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DAMESATHOME@GMAIL.COM
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Sunday 14 October 2018

MR STALLWOOD'S HEATWAVE BRAINWAVE!

During the heatwave of the summer, Mr. Stallwood had a brainwave....


Whilst the Dame and others were luxuriating on their superyachts why not remove all people's names and addresses from planning application objection letters on the website and delete those letters after the application has been decided or withdrawn?

Many planning applications are resubmitted in amended form after they have been refused or withdrawn. 
For this reason, it's vital for interested parties to check back to see what comments were made on previous occasions.
Additionally, people use the planning website as a 'filing system' thus avoiding the need to retain hard copies of comments made and the printing out of vast quantities of paper. 

The Council made these changes in secret and did not disclose them to Residents' Associations or on the planning website. 

Only after the event, during a phone call to the planning officer to find out what they had done and why.

And why should people not have the right to publicise their names and addresses, and to have their comments in the public domain, if they so wish?

The Council's justification, presumably upon advice from Leverne Parker, was this was necessary to comply with the GDPR. 
The Council effectively admitted a few months later that they had got it all wrong and completely misinterpreted the law when, following a storm of protest, they agreed to rewrite the system - although yet again they have made the changes in secret and have not communicated them to Residents' Associations or publicised them on the planning website.

Fortunately, the new system has been described by the Chelsea Society on its website:

31 comments:

  1. What happened to Stallwood's mustache?

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    Replies
    1. Some people thought it made him look like Herr Hitler so Cllr Campbell told him to 'lose it'!

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  2. This is outrageous. Another example of Officers using administrative means to shaft residents. They do it because they know they can get away with it. The USELESS Cllr Campbell should be reading the riot act and making it clear to Officers that they cannot behave in this way.

    But of course the woman is USELESS. And she does nothing except media appearances to spout about Grenfell.

    Thank goodness for public interest behaviour of bodies like the Chelsea Society. Chairman James Thomson has a long history in our Borough of attacking the humbugs (ex Cllr Moylan a case in point) and it is good that he is still firing on all cylinders.

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  3. Well done Chelsea Society. A welcome come back.

    Why no fuss from the Kensington Society? They seem to have lost their way. More interested in lobbying property developers and taking tea with the Duke of Gloucester.

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  4. Hear, hear. Well done Chelsea Society. It would appear that RBKC's Ms Parker, when implementing the change, did not envisage any come back. This would be in line with the wholehearted believe in Horton Street, that the residents of this Borough would not question RBKC's statements and actions. They have to understand that their reign over the media is OVER. The Internet has changed all of that.

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    1. It is amazing that Leverne Parker is still employed as the Borough Solicitor. She has a long history of "gaffs", not a political bone in her body,and thoroughly suspect professional judgement. She saw off ex Leader Nick Paget-Browne with totally incompetent legal advice over his response to resident concerns about the Grenfell tragedy.

      It is customary for any organisation that knows what it is doing to quietly have a word with employees such as Parker and ask them to find a new job within 6 months.

      But of course Hornton Street is a job creation center that looks after its own. And the Councillors (and especially the Cabinet and MOST SPECIALLY the Leader, Cllr Elizabeth Campbell) fail to exercise their responsibility and duty.

      It is a disgrace of epic proportions.

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    2. More bile from 12.49. I know who you are.

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    3. Ohhhhh... 13.02....we are scared!!

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    4. Anon 12:49 :: In respect of Lavatorial Leverne Parker, "You ain't seen nothing yet" - just wait for her turn at the Inquiry - should be a priceless gig. As said already, RBKC always had sits vacant for a solicitor. No takers, perhaps when they realised that they would be working with Parker, they opted to draw JSA for a bit longer. I am yet to meet a person who has a kind word for this deluded sole.

