Question 15 Councillor Andrew StrongolouCould the Cabinet Member please tell us how much support the council gives to the trade unions?Answer by Councillor Richard CorneliusThe council provides pre-agreed release time. In 2012-13 the budget is £113,320. This represents a cut of 65% from the 2009=10 budget.In 2012-13 £43,000 is budgeted to assist with the One Barnet programme. This will cease. There is also some un quantified, pre-agreed ad hoc release, use of offices, notice boards and meeting rooms.
Question 17 Councillor Andrew StrongolouDoes the Cabinet Member know how many council employees are members of Unison, Unite or any other trade union organisation within the council?Answer by Councillor Richard CorneliusThe Council does not hold this information as not all Unions utilise payroll deduction facilities.
Question 29 Councillor Andrew StrongolouDoes the tax that goes towards supporting the trade unions provide as much value for money as other council expenditures?Answer by Councillor Richard CorneliusUnions have a historically useful function but I would hate to feel that tax payers resources were being applied to political activity.
Now whilst it is always nice to see formerly "relaxed" Councillors taking a bit more interest in Council affairs, it seems that Councillor Stronglou doesn't really understand what the role of Trades Unions in the workplace is and how they have helped the nation develop socially. The Barnet Eye is never keen to see people make them make complete berks of themselves. We therefore felt compelled to email Councillor Stronglou and make a few helpful suggestions. Here is the text of my emailQuestion 33 Councillor Andrew StrongolouCould the Cabinet Member please tell us who has paid for the wrap around advertising in the local newspapers in the name of BAPS?Answer by Councillor Richard CorneliusI cannot say who has paid for these advertisements however the names of several unions appear on the BAPS website claimed as supporters,Question 41 Councillor Andrew StrongolouDoes the Leader feel that giving tax payers money to trade unions is a good use of public finances?Answer by Councillor Richard CorneliusNot always.
Dear Councillor Stronglou,
I noticed that you have asked a string of questions
regarding the activities of Trades Unions and their funding at the full council
meeting. From reading the questions, it is rather clear to me that you do not
understand the role that trades unions play in the modern workforce.
It strikes me as strange that you do not understand
the need for advocacy and mediation in the workplace or the need for the
workforce to have an organisation to ensure their views are properly
represented. Unions also do much valuable work in the field of health and
safety.
I would suggest that if you are serious in your role as a councillor, rather than ask questions of the leader of the council, you should speak to a trade union branch secretary and find out exactly what he does. This would enable you to ask sensible questions which would potentially assist the running of the council. I am sure that if you were to have a cup of tea with the Barnet Unison branch secretary John Burgess, he would be more than happy to explain the role of the unions and why they deliver value for money.
I also understand that you are upset at the Barnet Alliance for Public
Services producing a wraparound on the local papers. The wraparound provided
public information concerning the One Barnet project. The Leader of the Council,
Richard Cornelius has been widely featured on TV and Radio speaking about the
benefits of the program. As you presumably support the One Barnet program and
believe that it will deliver the promised huge savings, I would have thought
that anything which promoted awareness of the project should be welcomed. As a
councillor, surely you should be pleased that residents are taking an interest
in the way Barnet Council makes its policy?
I would suggest to you that to be an effective councillor, your time would
be far more wisely spent scrutinising council business and seeking out waste,
inefficiency and bad practice. I would draw attention to the fact that Barnet
bloggers uncovered the Metpro scandal and as a result of this, savings of over
half a million pounds have been identified. This is four times greater than the
figures Councillor Cornelius detailed as being spent supporting Trades Unions.
Barnet bloggers have long contended that there are likely to be dozens of
other such savings to be made, should anyone at Barnet Council actually bother
to look for them. I would suggest that rather than asking questions which are
clearly motivated by political concerns, you would deliver better value for the
people who elected you and pay your allowances, by concentrating on find real
savings and real issues.
For the absence of doubt, I am a business owner and have never been a
Trades Union member.
Regards
Roger Tichborne
Dear Councillor Cornelius,
I note your answer to Councillor Andreas
Stronglou.
Question
29 Councillor Andrew Strongolou
Does
the tax that goes towards supporting the trade unions provide as much value for
money as other council expenditures?
Answer
by Councillor Richard Cornelius
Unions
have a historically useful function but I would hate to feel that tax payers
resources were being applied to political activity.
As I am sure you are aware, both Conservative and
Labour groups in Barnet have a taxpayer funded full time political assistant,
who's role is a purely political one. Please can you tell me how much money
these assistants cost the taxpayer. Please could you also tell me whether you
think that spending money in this way is consistent with your reply to
Councillor Stronglou.
I would also draw your attention to the fact that
Councillor Robert Rams works in a taxpayer funded political role at the GLA. Do
you consider such positions to be wise use of taxpayers money?
Please consider the relevant parts of this email to
be a Freedom of Information request.
Regards
Roger Tichborne
I will be interested to see the response (if any) and will keep you informed.
This Strongolou guy is really "nothing to declare" type. he presents himself as an actor, but you won't find him on any stage, he spent 3 years in the history department of the met uni, but apparently learnt nothing. a real NEET, living of the public purse.
ReplyDeleteunless you believe in creationism and creating intelligence out of void, one should unavoidably reach the conclusion that someone wrote the questions for him. I won't be surprised if it will turn up to be the same person that wrote the answers.
Strongolou is a NEE, he is in T'raining....... in "Bolloxology. The leader and his Cabinet have all followed a similar path.
ReplyDeleteQuestions to Council are along the lines of volleyball rules, having no altruistic value:
ReplyDeletePass: The pass is the attempt by a team to properly handle the opponent's serve, or any form of attack.
Set: The main goal of setting is to put the (subject) in the air in such a way that it can be driven by an attack into the opponent's court.
Strike: ....a kill is the slang term for an attack that is not returned by the other team thus resulting in a point.