DESPERATE TIMES REQUIRE DESPERATE DRESSERS

 

What is it about recent Conservative PMs and weird advisers? 

The latest is this guy, Liam Booth-Smith. Liam's fame claim is being born on a northern council estate to a single mum.

He's into fashion posing in biker and denim jackets.

Other nutters have been Steve Hilton who padded around Downing St barefooted and 'crazy man', Dominic 'Dom' Cummings who just launched a new political party.

Evidently, Rishi is enamoured with Booth-Smith because he comes up with 'ideas'...

One 'idea' was to persuade the PM to ice a red velvet cake and give it to the BBC commentary team on Test Match Special.....

That won't get the Dame's vote Rishi!

According to the Times, this sort of cleverness has made his chief of Staff indispensable!

Incidentally, Chiefs of Staff are now de rigeur...Felicity Buchan has one.

The Dame is thinking of making her errant son, Ludo chief of staff: he's useless for anything else and often has bonkers ideas.

LEDBURY ROAD RUBBISH GALLERY

Hello, old Dame

Several times a week we living on or near Ledbury Road and Westbourne Grove are invited to view and walk our footpaths among a highly curated display of black, green, clear, white, blue or orange-striped plastic bags filled with discarded food, internet shopping-spree wrappings, old Financial Times, (weekend edition) and many other wondrous joys.

Note, usually by tea time these ‘rubbish’ bags have been decorated with an assortment of empty, beige, brown or red coffee cups, white plastic cutlery -  and dark, spreading stains, creating a perfect tonal and textural experience that flatters the large sculptural stacks of cardboard sheets piled up in front of the shops as well as our eyes. 

Starbucks and Costa are great art benefactors with a range of their cups on display.

Providing shards and speckles of vivid colour too, are the discarded broken glass bottles and crumpled snack bags.  Aren’t we residents privileged to have such Detritus as well as such imaginative and often surprisingly exceptional examples of Fly Tipping on our doorsteps? 

Let us not leave out the graphically photogenic way local rodents including Mr Ratty and Reynard the Fox tear open the bags with food waste in them, spilling the contents – such clever artifice! Such high crime drama! 

…Of course, the Mastermind Artistes (there must be more than one), are unknown, we are left wondering….

Friends, what matters most aside from our enjoyment at all this charming and ever-changing activity is that these displays are increasing the value of our homes!

It must be this, it cannot be The Cost of Living Crisis!

Well, whoever would have ‘thunk’ it.

Yours truly,

A neighbour”

SAVE THE SPEED LIMIT

 

If Rishi Sunak believes he will win the election by abondoning the 20 MPH limit on the narrow and winding roads of the Borough he is naive. Anyone driving much in excess of this is irresponsible. It risks the lives of all other road users, especially cyclists.

The Dame as a teen.

The Dame has recently started using her childhood bike to wobble around Kensington and encourages others to do likewise. 

This speed limit saves the lives of children and the vulnerable. It also controls the idiot supercar drivers.

The Council now needs more speed cameras to enforce.

STAFFING SOARS AT THE TOWN HALL

Dear Dame

I thought the Council was cutting costs. 

This chart shows it not to be the case. 

Whilst business throttles back on staffing Cllr Campbell puts her foot on the accelerator!

Business in the Borough...large, medium and small...is struggling with rising rents, business rates, and inflation. 

It is insulting for the Council not to show solidarity by putting the brake on staffing.

We need a new leader and deputy who will show some sort of realism.

Regards

A reader and business owner

A GOVERNMENT WITH BLOOD ON ITS HANDS

The murder by machete of this child may never have happened had the Government got tough about penalties for carrying such weapons.

Currently, the maximum penalty is four years in prison....that is a joke. Most offenders know that even if caught they will get a fine or a few months soft prison time.

If the government was really serious about protecting innocent lives it would make an 8 year sentence mandatory backed up with a targeted advertising campaign.

WHAT AN INDICTMENT OF OUR SAD COUNTRY

 

This courageous little seven year old is Kaden Taylor. 

Kaden was born without a hand but despite that faces life with courage, humour and enthusiasm.

Here you can see him trying a bionic arm. His parents are desperately trying to raise the £12,000 it will cost.

Any first-world country would fund the cost. 

Here in the UK the NHS refuses saying it has no funds.

Dig into the NHS and you find waste on an epic scale: that is the reason why little Kaden Taylor's family has to fundraise.

You could probably lose 50% of NHS management and not notice.

