One thing for sure though - Barnet Eye, First again
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Cllr Lynne Hillan, Leader of Barnet Council, is to recommend to the next meeting of Barnet Council that it revisits and revises the system for members’ allowances agreed at the Council meeting of July 13.
Cllr Hillan will propose that Cabinet Members revert to the level of allowances under the previous scheme and receive no increase.
Cllr Hillan commented: “The Cabinet has been listening carefully to the views expressed by residents over the past couple of weeks regarding the change to Members’ Allowances and has taken them on board.
“There will be many difficult decisions about the future of the council to be taken over the coming months. We need to consult widely and take residents with us on those decisions.
I have spent the last fortnight speaking to colleagues and it has become clear that we simply can’t have the conversations we need to have with residents about the future of the council, our services and the decisions that need to be made, with this debate about allowances going on. There are times when leadership is about action and there are times when it is about listening. I have listened and I am acting.
The previous allowances scheme was much criticised and I have no doubt that it was in need of change. Many of the reforms we made should stay, not least for the sake of transparency. But I also appreciate that many residents are unhappy that Cabinet Members’ allowances could increase when service budgets face reductions. Residents have made it clear that they expect elected members to set an example to other parts of the council. The proposal I will put to Council in September will bring an overall cut to the budget for member’s allowances of around £95,000.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This isn't the end of this, it's actually just the begining. Hillan has now lost any shred of credibility she had. Thanks to everyone who supported this campaign
10 comments:
Ha bloody ha. Oh dear oh dear oh dear ... quite how did someone this stupid manage to become leader in the first place? I suppose because someone with more brains and even fewer scruples got her there. What a farce.
Love the bit about listening carefully to residents, Lynne.
Great news indeed - and well done Rog for keeping up the pressure and exposing the bulls**t!!!
Hillan hasn’t listened at all. She is just scared for her job. If this was a listening council, it would have dumped Hillan’s proposal to axe the warden service - something opposed by 83% of residents in the consultation.
Given how strongly she, Coleman, Cornelius, Tambourides, et all defended the rise, they must all go if the Conservative Party in Barnet is to save itself from electoral wipe-out at the next election.
Fantastic news. It is up to the Tories themselves to sort this out behind closed doors. They are ALL to blame for letting this through and ALL need to eat some humble pie.
BUT the aim was to stop them troughing and it looks as if that aim as set out on here by the Barnet Eye and supported by the whole of the Barnet media and blogosphere have succeeded in reminding them that in a democracy the power does remain with the people ( just ).
Well done Barnet Tories for listening. I would hope that in future decisions are taken with better scrutiny and with better fairness in mind.
Needless to say we will all be watching very carefully from now on.
Too little too late: the damage for the Tories in Barnet from this is irreversible.
We have a new experience.
We have victory - a remarkable and definite victory.
[But] this is not the end.
It is not even the beginning of the end.
But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
Spare a thought for Brian Coleman's P.A
I think she is going to be on the wrong end of his anger at the fact he is going to not be able to trouser more of our cash.
Ms. Hillan and Mr Freer are believed to have just issued a Joint Statement to the London Daily News, to go with their charming photograph (Copyright reserved; No unauthorised use of this photograph is permitted).
"If it falls to Us to start a Fight to cut out the Cancer of Bent and Twisted Journalism in our country, with the Simple Sword of Truth, and the Trusty Shield of British Fair Play, so be it.
"We are ready for the Fight. The Fight against Falsehood and those who Peddle It. Our Fight begins Today.
"Thank You, and Good Afternoon."
I would wager £5 that Mike Freer is wining and dining Conservative Councillors begging them to back Lynne Hillan. The last thing he must want is for someone to go in to the Town Hall and reveal the true depth of the financial crisis he left behind.
Just think, though, of all those folk who put their necks on the line to defend her indefensible allowance rise ! They are going to be hounded out by their local activists having been hung out to dry by their 'Leader'
Amazing! Thanks for all your effort Rog.
I see Conservative Home have picked it up too.
http://conservativehome.blogs.com/localgovernment/2010/08/barnet-listens-allowances-hike-abandoned.html#comments
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