There is plenty of talk at the moment of a "Robin Hood Tax". In my experience, Barnet Council are far more likely to look to a more recent example from the annals of the Criminal world. The CPZ is just one example of what I like to think of as a Reggie Kray tax. This is something which you are lumbered with paying because of your postcode. We are in the grips of a Gangsta Council, who decide taxation policy on who they can squeeze hardest and who won't fight back. The CPZ is a fine example. It hits families who can't afford mansions with huge drives, but who have cars and have to park on their streets. They have just enough money to be squeezed, but not enough to donate millions to the local Tories.
Money is taken from these motorists and spent on all manner of crackpot schemes. Perhaps my favourite scheme is the one where councillors give themselves a free parking permit, so they don't have to pay if they are unlucky enough to find themselves in a CPZ !
Last year, as the Coalition cuts started to bite, the then Tory Leader of Barnet Council, Lynne Hillan announced "we are all in it together". Not in a CPZ, we're not. Those of us who live in the real world (to quote Brian Colemans comments) have to pay for the privelige. Please feel free to give us any other examples of Reggie Kray taxes in Barnet.
Showing posts with label Councillor Lynne Hillan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Councillor Lynne Hillan. Show all posts
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Twatman Robert Rams attacks Mike Freer MP
I was amazed to read an attack by Councillor Robert Rams (voted a twat by readers of the Barnet Eye last year) on his former boss at Barnet Council - Mike Freer MP. Of course, being a Twat, it is highly likely that Robert Rams didn't actually realise what he was saying or doing. Today Ramsbottom wrote this blog :-
http://robertrams.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/who-is-professor-dexter-whitfield/
Let me quote the key passage from Ramsbums blog :-
Sheepsjacksie Rams neglects to mention is that it wasn't the unions who brought Dexter Whitfield in or paid his bills. It was none other than the then Barnet Council Leader Mike Freer. He made a ground breaking decision to pay for the Unions to hire their own consultant (Prof Whitfield) to cast a critical eye over the proposals. Mike Freer told the Barnet Unison Leader, John Burgess, that criticism of the process from an independent source would improve the process. He put his money where his mouth was and the first four reports were paid for by the Barnet Taxpayer on the command of Mike Freer.
I spoke to John Burgess this evening concerning Robert Rams comments. He stated that when Mike Freer first told him about the One Barnet program (then called Future Shape), he insisted that the Unions were a vital part of the process. He suggested getting Dexter Whitfield in to show Burgess his good faith as a partner. He told John that whilst they would probably disagree on many of the ideas, it was vital that the process involved all the stakeholders in Barnet. This was why the name was changed to One Barnet. Mike Freer always insisted to John Burgess that OneBarnet was not "all about outsourcing" but about transforming and modernising Barnet Council, with the help and agreement of the workforce.
In the near two years since Freer left to persue his personal ambition to become an MP, the One Barnet program has changed. It has become a program solely about outsourcing. Whilst the Unions were tasked to come up with suggested efficiencies and competetive in house bids, the joint Leaders of the Council, Lynne Hillan and Andrew Harper have gone back on their commitments and promises to John Burgess, to consider in house bids if they were competetive. Councillor Rams, who is charged with implementing many "One Barnet" programs has not even to read properly the critique's provided by Professor Whitfield. He has never supplier a sensible response to any of his comments. Now he seeks to dismiss someone who is an eminent professor and has spent years studying the subject in a vicious and ill informed blog (based on casual reading of a couple of internet articles).
I spoke to John Burgess and he informed me that he was shocked that a cabinet member of Barnet Council should choose to behave in such a way. John said "I've worked with four Conservative Leaders at Barnet and although we've had our differences, I've never seen them attack the reputation of an independent advisor, who was initially brought in by the Council, in terms such as these".
Whilst Robert Rams may think he's a clever littletwat chappie for attacking Professor Whitfield, he clealry hasn't thought this through. Does he really think anyone with any credibility will want to work for Barnet Council, if Cabinet members are going to harangue them and belittle their reputation, should they spell out a few home truths? Does he think Councillors will get decent advice, if experts know that they will be insulted in this way.
The most telling point about Rams attack against Whitfield is that at no point does Rams identify a single error in Whitfields analysis of Barnet Council's One Barnet program. He cannot find a single criticism of Whitfields reports to demonstrate why he may be wrong. All he does is attack the reputation of the man. This is the second time in two days that a serious and intelligent critic of Barnet Council has been harshly attacked in this way. Yesterday it was the campaigner against the CPZ price hike, David Attfield.
The evidence is there for all to see. Rams is quite happy to slag off the Unions for spending their money on the services of Professor Dexter Whitfield. As it was the Barnet Taxpayers money, generously provided by Mike Freer MP which started the ball rolling, it is quite clear that Rams also thinks Mike Freer has wasted cash big time. Sadly he's too cowardly to tell the people of Barnet the whole truth or to attract the ire of his boss. It is telling that Robert Rams is the GLA bag carrier of Brian "Gordon Brown Stealthtaxman" Coleman, who has made a career of attacking the reputations of all who cross him. It seems Robert "Sheepsjacksie" Ramsbottom is ready to step out of the (rather portly) shadow of his mentoe
http://robertrams.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/who-is-professor-dexter-whitfield/
Let me quote the key passage from Ramsbums blog :-
Well what MrHe (Professor Dexter Whitfield) is now the Director of the European Services Strategy Unithttp://www.european-services-strategy.org.uk/contact/. It is from here he has been paid by the Barnet unions to write these reports. But it is interesting that whatever he writes, he always comes to the same conclusion, that outsourcing is a bad idea, ignoring the savings that have been achieved. But would we expect him to write anything else? So in conclusion, he appears to be an anti-outsourcing activist, so it is hard to understand how his reports can be described as an independent critique of our One Barnet process. I would suggest to the Unions that they save their members’ hard earned money and spend it somewhere else!