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    5. Leverne Parker is 'damaged goods'. Who is going to employ a solicitor who was in charge of the Regeneration Scheme of North Kensington, aka Ethnic Cleansing Plan? The legal advisor on Grenfell, will excellent knowledge of how to intimidate residents and shut them up with threats of vacuous legal action? Leverne Parker, of course. WOuld you employ this sad soul?

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  5. Councillors need to exercise more control over Officers

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  6. Here we have another example of the deep seated contempt for residents that is enshrined in the Hornton Street culture. The mantra for Councillors is "We agreed to listen but not to hear" (Cllr Cabinet Member Mary Weale). And for Officers the mantra is "interpret regulations to slap them around whenever we can" (Legal Officer Leverne Parker)

    It is intolerable

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    1. re: Parker: because she can. Even before Cameron abolished to Audit Commission, there was no independent external oversight or audit - therefore they did and still do as they feel fit. Be under no deluded impression that a little glitch in the form of Grenfell is going to derail the long term 'redevelopment of the Borough' plan. There are very deep personal vested interests in the scheme, for it to be abandoned. just because of Grenfell.

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    2. Rank hyena is highly unlikely to change her spots.....

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    3. After disgraced ex Cllr Phelps called me a liar in a public Council Meeting I wrote to the Borough Solicitor, Leverne Parker, and asked for a copy of the record. Ms Parker replied that she was not prepared to release this because it "contained information about a serving Councillor"

      I am not a lawyer but this struck me as an absurd statement. I complained to the Ombudsman who agreed with me and order Parker to release the transcript. This provided the evidence to refer Phelps to the Standards Committee where he was found guilty of bringing the Council into disrepute.

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    4. And the Standards Committee hearing was a farce. Deputy Chairman, Cllr Coleridge, tried to excuse Phelps behaviour by purring to his fellow committee members that "Barry gets carried away". This irresponsible statement by Coleridge exposed how the culture in Hornton Street operates.

      It would have been appropriate and correct for Deputy Chairman Coleridge to make an unequivocal statement along the lines of "This Council does not tolerate in any shape or form the bullying of residents by Councillors and Officers. And Cllr Phelps needs to understand this very clearly"

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    5. Stupid Observer. We all get carried away. Coleridge was quite right to remind the Committee of this

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    6. Cllr Palmer gets carried away making phone calls to Australia on the Association line. Silly dimwit

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  7. Removing objections in this way removes an historical record from one of the key activities of local Government. Again, we see a fundamental attack on democracy in the Royal Borough - not from student anarchists, university communists or Cobynista Maoists. But from the very people employed, at public cost, to practice democracy.

    Why does the Leader, Cllr Elizabeth Campbell, continue to abdicate her responsibility? Could it be that she is so pig ignorant that she does not have a clue.........

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    Replies
    1. hahaha - much of historical record was shredded soon after Grenfell. irretrievably lost.

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  8. Doctor Dolittle is the head of the paid service. Rather than strategising the future of local government he should get a grip of what is going on right beneath his own nose.

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    1. Dolittle needs to be given an instruction.....

      By Cllr Campbell

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    2. Oh, come on, 'Outraged' don't be so outrageous. Cllr Campbell instructing anyone? Dream again, dear. Perhaps, Doctor Dolittle is actually impervious to instruction. Have you thought of that?

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  9. Er.... I think you’ll find it works the other way.

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    1. You are right - which is why Campbell needs to be dumped and replaced by a person who is worthy of the position of Leader

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  10. Councillors come and go. They do not understand the rules and regulations and are too lazy to try. Mostly they are people of average to low ability and not interested in the detail of administration. Officers are well paid, able and stable. They are the natural custodians of the Royal Borough. Without their dedication the ship would quickly hit the rocks and disintegrate.

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    Replies
    1. I fear you are right

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    2. Leverne Parker, for example??????

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  11. Retired Officer: And these Officers, not too bright to start with, are responsible to keep up the myth of respectability and concern, when it all goes tits up. However, their actions are limited by the Councillors. It is just a nasty circle and a sad Merry-Go-Round

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