No wonder the clinical staff are in despair burdened as they are with having to answer to dud managers.

 

GREG HANDS ATTACKS K&C PLANNERS OVER THEIR M&S RECOMMENDATION

Greg has given his full site address so that you can all see his other self-promotions but this LINK will take us straight to his petition which we should all sign

Special News Bulletin from Greg Hands MP                                       27 September 2023   Dear Resident,   I am writing to you regarding the popular M&S on the King's Road in Chelsea.   Town Hall planners have now recommended the planning application for the re-development of 81-103 King's Road for approval.    Given this news, I have started a campaign to ensure that Marks & Spencer remains in this prominent location on Chelsea’s King’s Road.   Alongside thousands of objections by local residents and Resident Associations, I have repeatedly voiced concerns with Council planners. To read more about my actions on this local issue, please click here.    It is vital for Chelsea residents that Marks & Spencer remains in this location on the King’s Road. When I met with Marks & Spencer in April this year, I was glad to hear that the retailer very much wants to remain on the King's Road.    Now it is time to show Marks & Spencer the local demand for this store by signing my petition.   Best wishes, Greg Hands   The Rt Hon Greg Hands MP Member of Parliament for Chelsea and Fulham

SUNAK CLUTCHES AT ELECTORAL STRAWS

It has taken this hapless government 13 years to decide  Inheritance Tax is pernicious, vicious, and unfair.

So, frightened of defeat Sunak has decided it now needs reform/abolition. 

Polls tell him even those not liable to have 40% of their assets stolen by the State hate IHT. 

They correctly consider it double taxation.

IHT affects Felicity Buchan's voter base so expect her to soon claim she was instrumental in whatever her boss decides to do!

Another unfair and punitive tax is Business Rates collected by the Royal Borough on behalf of the Government.

As the Tax Collector the Council is allowed to retain a percentage to assist local entrepreneurial activity!

Yes, you could not make it up....the idea councillors and officers have a clue about business is palpable nonsense.

The Council publishes much nonsense about helping business whilst administering the very tax that strangles it!

RESIDENTS LEFT OUT IN THE COLD BY COUNCIL PLANNERS

An excellent summary by a dear reader of the old Dame

Planners give residents the boot

Dear Dame,

As you stated correctly, the planning system could not be more unfair: developers get almost unlimited access to planning officers, while the public, who may have legitimate concerns about projects, can only send e-mails that may or may not get answered... 

Also, although all the officers have been supplied with or at least have subsidised 'work mobile phones', it is almost impossible to reach them by telephone.

As many of them are still on 'work from home' for half the working week, while others in private industry have been back at their desks for ages, I can well believe that by now a sizeable applications backlog has accumulated. And once again it is the public, who are supposed to pick up the slack. Outrageous! Also, one is left wondering, how many site visits are actually taking place these days, or does Street View and a satellite image suffice? 

Dearest Dame, we are altogether getting rather a rum deal! Has someone chalked on our backsides 'kick me', while we weren't looking? 

I feel the worm is about to turn!

Warmest regards,

Nemesis 

MACRON"S "LET THEM EAT CAKE' MOMENT

Though France and The UK are in a real mess it's good to know that the heads of state can forget about their troubles with a massive multi-million euro gluttonous feast at Versailles. 

Mitterand would have been proud of this decadence.

It was so vulgar and common that only an arrogant and unpleasant man like Macron could have thought it wise.

The Dame's Ancien Regime aristo friends are truly horrified by this gluttonous excess.

As for the ghastly freeloading mummers and strummers who gorged themselves......

mummers and strummers

The Dame is a lover of France and its people but she does not love the French political establishment. 

It will always do the UK down unless in its interest to charm us.

The French political class must be having a good old laugh as they actively assist the hordes invading us.

King Charles should have thought more carefully about getting involved in this crude circus.

RESIDENT CALLS MP A LIAR

 Dear Dame

This came through my door. As a North Kensington resident I am furious that this piece of deceit was posted through my door.

click to enlarge

Miss Buchan uses this 'Kensington Chronicle' to bullshit people into believing it was some sort of independent local newspaper: it was nothing of the sort. It was a political leaflet masquerading as an independent media.

It was made worse by Buchan dishonestly misrepresenting her role in getting the £32 million to save Wornington College. 

The money came from Central Government after much hard work by the Save Wornington College campaign lobbying Ann Milton, the then Minister for Further Education and Skills.