I spoke to John Burgess this evening concerning Robert Rams comments. He stated that when Mike Freer first told him about the One Barnet program (then called Future Shape), he insisted that the Unions were a vital part of the process. He suggested getting Dexter Whitfield in to show Burgess his good faith as a partner. He told John that whilst they would probably disagree on many of the ideas, it was vital that the process involved all the stakeholders in Barnet. This was why the name was changed to One Barnet. Mike Freer always insisted to John Burgess that OneBarnet was not "all about outsourcing" but about transforming and modernising Barnet Council, with the help and agreement of the workforce.
In the near two years since Freer left to persue his personal ambition to become an MP, the One Barnet program has changed. It has become a program solely about outsourcing. Whilst the Unions were tasked to come up with suggested efficiencies and competetive in house bids, the joint Leaders of the Council, Lynne Hillan and Andrew Harper have gone back on their commitments and promises to John Burgess, to consider in house bids if they were competetive. Councillor Rams, who is charged with implementing many "One Barnet" programs has not even to read properly the critique's provided by Professor Whitfield. He has never supplier a sensible response to any of his comments. Now he seeks to dismiss someone who is an eminent professor and has spent years studying the subject in a vicious and ill informed blog (based on casual reading of a couple of internet articles).
I spoke to John Burgess and he informed me that he was shocked that a cabinet member of Barnet Council should choose to behave in such a way. John said "I've worked with four Conservative Leaders at Barnet and although we've had our differences, I've never seen them attack the reputation of an independent advisor, who was initially brought in by the Council, in terms such as these".
Whilst Robert Rams may think he's a clever little
The most telling point about Rams attack against Whitfield is that at no point does Rams identify a single error in Whitfields analysis of Barnet Council's One Barnet program. He cannot find a single criticism of Whitfields reports to demonstrate why he may be wrong. All he does is attack the reputation of the man. This is the second time in two days that a serious and intelligent critic of Barnet Council has been harshly attacked in this way. Yesterday it was the campaigner against the CPZ price hike, David Attfield.
The evidence is there for all to see. Rams is quite happy to slag off the Unions for spending their money on the services of Professor Dexter Whitfield. As it was the Barnet Taxpayers money, generously provided by Mike Freer MP which started the ball rolling, it is quite clear that Rams also thinks Mike Freer has wasted cash big time. Sadly he's too cowardly to tell the people of Barnet the whole truth or to attract the ire of his boss. It is telling that Robert Rams is the GLA bag carrier of Brian "Gordon Brown Stealthtaxman" Coleman, who has made a career of attacking the reputations of all who cross him. It seems Robert "Sheepsjacksie" Ramsbottom is ready to step out of the (rather portly) shadow of his mentoe
Monday, 9 May 2011
Barnet Council Metpro scandal - A Tory backbencher speaks
One of the more friendly and sensible Barnet Tory backbench councillors spoke to me over the weekend about Metpro. They asked not to be named in the blog, but were happy to have their views repeated. They agreed that Metpro was probably one of the biggest cock ups since the Tories took over in 2002. I asked whether they thought an independent public inquiry would be more appropriate than the current audit committee investigation "We had an independent investigation into the Underhill sale. It achieved nothing and cost nearly a million pounds. We didn't want a repeat of that". I asked if councillors should have got a proper grip on the situation "Councillors don't decide who we give contracts to or how they are administered". But Metpro didn't have a contract, I pointed out. "That's why we've got the audit committee checking it out". I asked what he expected the audit committee to find "It is pretty clear that we need better controls in place and we need to ensure that companies are properly accredited. To be honest, you don't need an independent investigator to tell you that, it's stating the obvious". I asked if the way the whole scandal has blow up has made Barnet CEO Nick Walkleys position untenable "He can't afford anything else like this to come up, being fair to Nick he's in a difficult position right now". I asked if he was referring to having to work with the Leader in absense Lynne Hillan "You really don't expect me to answer that question do you". And that was where we left it.
It is quite clear that Metpro is a major watershed. I am calling on Barnet Council to call a moratorium on the Future Shape program until the audit committee report is produced. If the council has inadequate processes in place for administering contractors, this needs to be fixed and to be shown to be fixed before any further contracts are outsourced. We can't afford any more Metpro scandals. From what I was told, the more sensible Conservative Councillors agree with this proposition. I think they are starting to wake up to the fact that they are sleepwalking towards a disaster.
It is quite clear that Metpro is a major watershed. I am calling on Barnet Council to call a moratorium on the Future Shape program until the audit committee report is produced. If the council has inadequate processes in place for administering contractors, this needs to be fixed and to be shown to be fixed before any further contracts are outsourced. We can't afford any more Metpro scandals. From what I was told, the more sensible Conservative Councillors agree with this proposition. I think they are starting to wake up to the fact that they are sleepwalking towards a disaster.
