I don't know about you, but I'd expect to see their names be honoured on our local war memorials. They have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and we owe them a huge debt. It seems that the jobsworths at Barnet Council have a different idea of the priorities. Whilst trips to the South of France for property development conferences is "value for money" for the taxpayer, commemorating our war dead isn't. Read this extract from a Council report which details the circumstances when a dead soldiers name can be added to a war memorial :-
This is Council Leader Lynne Hillans Easycouncil gone bonkers. It is there in black and white. No one from any conflict after WWII and then only if the Council doesn't have to pay and there will be no increase in maintenance costs. Who says so? The Commercial Director. Well I take a different viewpoint. I think that there is nothing more important than honouring those who give their life for us. I think that the Council should properly maintan and update every war memorial. If they fill up, they should add a tasteful plaque nearby or some other suitable memorial. I think Schoolchildren should attend remembrance day services as part of the national curriculum and also attend unveilings of new names. I think this might educate them in the concept of sacrifice and public service. I think it would raise standards of behaviour and make children realise that our servicemen really give a lot for us. There are many places where Barnet Council has wasted a fortune. They will buy maintenance contracts for unused laptop computers in storage, but won't pay maintenance for new war memorials. They will put tellies on the desks of council officers, but not memorials up for dead soldiers in Afghanistan. They will happily use our public contribution (ie Council Tax) to fund seven officers to write this report, but they won't fund two hours of a stonemasons time to add the names in it to the war memorial.
Some days Barnet Council really make me feel sick. Should I get elected to Barnet Council in May I will make the reversal of this crass policy my no 1 priority and I'll arrange a march on the town hall to publicise it. I rather hope they see sense before then.
***** 11.45 am update *****
I got a couple of emails within minutes of posting this blog from ex-servicemen. They both asked the question "Why wait till May to have a march on the Town Hall" Having thought this through, I completely agree with them and unless the Council PUBLICLY reverses this policy, I will be working to organise a march ASAP. I've never seen such an angry response about a story and that is saying something. Barnet Council have really got this wrong
Rog
ReplyDeleteI am convinced that the officers deliberately come up with stupid ideas to make the Tory administration look stupid. They know that councillors are too lazy to read the reports. Remember last year when the council tried to increase the cost of infant funerals by 10%? Mike Freer claimed that officers had not cleared it with Brian Coleman, but the report was published on the web site for everyone to see. Why didn't Cllr Coleman read it?
Is it really asking too much for highly paid councillors to read reports in advance?
Aren't we lucky some things have changed so much since 2001.
ReplyDeleteThen there was a secretive Council led by a power crazed Leader, attacking anyone who questioned what they did with ferocity, singling out political 'enemies' and marginalising them in their political party, ideologically intent on changing the character of this great borough through big plans with big developer building lots of flats, finances in tatters going into the 2002 election with a massive multi million pound black hole in the Council budget and a supine Cabinet too frit to challenge the Leader, whatever the electoral consequences.
Glad we got rid of all of that huh?
Hardly....
DCMD is right that Cabinet members should be reading reports before they are published. How about pushing that a bit farther forward and have them driving and directing their Officers?