Barnet Council Spotlight : Brian Colemans understudy, Deputy Mayor Hugh Rayner

In the last year there has been plenty of coverage of Mayor of Barnet Brian Coleman. We've heard nothing much from his deputy mayor, Hugh Rayner. Mr Rayner has had the pleasure of standing in for Mr Coleman where Mr Coleman has been otherwise engaged. Given that Mr Coleman casts a rather large shadow, the Barnet Eye thinks it's high time we have a look at the work of his deputy. So what do we know about Mr Rayner? Well he most certainly doesn't like football. At a recent recording of the radio show "Any questions", Mr Rayner was seen clapping wildly (like an over-aroused circus seal) when a panelist announced they couldn't stand football. This image was further reinforced when he admitted at a session of the Hendon and district Residents Forum that on his many visits to check the facilities at Burnt Oak Leisure Centre, he'd never actually checked the state of the football pitch at the back.

It now emerges that he doesn't really like play areas for children. So what does Councillor Rayner think are important issues? Well he has been campaigning to add names of fallen soldiers from World War II to the Edgware war memorial. Sadly though, he didn't support the budget amendment proposed by the Lib Dems to allocate funds for the purpose of ensuring all of the Boroughs war dead were commemorated.

What else do we know about Councillor Rayner. Well he's in favour of large unsightly sheds, he's against extending a Jewish cemetery, and he's the nearest thing we've got to a village idiot in the Barnet Council chamber, providing a laugh a minute with his interjections - to quote the Enfield Independent :-

The award for most pointless appearance of the evening undoubtedly went to the Tories' Hugh Rayner, who took it upon himself to provide one of the most unintentionally funny speeches heard at the Town Hall. Supposedly a reflection on the authority's recycling record, the Hale ward member's diatribe instead included references to his family in China, and a long-winded suggestion that new Prime Minister Gordon Brown would fill his cabinet with 'waste from a Liberal Democrat skip'.

Unsurprisingly, Mr Rayner was laughed back into his seat by members on all sides of the chamber.

So there you have it. The lucky voters of Hale Ward are truly honoured to have such a man representing them. The one redeeming feature in Mr Rayners career is that for the past year, if Mayor Coleman has been unable to attend a local Mayoral invite, due to a better offer (or a better buffet), at least you'd have Mr Rayner turn up, who for all his foibles is far less likely to put his foot in it and upset everybody