Sunday, 8 May 2011
Public Enema No 1
This blog was originally going to be entitled Public Enemy No 1. I will leave you to guess who it was going to beabout, but let's just say that he's a promenent Barnet Conservative. Sadly, as I'm dyslexic I miswrote the title. I then realised that my mistake was a message from God telling me that there was an even more important message to pass on (yes it's true, it isn't only George Bush who gets messages directly from God and they are not all about invading foreign countries).
As I considered the title of the blog, I came to the realisation that basically Barnet Council is suffering from a corporate rectal blockage. What causes rectal blockages? A poor diet. In the case of Barnet Council, there is a whole machine geared to produce bullshit at huge expense. Perhaps the most appropriate recent example of this is Councillor Andrew Harper, who produced a "motion on squatting". If ever there was a Councillor in need of an enema, surely it is Councillor Harper. If you peruse the video I shot at the last council meeting, it was quite clear from the expression on Harper's face that he would benefit from a good flushing out. But I digress. Basically what has happened in Barnet is that there is a whole layer of the authority which is devoted solely to highly politically motivated navel gazing. About 4 years ago, BT contacted former leader Mike Freer (now MP for Finchley & Golders Green). They offered to enroll him in a program to "educate" him in the "ways of efficient running of a council". The carrot for Freer was lots of jollies in nice places and an "honoury" MBA from three of the finest business schools in the USA. Freer was enrolled in the BT Vital Vison program and learned all about how marvellous outsourcing is. Now Mike Freer clearly didn't bother to ask BT what was in it for them. Can you guess? Well they are one of the countries leading suppliers of outsourced services.
Freer came back, evangelised by a healthy bit of brainwashing and a whole army of consultants. BT were even kind enough to lend Barnet Council a senior officer, Max Wide, to help get the ball rolling. Huge savings were promised. A "virtual council" would be created, with only the finest mega companies selected to run services. Huge savings would magically appear as Council staff were sacked and contractors wheeled in to replace them. Of course we all know what happens if you are fed on a diet of hot air and bullshit, don't we?
To date the progress is thus :-
No savings
No proper plan
No Business case
Millions spent on consultants
Now, you'd think that the Tories, who believe in a relentless drive for efficiency, would have realised it has gone tits up. A similar experiment ended in Suffolk this week, when ordinary, sane Tory backbenchers called time on a similar experiment. Sadly, the Tory backbenchers of Barnet are either too dim or just don't care. The juggernaut moves on. In Suffolk, they realised that the process was stuck and that the leadership of the Council were a corproate rectal blockage. They realised a corporate enema was required, they administered it and are now getting on with the job of undoing the damage caused.
Will Barnet do the same? In Barnet Council we have the absurd situation of a gravely ill Leader, Lynne Hillan, who is continually absent. Her deputy, Councillor Andrew Harper, lacks authoritand credibility. He has been telling those Councillors who bother to listen that they mustn't rebel against Hillan, because the stress could kill her. The real power in Barnet is Councillor Brian Coleman, who's sole aim now is to get re-elected to the GLA next year (to keep his £50,000 allowance + expenses). Coleman showed this week that he's quite prepared to go against group policy (he publicly opposed the Saracens plan to move to Mill Hill), if he thinks it might save his skin. As a result, Barnet Council is in a hiatus. There is a situation where there is no management, no control and no direction. The Metpro scandal spirals ever onwards. Despite the evidence for all to see that Barnet Council have monumentally screwed up, no one has apologised, no one has admitted responsibility and no one is telling the truth. FOI requests are delayed and not answered in the legal timeframe. When the answers come, they are obtuse and unhelpful, often deliberately phrased so as to say nothing at all.
The time has come. The hosepipe must be inserted into the Barnet Council Corporate backside and all of this crap washed away. The hugely expensive consultants who have been unable to supply a credible business plan must be dispensed with and the Council senior officers must start doing their jobs. An audit should be performed of all senior staff positions, asking a simple question. What benefit do you add for the Taxpayers of Barnet and would they be inconvenienced if you left tomorrow. Staff must be allowed to innovate and identify saving within their own departments, rather than have ill thought out change foist upon them.
Sorry for the unpleasant descriptions contained within this blog. I am just completely sick to death of writing blogs, where I have to wade through Barnet Council reports that are complete crap. Fellow Barnet bloggers have identified all manner of waste, profligacy and stupidity, just by reading reports properly (something Councillors are paid to do and can't be bothered to do). The time has come for a complete clear out.
As I considered the title of the blog, I came to the realisation that basically Barnet Council is suffering from a corporate rectal blockage. What causes rectal blockages? A poor diet. In the case of Barnet Council, there is a whole machine geared to produce bullshit at huge expense. Perhaps the most appropriate recent example of this is Councillor Andrew Harper, who produced a "motion on squatting". If ever there was a Councillor in need of an enema, surely it is Councillor Harper. If you peruse the video I shot at the last council meeting, it was quite clear from the expression on Harper's face that he would benefit from a good flushing out. But I digress. Basically what has happened in Barnet is that there is a whole layer of the authority which is devoted solely to highly politically motivated navel gazing. About 4 years ago, BT contacted former leader Mike Freer (now MP for Finchley & Golders Green). They offered to enroll him in a program to "educate" him in the "ways of efficient running of a council". The carrot for Freer was lots of jollies in nice places and an "honoury" MBA from three of the finest business schools in the USA. Freer was enrolled in the BT Vital Vison program and learned all about how marvellous outsourcing is. Now Mike Freer clearly didn't bother to ask BT what was in it for them. Can you guess? Well they are one of the countries leading suppliers of outsourced services.
