A BATTLE WON... BUT THE WAR GOES ON!

WELL DONE, JANE!

Last night a petition organised by Jane Solomon was presented to the Council. The petition demanded Sutton Estate be placed within the Chelsea Conservation Area giving some protection from the rapacity of greedy Clarion Housing where senior directors earn up to £500,000 per year.

For the first time ever the Council sided with residents and agreed unanimously to include Sutton Estate with the Conservation area. 
Well done, Councillors!

This is not the end of the war to protect this vital piece of social housing but it's an important battle won.

The motion was put forward by Cllrs Atkinson and Henderson.

Below are extracts from the speech made by resident, Andrew Barshall.

"The proposed development would create a gated community of luxury flats, with their own private gardens, while the number of social housing units would be significantly reduced. All sheltered housing would be lost, and almost all the parking spaces allocated to the luxury flats. A new public road would cut directly through the estate, splitting it in two, and dangerous for children.

These building works are predicted to take at least 8 years. That’s 8 years of noise pollution, blocked roads and disruption for your constituents.

The loss of usable housing at the estate over the last few years is a disgrace with over 200 housing units deliberately being left empty by Clarion, while RBKC is desperately short of social housing.

The deliberate voiding and withdrawal of services by Clarion of the sheltered housing is an obscenity that has remained unchallenged by the Council.

 And now, Clarion, a housing charity, has threatened to privatise the entire estate unless they get their way. A loss of 461 social housing units. Clarion has already gone ahead and let out 3 flats privately. This is at the same time as leaving empty around 50 flats in perfectly good condition.

When Affinity Sutton, now Clarion, discussed with a former Leader of the Council how they wanted to demolish the estate, not once, did he or any of his Cabinet think it worthwhile to talk to ordinary residents of the estate, or local people. To many of us this looked like at best arrogance, at worst collusion in the social cleansing of Chelsea.

Clarion are now the biggest housing association in the country and it likes to wield its power. They have persuaded the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to grant them £184 million, including a £16.2 million subsidy for the redevelopment of the Sutton Estate if their appeal is successful. It appears that he is more interested in hitting his targets than serving his constituents.

Inclusion of the estate in the Chelsea Conservation Area would be an essential tool for the Council as it negotiates with Clarion, an organisation determined to pull 10s of millions from Chelsea.

The leader of the council has said that you want to change the way you listen and respond to residents. By the inclusion of these historically important buildings in the conservation area, you could demonstrate your commitment to change, and your willingness to hear, and listen, to your constituents."

DIFFERENT SCHOOLS; DIFFERING VALUES

Parents who double park or park dangerously are a menace. They endanger children; create danger for other road users and cause congestion.
Hill House School has been constantly warned about its irresponsible parents creating all these dangers but the headmaster steadfastly refuses to listen to the council and police.

Parental Parking Chaos At Hill House School

What an example to the children!






Knightsbridge School, on the other hand, takes these matters so seriously it has four staff members stationed on the road adjoining the school ensuring parents dropping off and collecting children do so responsibly.

Discipline At Knightsbridge School

Maybe the headmaster of Knightsbridge School, Mr. Magoo, could have a friendly word with Mr. Townend, the Hill House HM telling him that he's letting the side down!

CREAMING IT! SRA HITS NEARLY £1000 A WEEK!

Dearest Dame,

According to the TA the Rotting Borough of Kleptocracy and Corruption has gained a rosette  

OFFICERS
click to enlarge

The Taxpayer's Alliance says RBKC SRA'S are now the UK's highest....

Yours enviously,

Mrs. G. Ready

CLICK TO READ

A LESSON FROM A LABOUR COUNCIL

I am an avid reader of your blog. Sometimes you are unfair to the Council; other times you are on the nail.
I know you are too grand to look outside the Royal Borough but this might interest you.

I happen to vote Conservative but feel that our Conservative councillors have become so used to being voted in on autopilot they care little about day to day contact.

Let me recount a recent experience. My family own a rental property in Shepherd's Bush. 
In their road is a charming community gardens.... Loris Community Gardens. 

Community Asset

The residents began to notice the Gardens was being used for drug dealing and there were frequent fights.
PC Phil Crowther of the Parks Police took it upon himself to engage with residents and organise a very well attended meeting to which ward councillors all attended as well as many residents. 
Now here's the surprising thing. 
Without exception, all the ward councillors attended, including the deputy leader, Cllr Sue Fennimore, who drove measures to deal with the issues.
The point of this story is this...
The Dame has often alluded to the total disinterest shown by councillors like Pascal and Weale in any resident issue; in fact, they don't bother to reply to emails! 
Yet, H& F can get six councillors, including the deputy leader to turn up to help at short notice!
RBK&C councillors need to look at this Labour-run council to see what engaging with residents is all about.