I hope, Dame you will give prominence to the THINK piece HERE

It crucifies Miss Buchan as an opportunistic liar.

Yours in disgust,

P. Mason

PS I find THINK much better researched than your blog.

COUNCILLORS NEED TO READ THE HORNET

Today, at 10.30 am the Hornet had 1000 views....yesterday nearly 2000.

click to enlarge

If councillors are not taking note of comments on the Hornet they are failing in their roles.

Some councillors such as Cllr Weale are so absent from ward work they should resign and give up their lucrative allowances. 

In fact, one wonders exactly what Mrs. Weale does in any sphere of council activity. 

A reader comments that her attendance record is just 59% despite her taking £37,000 a year chairing a committee....it is a slap in the face to taxpayers but I suppose it helps maintain her French manoir in the style it has become accustomed to!

She is so indolent she can't even bother to reply to residents in her ward!

The Dame will often pick up a salient comment. This below is spot on.

"Long-time residents of an area usually know best what to keep and what needs positive change. They are truly invested. Planners come from other areas and cannot know what locals know and feel.
It is time for more weight to be given to the local residents" associations and financial and legal help given to them to rebalance this very slanted power imbalance.

We also need to look at senior officers. Many have decided they don't need to come to the office and prefer to claim their London allowances whilst 'working' from home in some leafy suburb!

Now wonder the country is drowning under local authority spending!

A PLANNER OPINES SO SHUT UP RESIDENTS...WE RUN THE SHOW

The Dame was sent this letter from Martin Lomas, the RBK&C planning officer intimately involved in the M&S development. He says enough is enough so basically 'back off'! 

The Dame notices his letter ends with "Our Values: putting Communities in their place"

Only planning officers living nearby rather than those living miles away should have an opinion!

Just a little Dame joke!

Click to enlarge

PULL THE MAJOR PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING ON M&S

On 5th October, the major planning committee will decide whether Pilbrow and DP9 can desecrate our beloved King's Road. This disagreeable duo are also behind the M&S Oxford Street plan.

If approved not only will it 'canyonise' the Road but add further to the endless lorry movements linked to other major developments.

Residents traditionally relying on Conservative councillors to fight their corner have turned to the Labour Party for help. 

Ian Henderson, the ex Labour councillor who masterminded the defence of Sutton Estate says Labour are backing residents horrified at the prospect of their homes being overshadowed by this monster.

But the real question is whether this meeting should go ahead. 

The High Court is about to decide whether the appeal related to M&S in Oxford St be allowed.

This decision is inextricably linked to M&S King's Road. 

It is downright foolish and irresponsible for the Council to sail on blithely imagining there in no linkage between the two sites.

As importantly, is the decision to allocate time for objections. Developers have huge latitude to lobby the Commitee....it is quite unfair that objectors are not given an equal opportinity to present their case.

Level playing fields are needed.

IN PRAISE OF TAYLOR-SMITH

It is rare for the Dame to praise councillors but she will risk the wrath of some by suggesting Kim Taylor-Smith has been a breath of fresh air in managing housing issues and the Grenfell tragedy.

Kim differs from most of the 'councillor breed' being a successful entrepreneur....a quality sorely missed in local government.

Most entrepreneurs find trekking through the treacle of stultifying local politics too exhausting. 

Kim put in his heart and soul into housing and Grenfell recovery. He would never satisfy everyone when the world and his wife wanted to make a home in the Royal Borough but he did his ultimate. 

Sof McVeigh who succeeds Kim will bring the same commitment

His farewell letter is a measure of the man. 

Disaster struck our community, when the worst tragedy imaginable unfolded at Grenfell Tower on the 14th June, 2017. I will never forget that day, and the days that followed. The image of the tower, destroyed, is etched into my consciousness, like it is for so many other people across Kensington, and across the country. 

My memory of that morning was riding to North Kensington on my scooter and wanting to help in any way I could – as so many people did. No matter what people needed, I wanted to help them. Booking taxis on my phone, arranging hotel accommodation, handing out water, and putting my arm around people who I either knew or had never met before. It was impossible, and still is impossible, not to care about what happened, and in some way try to fix the unfixable. 

I devoted the next six years trying to right a wrong. Of course, I made mistakes, personal ones, and the organisation and departments made mistakes under me – but I was always keen that we learn from them, and move forwards. By working together with residents and families, I always felt we were making things better together, even when a new strand of work or a new relationship only started because something had initially gone wrong. 

