The second division are the Isthmian League third division. The bad. The ones who I think are pretty damn useless.
Then there is the third division. These are the councillors who have made no impression on me at all. Some of these are just new and so they've yet to answer on the Barnet Eye radar. Some are just plain useless, but are so useless that I've not actually come across them.Anyway we start with the Premier League. These are the councillors that have something to say, have made an impression or look to me as if thye have a bright future.
If you think I've screwed up, Please say.
#1 - Barnets best councillor - Jack Cohen. Always effective and always on the ball. The Tories are scared to death of him and Labour afre secretly jealous of him. I am not saying this out of any bias, he is just a class act. Always worth watching in the Council.
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Councillor Jack Cohen 42 Avenue Road, London, N12 8PY Home: 020 8446 5390 Home: cllr.j.cohen@barnet.gov.uk |
Liberal Democrats | Childs Hill |
#2 - This choice may shock readers, but I genuinely believe it. Runner up. Richard Cornelius. Richard has a nightmare job. He's had to preside over a Council containing such toxic individuals as Robert Rams, Brian Coleman and Rueben Thompstone, he's now got to keep discipline with a majority of one. I don't like Richards politics, but he managed to pull off an almost unique feat of winning an election for the local Tories and not getting immediately knifed by ambitious young guns. I suspect the reason why is they know what a rotten job it is and are too scared.
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Councillor Richard Cornelius Work: 020 8359 2059 Work: cllr.r.cornelius@barnet.gov.uk |
Conservative | Totteridge |
#3 - Someone who has made an immediate impact, despite having only been elected in May. Paul Edwards has been showing his more experienced colleagues how it is done, receiving praise from all quarters. If Labour don't make Paul their leader soon, they are quite frankly insane.
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Councillor Paul Edwards 21 Dale Close, Barnet, EN5 1BH Work mobile: 07834410286 Work: cllr.p.edwards@barnet.gov.uk |
Labour | Underhill |
#4 - Mill Hills finest councillor. Sury Khatri is honest, decent and intelligent. I suspect he's actually too nice for politics, especially Tory politics in Barnet. I have some hope that as he can now hold the balance of power, as the Tories only have a majority of one, he may inject some sanity into their ranks.
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Councillor Sury Khatri BSc (Hons) MSc (Lond) 78 Devonshire Road, Mill Hill, London, NW7 1DP Home: 020 8349 2606 Home mobile: 07771 387686 Work: cllr.s.khatri@barnet.gov.uk |
Conservative | Mill Hill |
#5 - Someone who I like and respect. Kath McGuirk is the best Leader Barnet Labour never had. Horribly stitched up by her own party over the Council tax issue, where she was later exhonourated. I rate her very highly. Kath is one of the Barnet Councillors who you can spend more than five minutes with socially and not want to hang yourself.
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#6 - This is someone who I think has a very bright future, but needs a bit of experience. I think once she gets her head around the game, she'll fly as she's very bright. I know Reema from the Friern Barnet Library campaign and can testify that she's good.
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Councillor Reema Patel C/o Labour Group Members Room, Hendon Town Hall, The Burroughs, London, NW4 4BG Work: cllr.r.patel@barnet.gov.uk |
Labour | Coppetts |
#7 - Never thought I'd say this in 1997, when he was the bloke who shut down Edgware General, but I have to respect Brian Salinger. He is the sensible face of local Conservatism. Recently saved the Tories from themselves over the Moss Hall Nursery Closure. Probably saved their skins at the last election, by also acting in committee to Save the after school services at Mapledown Special Needs School.
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Councillor Brian Salinger 32 The Ridgeway, Friern Barnet, London, N11 3LJ Home: 020 8368 1329 Home mobile: 07956 337 878 Work: cllr.b.salinger@barnet.gov.uk |
Conservative | Oakleigh |
#8 - Over the last six years Labours most effective Council Chamber operator. I like Alan and he is well informed and knowledgeable. My only reservation is the fact that he is implacably wedded to the useless Alison Moore Labour team.
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Councillor Alan Schneiderman 177 Cheviot Gardens, London, NW2 1PY Home: 020 8201 9630 Work: cllr.a.schneiderman@barnet.gov.uk |
Labour | Woodhouse |
#9 - The almost man of Barnet Politics. Mark Shooter is the man who should have saved the Tories. fiercely intelligent, highly ambitious and quite a good laugh to boot. If Mark had beaten Richard Cornelius to the Leadership in 2010, I suspect that the Council would have followed a better and far more sensible approach. We'd all be paying less tax and getting better services from the Council. Luckily for the local Labour party (and no one else), the Tories lacked the balls to go for Mark
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Councillor Mark Shooter c/o Conservative Group, Members Room, Hendon Town Hall, The Burroughs, Hendon, NW4 4BG Work mobile: 07770 678509 Work: cllr.m.shooter@barnet.gov.uk |
Conservative | Hendon |
#10 - An old school Labour man, who is quiet, gets on with the job and I have enormous respect for. Jim Tierney is the man who always turns up when he should, if he makes a point he's always right and is a damn nice bloke to boot
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Councillor Jim Tierney 24 Oakfield Road, London, N3 2HT Home: 020 8346 3359 Home mobile: 07904 065 544 Work: cllr.j.tierney@barnet.gov.uk |
Labour | West Finchley |
#11 - One of Barnet Councils new intake - the next generation. She has also started to make a name for herself. Not seen her in action in the Council, but my spies tell me she has what it takes. Amy Trevethan is undoubtedly a star of the future.