Freer came back, evangelised by a healthy bit of brainwashing and a whole army of consultants. BT were even kind enough to lend Barnet Council a senior officer, Max Wide, to help get the ball rolling. Huge savings were promised. A "virtual council" would be created, with only the finest mega companies selected to run services. Huge savings would magically appear as Council staff were sacked and contractors wheeled in to replace them. Of course we all know what happens if you are fed on a diet of hot air and bullshit, don't we?
To date the progress is thus :-
No savings
No proper plan
No Business case
Millions spent on consultants
Now, you'd think that the Tories, who believe in a relentless drive for efficiency, would have realised it has gone tits up. A similar experiment ended in Suffolk this week, when ordinary, sane Tory backbenchers called time on a similar experiment. Sadly, the Tory backbenchers of Barnet are either too dim or just don't care. The juggernaut moves on. In Suffolk, they realised that the process was stuck and that the leadership of the Council were a corproate rectal blockage. They realised a corporate enema was required, they administered it and are now getting on with the job of undoing the damage caused.
Will Barnet do the same? In Barnet Council we have the absurd situation of a gravely ill Leader, Lynne Hillan, who is continually absent. Her deputy, Councillor Andrew Harper, lacks authoritand credibility. He has been telling those Councillors who bother to listen that they mustn't rebel against Hillan, because the stress could kill her. The real power in Barnet is Councillor Brian Coleman, who's sole aim now is to get re-elected to the GLA next year (to keep his £50,000 allowance + expenses). Coleman showed this week that he's quite prepared to go against group policy (he publicly opposed the Saracens plan to move to Mill Hill), if he thinks it might save his skin. As a result, Barnet Council is in a hiatus. There is a situation where there is no management, no control and no direction. The Metpro scandal spirals ever onwards. Despite the evidence for all to see that Barnet Council have monumentally screwed up, no one has apologised, no one has admitted responsibility and no one is telling the truth. FOI requests are delayed and not answered in the legal timeframe. When the answers come, they are obtuse and unhelpful, often deliberately phrased so as to say nothing at all.
The time has come. The hosepipe must be inserted into the Barnet Council Corporate backside and all of this crap washed away. The hugely expensive consultants who have been unable to supply a credible business plan must be dispensed with and the Council senior officers must start doing their jobs. An audit should be performed of all senior staff positions, asking a simple question. What benefit do you add for the Taxpayers of Barnet and would they be inconvenienced if you left tomorrow. Staff must be allowed to innovate and identify saving within their own departments, rather than have ill thought out change foist upon them.
Sorry for the unpleasant descriptions contained within this blog. I am just completely sick to death of writing blogs, where I have to wade through Barnet Council reports that are complete crap. Fellow Barnet bloggers have identified all manner of waste, profligacy and stupidity, just by reading reports properly (something Councillors are paid to do and can't be bothered to do). The time has come for a complete clear out.
Monday, 25 April 2011
Dear friends .......
I felt the need to have a weekend where I completely ignored the shenanigans at Barnet Council, the issues with the Metpro inquiry, the scandalous plans to outsource all council functions under the easycouncil/OneBarnet/BarnetTrack project, the Catalyst Legionella outbreak, the fact that the Leader of the Council - Lynne Hillan has disappeared and no on is in charge, the fact that they've been exposed by Mr Reasonable for spending over £20 million on an IT project with a budget of £2.5 million, the list goes on and on. I feel much better for having a weekend where I concentrated on football, family and films. Sadly the problems have not gone away and if we don't keep writing blogs and highlighting all of the things which are going so badly wrong, they will get away with it all.
We need to keep the pressure on about all of these things, if not redouble it. I have been passed some rather interesting information, which I will start sifting through tomorrow. Watch this space, there will be some very interesting blogs appearing here later this week, concerning the shenanigans within our Council. I really don't want to say too much until I've done my homework, but I'd strongly advise the de facto Leader of Barnet Council (in Hillans absence) Andrew Harper, to have a long chat with his CEO - Mr Nick Walkley and ask him this question - "Nick, have you checked the CV's of some of the senior officers you've brought in. Are you aware of their previous track records".
I'm playing a rather interesting game now called "join the dots". If things go where it appears they are going, we are in for some exciting times.
We need to keep the pressure on about all of these things, if not redouble it. I have been passed some rather interesting information, which I will start sifting through tomorrow. Watch this space, there will be some very interesting blogs appearing here later this week, concerning the shenanigans within our Council. I really don't want to say too much until I've done my homework, but I'd strongly advise the de facto Leader of Barnet Council (in Hillans absence) Andrew Harper, to have a long chat with his CEO - Mr Nick Walkley and ask him this question - "Nick, have you checked the CV's of some of the senior officers you've brought in. Are you aware of their previous track records".
I'm playing a rather interesting game now called "join the dots". If things go where it appears they are going, we are in for some exciting times.
Friday, 15 April 2011
Barnet Council : The big comeuppance
Back in 1995/6 when Alan Williams was running Barnet Council in a Lab/Lib coalition (remind yourself bretheren, not all coalitions are with the devil) I happened to chance upon him backstage at a rally to save Edgware General Hospital in Montrose Park. I had organised the music/Pa/Marquee/refreshments for the event. Now at the time I wasn't a blogger (bloggers hadn't been invented). I was just an ordinary Labour Party member who wanted the best for the London Borough of Barnet.