The time for a change in my role has now come, and I wanted to thank every person I have met throughout my time as lead member for Housing and Grenfell and for giving me the opportunity to work alongside them, learn from them, and help me do the most important job I feel I have ever done.

I care about this borough and community, and it has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve our residents, but above all, to support and serve the families who suffered so terribly and continue to do so to this day. Nothing can ever change what happened at Grenfell Tower, but I always wanted the best for the people who lost so much, and for something positive to come out of something so awful. It is never lost on me, that I represented the Council which lost all trust and confidence, yet people gave me the space and time to work with them. Instead of slamming doors in my face, they opened doors to me and agreed to meet, and work alongside. That says everything you need to know about the community of North Kensington. 

I also want to thank officers at the Council for their hard work, and my wife for her support and the time and patience she has given me to help me do what I felt was my duty.

I am proud that we brought housing back in house, and we are steadily changing the culture in the organisation, especially in our focus on safety. We have fought for, and won, investment in the Lancaster West estate and surrounding area, and we are starting to see the difference that makes to the area and to the people that live there.

We have built social homes for the first time in a generation, including Kelso Cochrane House, which is a real marker of the changes we have made.

And we listened and worked with residents to save the Sutton Estate, and make long-lasting commitments on the future of Morley College and North Ken Library. 

As ever, there is more to do.

I am not going anywhere, and will take on new brief and stay as Deputy Leader. Families will always have my unwavering support for the changes they want to see nationally, and I am very much looking forward to contributing, in different ways, to the Grenfell recovery, which is a long-term challenge and one that the Council and all partners must continue to embrace.

From the bottom of my heart, to everyone I have met along the way, and to those who still doubt me and this organisation to this very day. Thank you.

Kim

LIB DEM CANDIDATE GIVES UP

The Dame is a bit overwhelmed to hear the Lib Dem candidate, Adam Knight, has called it a day after just a few months! He says balancing campaigning whilst running 2 businesses and looking after a family of 4 was just too much.

Maybe he should have thought of all that before getting nominated....Knight has wasted a lot of people's time.

 

IT ISN'T JUST PARTIES & PROSTITUTES: STOP SHORT TERM LETTING IN K&C

Patrick Bullick

Dear Dame

Can you please draw attention to the scourge of short-term letting in K&C? LINK

"Do you do corporate lets?"

All Central London agents will be familiar with that question from the incomprehensibly stupid minions of the ‘criminal’ short-letting gangs.

Next is ‘with guaranteed rent’.

Some Rent2Rent operators use a more savvy, subtle approach, often deceiving landlords into letting their properties to them.

Virtually all companies involved in Rent2Rent in London are breaking the law in some way. Even those which don’t supply prostitutes and drugs to the sub-tenants - as many do.

Most sub-let room by room and where they can, maximise profits by doing short sub-lets for which they can charge more.

In turn, the landlord renting their property is then facilitating law-breaking and jeopardising their own investment.

‘Oh, but everybody is doing it’ say the gangs, companies and landlords involved.

Not an excuse.

Reasons not to let your property to a Rent2Rent operation in Central London:

1. There is a Greater London-wide ban on letting a property on short or holiday lets for more than 90 days per annum without planning permission.

2. Insurance companies cannot offer policies on buildings where flats are short-let in breach of planning. If they discover during a claim that it has been happening, they can legitimately refuse to pay out.

3. Letting to more than two people from different families requires House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) registration with local authorities - by law.

4. Sub-letting room by room on Assured Shorthold agreements, as many do, is technically wrong and breaches HMO rules.

5. Most leases on flats prohibit short letting - full stop.

6. Mortgage companies require all rules to be followed and can call in the loan where laws and lease rules are being broken. Again, they cannot give permission to situations where laws and building rules are being broken.

7. General nuisance to neighbours.

8. Parties and Prostitutes.

Unfortunately, the Local Authorities (including RBK&C) utterly fail to enforce the 90-day rule and actually make it difficult for neighbours and others to push for enforcement.

This is very short-sighted of them as the illegitimate short-letting market sucks up supply, helping drive up rents and depriving ordinary Londoners of places to live. The Local Authorities undermine their own ability to deliver their housing targets.

Estate Agents, Freeholders, Building Managers, Insurers and Mortgage Companies can all help by cracking down on these unlawful Rent2Rent operators to help drive them out of business.

The Treasury is also to blame for its unfair taxes driving private landlords to find ways to try to make ends meet.

