In a highly political and desperate move, Barnets Conservative Council has blocked local GLA member Andrew Dismore from holding a consultation about police station closures at Hendon Town Hall tonight. Apparently he was only notified late on Friday evening by council officers. The Met Police authority (controlled by the Mayor and GLA) are proposing to close Barnet and Whetstone police stations. Mr Dismore hoped to hold the meeting to gauge public feeling andreport back to the Mayor (ie to do his job).
Mr Dismore for Labour, replaced Tory Brian Coleman in May 2012. Mr Coleman was subsequently suspended from the Conservative party and is currently awaiting trial for the alleged assault of a woman in North Finchley. The council claim that the open meeting is politically motivated, a claim disputed by Mr Dismore who insists he is just doing his job. Mr Dismore emphasised that anyone could attend the meeting and if they supported the Mayors proposals to close the police station, he would report this back to the committee responsible. Mr Dismore felt that it was clearly a politically motivated decision, driven by the unpopularity of the Mayors cuts to the police service.
The Barnet Eye feels that the move is highly anti democratic and is yet another example of a botched PR fiasco by Barnet Council. The action makes the Council look petty and shabby and draws attention to Mayor Johnsons police station closure program. Mr Dismore will get far more and far better publicity for being banned from having the meeting than he could ever have hoped for had the meeting gone ahead. Not only that but local residents democratic rights have been infringed. In all a complete cock up.
6 comments:
A crap decision from what seems a crap council with one particularly crap cabinet member on the payroll of the London Assembly.
Morris - Don't hold back; tell us what you feel.
Regarding the police changes in the borough, at least council taxpayers will be able to debate the subject at the three Residents' Forum meetings on Wednesday.
Not.
Morris,
I agree with you.
Dosmore has run thses sort of local opinon surveys before with a particular spin that did not do the local housing estates at the time any favours, what does a chameleon do?
He could always hire the local Community Centre where others began local capaign meetings etc or the local GMB office from where he and the Bliarite cronies held many a surgery.
Integrity! trust a viper.
Moaneybat: I think Morris is referring to Cllr Rams - who works at the GLA.
I would not go so far as to say "work", Baarnett. I was indeed referring to Cllr Rams - who is on the payroll at the GLA.
The "work" that he does on behalf of at least one Conservative member is of highly doubtful value and intended only to keep a metaphorical distance between a voter and his elected representative. This is the stuff of which totalitarian regimes are made. And Lickspittle Rams is evidently prepared to adopt the role of Uriah Heap.
My apologies for missing "crap cabinet member on the GLA payroll". However, as the shout was discussing Mr Dismore "just doing his job" at the GLA representing us on a nice earner, he is no different to Rams.
Barnet has been blighted for 13 years or so with crap councils and MPs and yet good people give those qankers more credit than they've earned.
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