At the time Mr Williams was an all powerful presence at the top of Barnet Council. Unlike the current Tories, he was a decent administrator. It is fair to say I didn't see eye to eye with him on several issues. One issue I had grave misgivings about was the fact that he seemed intent on shutting down all dissent, centralising all decision making and introducing a system of control freakery at the top. I pulled him on this. I pointed out that one day the Tories would get in and then it would be payback time. All the control freakery, all the exclusion, all the anti democratic conniving would then be in their hands and I predicted to Williams that it would destroy Barnet. He dismissed me with the following statement "You know nothing about Barnet Politics, the Tories are finished".
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cut to 2011. At the Council meeting on Tuesday, someone paid me a very kind and very undeserved compliment. They said "If it wasn't for you, this Borough would be completely F****d". Now this isn't true. There are many people who do far more than me. It's just this blog has been around a bit longer than most, been a bit noisier than most and I've been shouting loudest longest. What my kind admirer meant though was that as a result of blogs, protests and community action there is a feeling that we will very soon turn the corner. I honestly believe that the tide has changed in Barnet. There is one very uncomfortable fact that everyone on the centre & left who want to see a change in Barnet has to face up to. The last non Tory administration was a Lab / Lib coalition. If we are to stop this madness in Barnet, we need to start the campaign now to oust the Barnet Tory Junta. When they first got in, they had a majority of one, so realistically that means three wards have to flip. I believe that by 2014, the Coalition Government will be hated. I believe it is realistic to expect that a proper campaign in Barnet will oust the Tories. The question is what sort of administration will replace them? Due to what has happened nationally, despite the local record of the Lib Dems, there is a huge mountain of trust to climb with the Labour voters who have always lent their votes in Mill Hill & High Barnet. Is there any prospect of these wards flipping to the Lib Dems. I don't believe that this will be possible unless Tory voters wake up to the local problem and vote Lib Dem in protest. Such a campaign "The sane voice of the coalition" is fraught with political risks. If the Lib Dems are serious about remaining a political party in Barnet, they'd better do something soon. What about the Residents Party? I would dearly love to see them have a presence. I believe they are a big part of the solution and need to get campaigning now in Tory wards.
The biggest question is Labour. Any replacement administration will presumably be Labour lead. For this to happen, the Labour Party needs to get out on the streets campaigning, building alliances and doing the donkey work they did in 1992 to win the Council. Wards such as Hale would be winnable if there is a big enough anti Tory backlash. What we need is a new generation of activists on the street. The students loan issue has energised young people. This needs to be focussed into campaigning.
And what if the Tories were replaced. When the Tories took over and Williams departed, they were chuffed to find that he'd concentrated the instruments of power in the hands of such a small number of people. The likes of Brian Coleman soon realised the potential to destroy the old structures of Barnet, build a new Future Shape and destroy the old enemies of Labour and the Trades Unions.
Sadly, they have probably exceeded their wildest dreams of 1992 in their scheming. I guess the only thing which they didn't foresee and can't control is the blogosphere. As I sat filming the Council on Tuesday, in defiance of orders from on high, I felt good to be making a visible protest (which was lawful and peaceful).
We have all paid the price of the terrible comeuppance which Alan Williams bequeathed to us. His biggest gift to Barnet Council was the Cabinet System. It has been a disaster and a joke. The Tories love it. They will never get rid of it because it suits their distorted view of how power should be used. Would Labour dispense with it, if they ever came back? I hope so, but do I believe so? only if they wake up to the damage it's done. Barnet isn't a national laughing stock because of Brian Coleman, Lynne Hillan and Andrew Harper. It is a laughing stock because Alan Williams set up a structure that allowed them to run the council and be answerable to no one. What we need is a clear acknowledgment from the Barnet Labour Party that they understand this and if they get to power they will undo the stupidity of implementing it in the first place
At the time Mr Williams was an all powerful presence at the top of Barnet Council. Unlike the current Tories, he was a decent administrator. It is fair to say I didn't see eye to eye with him on several issues. One issue I had grave misgivings about was the fact that he seemed intent on shutting down all dissent, centralising all decision making and introducing a system of control freakery at the top. I pulled him on this. I pointed out that one day the Tories would get in and then it would be payback time. All the control freakery, all the exclusion, all the anti democratic conniving would then be in their hands and I predicted to Williams that it would destroy Barnet. He dismissed me with the following statement "You know nothing about Barnet Politics, the Tories are finished".