It is still no excuse. 

Kind regards

Patrick Bullick

Patrick Bullick

Managing Director

Former Propertymark Board Director

& Past Chairman NAEA - London Region

www.stanleypropertylondon.co.uk

BEN COLEMAN ATTACKS 'CANYONISATION' OF KING'S ROAD

Coleman(right) discussing with Smith St resident

The Labour candidate for Chelsea and Fulham, Ben Coleman describes the Marks & Spencer development plans as damaging to the character of King's Road. 

Upon meeting residents, Coleman said, "Residents have told me of their concerns, which I share, about M&S’s overbearing plans for its King’s Road site. This would mean more canyonisation of the road and further damage the character of the area. I'm clear that local people, not developers, must come first."

Please click HERE and sign

STRANGE MAN STARTS NEW PARTY

Dominic Cummings is launching a political party and impertinently writes to the Dame demanding her support.

Dully, he calls it the Start-Up party.

Cummings is the mad sod who thought that the Covid rules only applied to the 'Little People'. 

Now he calling upon the 'Little People' to support his new party with its promise of low taxes et al.

He seems to have overlooked Reform UK which promises much of the same.

Cummings believes that only those with high IQs should lead the country. 

What has escaped him is that those with high IQs are generally not good leaders: he is evidence of that.

Commonsense is what is required...and Mr Cummings knows nothing of that. 

ELIZABETH SPRINGS ONE ON FELICITY B

Dear Dame,

You never stop showing off about the thousands of daily views your blog gets.

If you are as potent as you attempt to suggest can you kindly have a word with the self important MP, Miss Buchan?

She is obviously too busy with her levelling up activity. 

She needs to 'level up' with us constituents as to why we are all getting such inadequate service.

It is not good enough. 

Just because she is a friend of Campbell she thinks she can do what she likes.

A very angry Resident

 

COUNCILS NEED PRIVATE SECTOR MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Maxine Holdsworth RBKC Boss

This was an interesting comment about RBK&C management

"Council operatives complain there are 3 to 4 layers of management before the job gets allocated, too many managers and not enough ground staff who apparently leave in droves due to gaslighting, micro-management etc - see trust pilot reviews."

Private companies grow profits: councils 'grow managers'. 

It is exactly the same with the NHS...far too many mediocre managers and far too many doing too little. 

The police are yet another example. 

The British public sector is a byword for management inefficiency.

The Dame was recently peering at the council's organisation chart. 

No private sector company would allow such overemployment.

It's time Councils in particular were forced to look to the private sector when recruiting rather than the same old route of recruiting from within the 'dead hand' public sector.

WHERE ARE RBK&C COMMS WHEN NEEDED?

wrecked by RAAC

Nicholas Price-Thompson is the £130k a year head of communications: his department costs close to £1 million a year....not far off what a FTSE 100 would spend on comms.

So, Mr Price-Thompson would this not be the moment to reassure RBK&C parents that no school was affected by RAAC concrete? 

A statement such as this by the leader would have reassured parents.

"You may have read about the issue with some schools with RAAC concrete and I am writing to reassure you that we have checked with all our schools in RBKC and I can reassure parents and local families that we have no issues with our local schools and we wish all our pupils a successful start to the new academic year"

The Dame has constantly called for the closing down of the communications department and outsourcing to an agency at a substantial budget reduction. 

Any decent agency would have seized the opportunity to proact with a positive story

THE DAME DOES A FREEDOM OF INFORMATION DEMAND

The old Dame was told that staffing levels have soared at Hornton Street. 

Worse, it seems many officers were being paid a London Allowance despite many failing to turn up to the office and continuing to WFH.

To clarify matters the Dame's staffer has put in an FOI demanding statistic for all staff...full/part-time and contract for the years 2017 to 2022.

Her insider tells her that the number of job roles has soared in the period.

The private sector is restrained in terms of the employment of productive staff: that seems not to apply to councils.

Councils are a huge burden on the taxpayer and need constant scrutiny.

BORWICK TO CHAIR VISIT ENGLAND

Dear Dame

You will be pleased to know that Victoria Borwick has been appointed chair of Visit England.

She is ideally qualified for the role. VISIT ENGLAND

The role of Visit England is to promote tourism and with her energy and enthusiasm Victoria is a perfect choice.

Like or dislike her politics it is a fact that Victoria cares about people and always goes the extra mile to help those stuck in the bureaucratic machine or just in need.

Well done, Victoria

A resident