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Councillor Amy Trevethan 13 Union Street, High Barnet, Herts, EN5 4HY Work: cllr.a.trevethan@barnet.gov.uk |
Labour | Underhill |
#12 - Probably the most affable and friendly of Barnets councillors. I think even the Tories (or at least the sane ones) like him. He has passed on many discreet indescretions that his opponents have let slip, that crack me up. Arjun Mittra is a top guy and a good ward councillor.
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Councillor Arjun Mittra 10 Prospect Ring, East Finchley, London, N2 8PB Home mobile: 07867 902400 Work: cllr.a.mittra@barnet.gov.uk |
Labour | East Finchley |
#13 - A fellow Barnet blogger and a nice lady to boot. Also hard working and committed councillor, who has made a good impression since the election in May. Devra Kay is someone who I think will do well in the town hall
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Councillor Dr Devra Kay C/o Labour Group Members Room, Hendon Town Hall, The Burroughs, London, NW4 4BG Work: cllr.d.kay@barnet.gov.uk |
Labour | West Hendon |
#14 - A man who has worked hard since his election in 2012 and helped Labour take Brunswick Park ward. Andreas Ionnidis is a good councillor and a genuine bloke.
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Councillor Andreas Ioannidis C/o Labour Group Members Room, Hendon Town Hall, The Burroughs, London, NW4 4BG Home: 0791 759 9498 Work: cllr.a.ioannidis@barnet.gov.uk |
Labour | Brunswick Par |
#15 - A Labour stalwart who quietly gets on and does a good job. Turns up when she should, doesn't hog the limelight, but when she talks, she talks common sense. Anne Hutton is a good example of what a Councillor should be.
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#16 - I really couldn't leave this man out of the Premiership. John Hart is a feature of Mill Hill. The Tories loose canon. Whenever he speaks, you can see the look of fear in the Tories eyes. The only Councillor I've heard use the F word in the chamber. John isn't PC, but he is entertaining.
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Councillor John Hart BA (Hons) MA 11 Mount View, Mill Hill, London, NW7 3HT Home: 020 8381 0083 / 020 8959 5182 Work: cllr.j.hart@barnet.gov.uk |
Conservative | Mill Hill |
#17 - I will probably lose a couple of friends over this choice for the premiership, but she saved Mapledown School, so it would be dishonest not to. I don't see eye to eye with Maureen Braun and I don't particularly like her (the feeling is mutual). Having said that I have enormous repsect for her intejection in the Mapledown School debate and her breaking of party lines to save it. As such, she makes the cut
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Councillor Maureen Braun 21 Victoria Road, Mill Hill, NW7 4SA Home: 0208 201 1615 Work: cllr.m.braun@barnet.gov.uk |
Conservative | Hendon |
#18 - I work with Joan Scannell on the Mill Hill Music Festival. I like Joan and think she does a reasonable job in Edgware.
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Councillor Joan Scannell C/o Conservative Group Member's Room, Hendon Town Hall, The Burroughs, London, NW4 4BG Home: 020 8959 5921 Work: cllr.j.scannell@barnet.gov.uk |
Conservative | Edgware |
#19 - Has been very supportive of various charity and youth projects I've been involved with over the years. One of the better low profile Tories
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Councillor Lisa Rutter Home: 020 8445 3829 Work: cllr.l.rutter@barnet.gov.uk |
Conservative | Brunswick Park |
#20 - This man campaigned tirelessly to save the Bohemia pub. Anyone who wants to preserve the local community is OK in my books. Alan Or-Bach is a decent chap, even if he's got a non profile on the Council website.
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Councillor Alon Or-bach | Labour | East Finchley |
#21 - A fixture in Barnet politics over the last few years. Adam Langleben. Elected in May, I'm sure he'll do well.
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Councillor Adam Langleben C/o Labour Group Members Room, Hendon Town Hall, The Burroughs, London, NW4 4BG Home mobile: 07710383187 Home: cllr.a.langleben@barnet.gov.uk |
Labour | West Hendon |
As I said, these are the councillors who've made a positive impression over the last six years since I started writing the blog.
3 comments:
You've missed out Agnes. Princlipled, brilliant, and of course highly representative of her generation; she's a former nurse.
Commenting on Barnet's destruction of her local regeneration estates, Agnes said that young people who grew up in the area should not be forced to move out because they can't afford it.
She's also the only councillor I've ever heard take a principled stand on the cuts so she's worth her salt.
The problem with this list is two-fold:
1) It's written by a Labour blogger, obvious.
2) It's written from a Labour perspective. Labour people believe that if someone has a problem, it's the state's job to sort it out - whether the state be Westminster, the council, the social services, whoever. Tories believe it's up to people to sort their own problems out.
If you judge councillors on who does the most work on behalf of people who could do that work themselves if they pulled their fingers out of their bums, you get rankings that favour the party that belives people can't stand on their own two feet and need councillors to sort out wiping their own arses.
An interesting comment from someone who doesn't want to leave their name. If they'd bothered to read my profile, they would know I am not a 'Labour Blogger' and this is not written from a Labour perspective. I love it when people imply other people should pull their fingers out, but are too lazy to do even the most basic checks as to the accuracy of their own statements, before they start shooting off their mouths. Twat. But hey ho, there you go
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