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cut to 2011. At the Council meeting on Tuesday, someone paid me a very kind and very undeserved compliment. They said "If it wasn't for you, this Borough would be completely F****d". Now this isn't true. There are many people who do far more than me. It's just this blog has been around a bit longer than most, been a bit noisier than most and I've been shouting loudest longest. What my kind admirer meant though was that as a result of blogs, protests and community action there is a feeling that we will very soon turn the corner. I honestly believe that the tide has changed in Barnet. There is one very uncomfortable fact that everyone on the centre & left who want to see a change in Barnet has to face up to. The last non Tory administration was a Lab / Lib coalition. If we are to stop this madness in Barnet, we need to start the campaign now to oust the Barnet Tory Junta. When they first got in, they had a majority of one, so realistically that means three wards have to flip. I believe that by 2014, the Coalition Government will be hated. I believe it is realistic to expect that a proper campaign in Barnet will oust the Tories. The question is what sort of administration will replace them? Due to what has happened nationally, despite the local record of the Lib Dems, there is a huge mountain of trust to climb with the Labour voters who have always lent their votes in Mill Hill & High Barnet. Is there any prospect of these wards flipping to the Lib Dems. I don't believe that this will be possible unless Tory voters wake up to the local problem and vote Lib Dem in protest. Such a campaign "The sane voice of the coalition" is fraught with political risks. If the Lib Dems are serious about remaining a political party in Barnet, they'd better do something soon. What about the Residents Party? I would dearly love to see them have a presence. I believe they are a big part of the solution and need to get campaigning now in Tory wards.
The biggest question is Labour. Any replacement administration will presumably be Labour lead. For this to happen, the Labour Party needs to get out on the streets campaigning, building alliances and doing the donkey work they did in 1992 to win the Council. Wards such as Hale would be winnable if there is a big enough anti Tory backlash. What we need is a new generation of activists on the street. The students loan issue has energised young people. This needs to be focussed into campaigning.
And what if the Tories were replaced. When the Tories took over and Williams departed, they were chuffed to find that he'd concentrated the instruments of power in the hands of such a small number of people. The likes of Brian Coleman soon realised the potential to destroy the old structures of Barnet, build a new Future Shape and destroy the old enemies of Labour and the Trades Unions.
Sadly, they have probably exceeded their wildest dreams of 1992 in their scheming. I guess the only thing which they didn't foresee and can't control is the blogosphere. As I sat filming the Council on Tuesday, in defiance of orders from on high, I felt good to be making a visible protest (which was lawful and peaceful).
We have all paid the price of the terrible comeuppance which Alan Williams bequeathed to us. His biggest gift to Barnet Council was the Cabinet System. It has been a disaster and a joke. The Tories love it. They will never get rid of it because it suits their distorted view of how power should be used. Would Labour dispense with it, if they ever came back? I hope so, but do I believe so? only if they wake up to the damage it's done. Barnet isn't a national laughing stock because of Brian Coleman, Lynne Hillan and Andrew Harper. It is a laughing stock because Alan Williams set up a structure that allowed them to run the council and be answerable to no one. What we need is a clear acknowledgment from the Barnet Labour Party that they understand this and if they get to power they will undo the stupidity of implementing it in the first place
Monday, 11 April 2011
Barnet Council : Metpro Scandal - Time for Lynne Hillan to go
Apparently at last weeks meeting of Conservative Councillors the subject of Metpro Rapid Response was discussed, Leader Lynne Hillan reassurred her flock that "it is under control" (or words to that effect - 3 different Tory Councillors have given me three slightly different quotes).
Tonight the Evening Standard detailed how the Council have given the company £1.2 million pounds. They had not bothered to check whether the company was legally licensed to provide the service. Apparently the company had assured them that the licenses were in place. It rather reminded me of a court case I read about where a man stated that the girl he'd had sex with had assurred him that she was 18, when in fact she was 13. His defence? "She looked 18". What is Barnet Councils defence for using this company? They looked like a proper security company? Now whilst my little analogy might seem frivalous, let us remember that I recently attended a Council meeting where Councillor Andrew Harper discussed the "corporate parenting strategy" that the Council were developing. You see Barnet Council is the Corporate parent to many vulnerable people. One such site where is Barbara Langstone House in Finchley. Young and vulnerable people are housed here. This was one site which Barnet Outsourced the scurity of to MetPro.
It is also known that children were video'd without consent at the Council meeting where this whole scandal came to light, by MetPro staff fitted with hidden cameras, without consent. When requests were made to see this footage, Barnet Council claimed it had destroyed it, although they didn't state whether they had any evidence or logs to prove that all footage had been destroyed or only the footage in their possession. Who knows if other copies exist or not (like the phantom SIA registrations).
As I stated above, Barnet Council are a corporate parent to a large number of vulnerable people. They have both a moral and legal duty to safeguard the people who are in their care. By failing to develop proper procedures to ensure safeguarding measures are in place, they have failed those people. Barnet Council Leader, Councillor Lynne Hillan is where the buck stops. There are two massive scandals currently affecting Barnet. Metpro, where a firm of private contractors have not been properly managed, potentially placing vulnerable people at risk. There is also the Legionella outbreak at Barnet Care Homes. Again this is down to Private Contractors not being properly managed, with the net result that vulnerable people have been put at risk. With two such extreme examples of corporate failure, you would think that Barnet Council would be undertaking a root and branch review of their procurement procedures. On the contrary, they are rushing through a mass program of outsourcing, in some cases even bypassing the scrutiny process.
What has happened at Barnet Council can only be described as corporate failure. The Leader of the Council has done nothing to address it in five weeks. She has not taken her role as corporate parent seriously. She has done nothing to regain public trust. The only way forward now must be for Lynne Hillan to resign and Barnet Council to have a public enquiry under an independent chair. The council needs to be sorted out. The processes and procedures need root and branch reform. Metpro was not a small company, Barnet paid them £1.2 Million. They were not involved in trivial matters, they were on the front line dealing with residents and vulnerable people. The council has engaged a company who may or may not have been operating illegally and without the proper safeguards and protections. Barnet Council only found out because of a concerted campaign by local residents, through the blogs. The very people that the Leader of the Council described as "not respectable residents". It should not be a job for bloggers to ensure that Barnet discharge their legal responsibilities. She has to go and go now, before any more damage is done.