A CLARION CALL TO FIGHT GREEDY CLARION/COUNCIL MEETING 20 JUNE @ 6.30PM

HAPPY RESIDENTS CELEBRATE THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY
LAST WEEKEND

Clarion calls itself a charity yet the only beneficiaries of its charity seem to be the mega paid senior executives who exemplify what Michael Gove described as 'crony capitalism'.
In the previous financial year, Keith Exford was paid close to £370,000 a year and his Executive Board close to £2 million.
One assumes that his successor, Clare Miller is getting, with perks, nearly £500,000 a year. No wonder the Dame is desperate to get her useless nephew, Ludo, into the 'charity business'. For a charity, Clarion seems reluctant to publicise salaries......

Sutton Dwellings sits proudly and happily in one of the world's most expensive areas and that's the only reason why the spivs at Clarion want to redevelop it. The rewards in bonuses for the key Clarion directors will be enormous.

Apart from the residents themselves the most vociferous objectors to Clarion's shenanigans are residents in the multi-million pound houses that surround the estate. 
They know and value the estate for what it is, and for what William Sutton wanted to provide for the poorer residents of Chelsea. The Dame has been shocked by the sheer volume of complaints about this greedy charity. Every expert body, including the Victorian Society, has stated that Sutton Estate is included in the Chelsea Conservation Area. At the full council meeting, the motion put forward by Cllrs Atkinson and Henderson will be debated demanding the Estate be placed in the Conservation Area. 
For months the Leader has told of us that there is a sea change in how the Council listens. 
This debate will be the litmus test of that sea change.


How it ever avoided this protection is a question that needs further research.

Please turn up to the Council meeting and also sign the Petition

LINK TO PETITION

WHEN IN DOUBT FORM A COMMITTEE

Dear Dame, 

Did you know that the Council's chief executive is a medical man? 
Yes, you could have knocked me down with a feather when I realised that "Our Barry" is a doctor.

'Doc' Quirk

Anyway, Doc Quirk has decided we need yet another committee so we now have an Administration Committee offering more chances for councillors to grab more allowances.




The Dame's dear readers need to click on here NONSENSE to get the full flavour of the left wing claptrap from this third rate, self-styled academic. 

Some examples for those of you who cannot be bothered using the link

“officers expect high standards of courtesy and personal and professional integrity from councillors. 
Some councillors have need to take more care of their personal hygiene"

“New members code of conduct. 
This is especially for the Labour lot who eat pork scratchings during committee meetings, chew tobacco and bring their whippets into meetings"

“new ethics panel”

"ethics independents to be paid £300/day instead of £500/year" Ex Cllr Barry Phelps has agreed to vet members' members"

“new protocol for councillors dealing with planning officers as some planning officers have complained that councillors try to solicit their help on behalf of developer friends"



No doubt Dizzy Lizzie and her gang are frightfully impressed with Doc Quirk's flights of fancy....I fear tears before bedtime with this pseud in charge.

Yours deferentially,

Sir D******k  M*****s

A LORD THINKING OUT OF THE BOX

The Dame had never heard of Lord Agnew of Oulton, the Schools Minister until today. Then she read of his stunningly simple and brilliant idea of sending foster children to boarding school.

Agnew=Entrepreneur

At a stroke, it takes vulnerable children whose lives have been turned upside down with an opportunity to be in a stable and life-enhancing environment.



The driver behind Lord Agnew's thinking is that keeping children in the care of local authorities is not just economically wasteful but fails to provide the sort of support needed for foster children to flourish.

The Dame looked up Lord Agnew's background and was unsurprised to discover he is a pretty much a self-made entrepreneur. 
A politician with a great idea....how rare.

NO MORE LEADERS ANYMORE

Dear Dame,

The other day Mr. Gove- a resident of our fair borough, launched a broadside at crony capitalism suggesting leaders of our FTSE companies were so motivated by greed they no longer knew how to lead and thought only of ripping off their companies with mega pay-packets and obscene option deals.

He might also want to consider the pack he runs with.....

Never has the threshold for being a great political leader been so low as it is in today's politics.... nationally and locally.

Bell End

In London, we have a mayor so lacking in charisma or talent that he has allowed our great city to become a global laughing stock.

