 2011 certain councils are allowed to revert to the committee system. These councils are: Unitary Authorities, County Councils and district councils. Does RBKC qualify as any of these?
ReplyDeleteKim Taylor-Smith looks a lad. And the Tories like a double barrel. And a swinger. And rich too. The Dame tells us that he spent £11,000 on some old Churchill books which unfortunately turned out to be a forgery. So our new Deputy is rich AND accident prone.
ReplyDeleteGrenfell residents are going to have a hard time warming to such a person as Kim. A pity Cllr Campbell could not find a black face for her Cabinet. There are so many black residents in the Borough who have been here for generations (really). Surely there is at least one who could make a contribution in the Cabinet and command the confidence of the people? It would not be difficult to be better than "we listen but we do not hear"
Cllr Weale went to Business School and is the daughter of an Earl. Do not trivialise her.
DeleteIf you want social profiling mate what about a black immigrant who works in Portobello road for the cabinet?
DeleteShe'll really have her finger on the pulse when in comes to dealing with traumatized residents .
DeleteWhat like RBKC trivialized 'social housing ' tenants . So RFM is the stepson of the Earl of Weymss and March. Having a parent who is an 'Earl' does not fill me with any great hope.
DeleteSo he got ripped off on a load of old books - so put him in charge - makes sense.
DeleteWhat about the Officers?
ReplyDeleteFrom a North Ken viewpoint we've long asked about Opera Holland Park's £600k arts budget, when N.K only got £5-8000 annually? Also why no BME Officers for Carnival? Stoney if not angry white faces: i.e. 'We don't make the rules, we are only doing what were told!'
Planning. We asked for better protection for Portobello Market, for social housing to be included in every large development, so N.K could have character and good civic amenity for all? Result: silent, non consultative, hostile Officers. Many who were running agendas of their own creation... N.K was a managed decilne to replaced by 'intermediate' if not rampant land value capture... Certainly not on the behalf of, or wanted by voters, black, white, rich or poor alike.
Dame, a clear out of the Officers much follow too...
The Rotten Borough Cockell and Moylan made, which the unchecked Cllr RFM seemingly destroyed. Unlike them we do, North and South, have civc honour and pride in where we live, will 'they' the Cllrs and the ranks of highly paid Officer toadies even listen now?....
In her excitement (or maybe it was fury) the dear Dame forgot to mention that Cllr Gerard Hargreaves was also appointed to the Cabinet as Chief Whip.
ReplyDeleteThe less said about Tory whipping the better - the Hornet is studied by young families.
Congratulations to Cllr Hargreaves. A well deserved promotion
DeleteGood god are you a complete numpty. Now is not the time for the Conservatives to be back slapping. He just been given the job of head barman on the Titanic as its going down .'Do you want ice with that ' i hear him say 'we have rather a lot .
DeleteBefore he worked out which side his financial bread was buttered, Hargreaves was a genuinely human being. In just a few years he's moved way up the tory pecking order. Eye on the prize etc.
DeletePlus ça change, plus K&C reste dans la même merde.
ReplyDeleteWe do not want the French here please. Have you not heard?
DeletePardon.
DeleteIt won't last - this lot are bereft of any original ideas.
ReplyDeleteCan we please have a list of councillors that attended. Surely all of them should have been there? Was the petition calling for the resignation of the whole council discussed during the four hours?
ReplyDeletePiggy and Rock were absent. Of course. Prior social engagements?
DeleteImpossible for those in the Great Hall to name. The cameras angles were very limited. We'll need the minutes to see who attended and if the Grenfell survivors' heartbreaking statements were recorded.
ReplyDeleteOf those one recognised:
Cllr Rossi in the chair looking troubled and tired
Ahern next to her looking as useless as usual
E Campbell looking fragrant
B Campbell pulling strange faces
Lightfoot looking shifty next to:
Moylan who is now so thin his ears are too big.
Can other please help by filling in the gaps in this list.
One omitted the opposition councillors present:
DeleteCllr Atkinson spoke very well
The young woman who lives near Grenfell was understandably deeply troubled
Press was in command of her facts
Blakeman looked old
Mason rambled and fidgeted
Dent Coad was an odd combination of angry and detached
Cllr Wade looked tired
Lomas sported an interestingly striped beard.
Several other councillors attended the meeting.
Cllr Palmer is currently on front page of Huffington Post and has also made Sky News for being caught on camera mouthing "don't let them in" when Grenfell survivors tried to enter the Countil Chamber. http://m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/uk_59706f50e4b0aa14ea7746d4
ReplyDeleteCllr Palmer has for a long time been a bad joke. It is mystery why the Tories continue to give him the whip. It is widely speculated that the Masons keep him afloat. The Masons are very strong in Hornton Street.
DeleteInterestingly, Cllr Palmer's profile has been deleted from the rbkc website. It seems that NPB & RockFM are nowhere to be seen...(well I saw NPB dining and wining in Carluccio the other night, opposite from the Town Hall) and now Cllr Palmer is joing in the disappearing act. Who will be next?
DeleteWho is this person Taylor-Smith? Never heard of him. What's he ever done?
ReplyDeleteHe is overflowing with Tory fawning following his shock elevation to the Campbell social set. He is expecting a few invites to the Sloane Square dinner parties.
DeleteHe's a new kid on the block. First elected in 2015 so hasn't had time to get contaminated. Equally he appears to have no local government experience.
DeleteNot a good idea to propel a Councillor into the Cabinet after only two years as a Councillor. No time to cut his teeth in Committee and learn how the Council works. And no time to build respect and authority with fellow Councillors and Officers. Bunging a person like this into a position of high responsibility is a failure of Leadership by Cllr Campbell. Either she is ignorant, or using him, or both.
DeleteAnd why would Taylor-Smith accept this poisoned chalice? The answer may lie in his appearance. The rock star hair on an aging gent plus the Edwardian cut to his jacket makes him stand out in the motley collection of Tory Councillors. No doubt he gets a rush and cuts a dash by being the cockerel at Council gatherings. But this is no qualification for high responsibility and does not help to take the heat when the pressure is on.
Has Smith figured out how absolutely ridiculous he looked on breakfast TV, his first representative appearance, when he was monstered by the anchor of the show? He came across as a bedraggled, washed up, nobody.
Check out the video Kim.
KTS ignored my neighbour when he went to him for help with a sound problem between flats in 2015. KTS would send an email and do nothing more. KTS said he knew all about acoustic sound proofing and building, advising it didn't work and not to bother!
ReplyDeleteVanity and arrogance in true RBKC style!
ReplyDeleteTaylor-Smith looks like a refugee from an 80's video. Isn't it a great English tradition if you have a common surname, to hyphenate it.
ReplyDeleteBut why bother to hyphenate the two most common surnames in the English language? It must be pure hubris!
ReplyDeleteha ha : )
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