Tonight the Evening Standard detailed how the Council have given the company £1.2 million pounds. They had not bothered to check whether the company was legally licensed to provide the service. Apparently the company had assured them that the licenses were in place. It rather reminded me of a court case I read about where a man stated that the girl he'd had sex with had assurred him that she was 18, when in fact she was 13. His defence? "She looked 18". What is Barnet Councils defence for using this company? They looked like a proper security company? Now whilst my little analogy might seem frivalous, let us remember that I recently attended a Council meeting where Councillor Andrew Harper discussed the "corporate parenting strategy" that the Council were developing. You see Barnet Council is the Corporate parent to many vulnerable people. One such site where is Barbara Langstone House in Finchley. Young and vulnerable people are housed here. This was one site which Barnet Outsourced the scurity of to MetPro.
Now I've no idea whatsoever how this arrangement worked, but the bottom line is that vulnerable people were guarded by a company, at great expense to the Barnet Taxpayer, who were operating illegally according to the Standard. On theMetpro website, they advertise that they wear CCTV recording equipment. They have stated that this has been used on Barnet Council duty.
It is also known that children were video'd without consent at the Council meeting where this whole scandal came to light, by MetPro staff fitted with hidden cameras, without consent. When requests were made to see this footage, Barnet Council claimed it had destroyed it, although they didn't state whether they had any evidence or logs to prove that all footage had been destroyed or only the footage in their possession. Who knows if other copies exist or not (like the phantom SIA registrations).
As I stated above, Barnet Council are a corporate parent to a large number of vulnerable people. They have both a moral and legal duty to safeguard the people who are in their care. By failing to develop proper procedures to ensure safeguarding measures are in place, they have failed those people. Barnet Council Leader, Councillor Lynne Hillan is where the buck stops. There are two massive scandals currently affecting Barnet. Metpro, where a firm of private contractors have not been properly managed, potentially placing vulnerable people at risk. There is also the Legionella outbreak at Barnet Care Homes. Again this is down to Private Contractors not being properly managed, with the net result that vulnerable people have been put at risk. With two such extreme examples of corporate failure, you would think that Barnet Council would be undertaking a root and branch review of their procurement procedures. On the contrary, they are rushing through a mass program of outsourcing, in some cases even bypassing the scrutiny process.
What has happened at Barnet Council can only be described as corporate failure. The Leader of the Council has done nothing to address it in five weeks. She has not taken her role as corporate parent seriously. She has done nothing to regain public trust. The only way forward now must be for Lynne Hillan to resign and Barnet Council to have a public enquiry under an independent chair. The council needs to be sorted out. The processes and procedures need root and branch reform. Metpro was not a small company, Barnet paid them £1.2 Million. They were not involved in trivial matters, they were on the front line dealing with residents and vulnerable people. The council has engaged a company who may or may not have been operating illegally and without the proper safeguards and protections. Barnet Council only found out because of a concerted campaign by local residents, through the blogs. The very people that the Leader of the Council described as "not respectable residents". It should not be a job for bloggers to ensure that Barnet discharge their legal responsibilities. She has to go and go now, before any more damage is done.
Saturday, 9 April 2011
Barnet Council Scandal : Metpro update - Who else is spying?
I have today submitted the following FOI request to Barnet Council.
As several Barnet bloggers have experienced all sorts of odd activities on their IT equipment this week, I also submitted this FOI request
It should be interesting to see what the responses are (if we ever get them).
David Miller (AKA retired/resting blogger Don't Call Me Dave) submitted a whole string of FOI requests regarding activities conducted under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) act. As I recall, Barnet Council stated that they were not covertly filming anyone. It is abundantly clear from the Metpro scandal that people have been covertly filmed by contractors working for Barnet Council. The question which no one else has asked is this - Who else is spying on us for Barnet Council?----- Original Message -----From: Roger TichborneCc: John Burgess ; vickimorris@btinternet.com ;Adam Langelben; Hillan, Cllr Lynne Conservative ; cllr.a.moore@barnet.gov.uk ; Cohen, Cllr Jack Liberal Democrat ; Nick.Walkley@barnet.gov.uk ; Harper, Cllr Andrew ConservativeSent: Saturday, April 09, 2011 11:21 AMSubject: FOI - request
Dated 9th April 2011Dear Barnet Council,Please provide details of all external contractors involved in the following activities on behalf of Barnet Council.1) Filming residents/employees/councillors without their permission2) Recording residents without their permission3) performing any other covert survelliance of residents4) Monitoring personal blogs/twitter/facebook pages on the internetTo minimise cost, please provide details from April 2010.Please summarise the cost to the taxpayer of Barnet for these services.Please specify which senior officers and councillors accessed to this information.Please specify who signed off the contract at Barnet for the provision of these services and when this contract was signed.RegardsRoger Tichborne
As several Barnet bloggers have experienced all sorts of odd activities on their IT equipment this week, I also submitted this FOI request
----- Original Message -----From: Roger TichborneCc: John Burgess ; vickimorris@btinternet.com ; Adam Langleben ; Hillan, Cllr Lynne Conservative ; cllr.a.moore@barnet.gov.uk ; Cohen, Cllr Jack Liberal Democrat ; Nick.Walkley@barnet.gov.uk ; Harper, Cllr Andrew ConservativeSent: Saturday, April 09, 2011 11:37 AMSubject: Re: FOI - request
Dated 9th April 2011Dear Barnet Council,Please provide all details of Council employees or contractors working on behalf of Barnet Council employed in the following activities :-1) Electronic hacking activities (ie accessing the IT equipment of third parties without their permission)2) All council emails regarding hacking activitites, either of Barnet Council computers or of other computers where Barnet Council has been involved3) Any details of third party IT specialist engaged by Barnet Council who have been involved in the disruption of third party IT equipment4) Details of any phone tapping activities undertaken by Barnet Council5) Details of which Council Officers and Councillors were aware of this activity and who had access to any information derived from it.To limit costs please limit the enquiry for the period from 1st January 2010 to present.RegardsRoger Tichborne
It should be interesting to see what the responses are (if we ever get them).