And we don’t need to look too far in local government with examples like Pooter Cockell and ‘Milord’ Hanningfield of Essex CC to see examples of ‘faux’ leaders.

The British were once fabled for producing outstanding leaders in every sphere so where’s it all gone wrong?

The police are one example.

The paucity of natural leaders is such that senior officers have to be sent away on leadership courses or given time off to pursue degrees in criminology at Sussex ‘Uni’ where they come under the malign influence of wispy bearded academics with daft ideas.

The poor saps then go back to work convinced they have to put these daft ideas into working practice!

At the Met we have a perfect example of the type.

Miss Dick, the Commissioner, is steeped in the world of academia.

The daughter of an Oxford academic, Dick, likes her senior officers to take courses in social studies so that they can empathise with the criminal classes!

In days gone by the leadership of the police was very much in the hands of  retired ex-military.

Chief Constables were often former senior army officers, adept at man management and unrelenting in their goal of keeping crime off our streets.

The other day the Dame reported that our own ex Borough Commander, Ellie O’Connor, now ‘early retired ‘on a platinum plated pension, visited a local police station and lectured officers on the need to get fit and lose weight.

As Miss O’Connor weighed in at around 17 stone officers were said to have thought she was ‘‘avin a larf”

Leadership in action....!

Yours ever,

A Frightened Resident.

STOP VIOLENT CRIME. EXPORT IT

Dear Dame

I have just returned from Bulgaria.

Bulgarian prisons are empty( one assumes their criminals are in the UK)

Violent crime in our cities is now of such a magnitude that we should consider this stratagem.

We agree with the governments of Poland, Bulgaria and Romania they accept UK prisoners convicted of violent crime.

Our prisoners are sent to serve their sentences in prisons in those countries sited close to Ryanair/Easyjet destinations so that prisoner’s families are able to visit. We charter Ryanair planes to transport prisoners.

Cozy Balkan Clink

Currently, it costs the UK government £50,000 a year to house a prisoner.

In Eastern European countries the annual cost is £1500/2000...so what are the benefits?

1.   We export our violent prisoners to friendly neighbouring countries

2.   Provide those countries with a boost to their economies

3.   Suspend our prison building and renovation programme saving hundreds of millions

4.   Stop violent crime overnight

5.   Give our violent convicts the opportunity to quickly learn a new language under the tutelage of a friendly Balkan warder.

Just an idea, dear Dame

Yours faithfully,

XXXXXX

LITTLE PEOPLE RUNNING A GREAT CITY

Cressida Dick is possibly one of the most ineffectual Met Commissioners we have had in many a year. 

Yesterday, she spent the day at the Commons moaning to the Home Affairs Select Committee that the astonishing rise in gang related violence was nothing to do with lousy management and all to do with austerity. Well, she would excuse herself like that, wouldn't she?


We don't need academics with doctorates in criminology running London and that's just what this woman is. 

All the Dame ever sees are police cars, sitting on side streets, laden with 'police people' stuffing their faces when they should be walking the beat. 

Joined with 'khan't do anything right' it's no surprise that London is in the grip of a historically massive crime surge making our streets perilous places.

In fact, every London mayor from Livingstone through to Johnson.... and now Khan, has done nothing more than reinforce the fact that politicians of every hue are terrible managers. 
So, why do we elect them to run a global mega city?

What London needs is a hard nosed ex business leader running this city....not a third rate ex 'uman rights lawyer like 'khan't do a thing right'

KEEPING THINGS CLEAN....

When the Dame reads of councillors putting forward advisers the cynic in her surfaces.
In the bad old days of Pooter Cockell we heard of too many cosy tete a tete's with big-time developers. 

FAG SALESMAN MADE GOOD

We have heard the same stories from Westminster with Cllr Robert Davis and his constant contact with rich men all with big money on their minds.
Of course, it gives councillors a thrill to hobnob with powerful men. 
And nothing thrilled Cockell more than hijacking the Bentley for a spin to the Ritz to meet the Barclay twins. 
Was there ever a senior officer present? 
Never....
Were minutes taken? 
Never.....

Now, we hear that young Quentin Marshall wants to shift the investment strategy from equities to commercial property. 
Councils like investing in commercial because for some inane reason C. Government allows them to borrow to fund acquisitions at preferential interest rates.

Initial meetings with potential property investment advisers should be handled by senior officers. 
Councillors should never be allowed to put up candidates.
Back in your box, Mr Marshall....