Friday, 8 April 2011
Barnet Council Metpro Scandal - A huge conflict of interest
Let me explain to Barnet Council CEO Nick Walkley, the well suntanned Leader of Barnet Council Lynne Hillan and her equally well suntanned and relaxed Deputy Leader Andrew Harper, why an Independent public inquiry is necessary into the Metpro Scandal.
Mr Walkley feels and "internal audit" will do the trick. Mr Walkley as CEO allowed this mess to occur. He's also the boss of the people investigating the issues. Now if you are investigating and you find out something which portrays your boss in a poor light, what do you do? I've no idea what the investigator will do, but I do know that he will have a dilemma. I presume that the vast majority of Barnet Council staff need a job and don't want to upset the boss. Will they turn the place upside down searching for evidence to incriminate their friends, colleagues and bosses? I think we all know the answer.
And just suppose, for one second that the holy trinity of Walkley, Hillan and Harper don't think it's serious, even the Metropolitan Police seem to have "huge reservations" about what happened. Neil Seabridge, one of Barnets top policemen said the following to the Press newspapers :-
"I can state categorically that Police did not authorise any intrusive surveillance at the Council Meeting. Nor did we tell anyone else they could use covert or intrusive surveillance, which is a highly regulated area which requires specific written authority by a police superintendent or above when police initiate it for very specific reasons linked to investigation or prevention of crime. Such a meeting at the town all would not fall under any of these categories"
My question is this, for the Walkley, Hillan and Harper. When will the penny drop? If you have done nothing wrong and MetPro were a maverick company acting without instruction, be open and clear your name. If you were up to your neck in the scandal, do the decent thing and resign. It really is that simple. It is quite unprecedented to have residents, council staff, police, press and even your own councillors being so upset about an issue. Get a grip, show some leadership and most importantly - SORT THIS MESS OUT NOW IN A MANNER THAT RESTORES TRUST
Mr Walkley feels and "internal audit" will do the trick. Mr Walkley as CEO allowed this mess to occur. He's also the boss of the people investigating the issues. Now if you are investigating and you find out something which portrays your boss in a poor light, what do you do? I've no idea what the investigator will do, but I do know that he will have a dilemma. I presume that the vast majority of Barnet Council staff need a job and don't want to upset the boss. Will they turn the place upside down searching for evidence to incriminate their friends, colleagues and bosses? I think we all know the answer.
And just suppose, for one second that the holy trinity of Walkley, Hillan and Harper don't think it's serious, even the Metropolitan Police seem to have "huge reservations" about what happened. Neil Seabridge, one of Barnets top policemen said the following to the Press newspapers :-
"I can state categorically that Police did not authorise any intrusive surveillance at the Council Meeting. Nor did we tell anyone else they could use covert or intrusive surveillance, which is a highly regulated area which requires specific written authority by a police superintendent or above when police initiate it for very specific reasons linked to investigation or prevention of crime. Such a meeting at the town all would not fall under any of these categories"
My question is this, for the Walkley, Hillan and Harper. When will the penny drop? If you have done nothing wrong and MetPro were a maverick company acting without instruction, be open and clear your name. If you were up to your neck in the scandal, do the decent thing and resign. It really is that simple. It is quite unprecedented to have residents, council staff, police, press and even your own councillors being so upset about an issue. Get a grip, show some leadership and most importantly - SORT THIS MESS OUT NOW IN A MANNER THAT RESTORES TRUST
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Barnet Council Conservatives group meeting
The Barnet Conservative group met this evening to discuss the chaos at Barnet Council the plans for the future. I'm pleased to say a rather sun tanned leader, Lynne Hillan is back from her holiday. It will be interesting to see if Councillor Daniel Thomas keeps his nerve and tells her to her face what everyone (apart from her) seems to know. He's been rustling up support for a leadership challenge. It will be interesting to see if he holds his nerve.
Rumour has it that Brian Coleman is planning to graciously stand down from the Cabinet, to concentrate on his bid for the GLA (as if - ha ha). It will be interesting to hear what the leadership have to say about Metpro. Watch this space.
Rumour has it that Brian Coleman is planning to graciously stand down from the Cabinet, to concentrate on his bid for the GLA (as if - ha ha). It will be interesting to hear what the leadership have to say about Metpro. Watch this space.
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Barnet Council announce new corporate symbol following Metpro scandal
The whole Metpro scandal has, from start to finish been a case of corporate lying. The Council say the police have banned people from entereing the council meeting. The Police deny it. The Council claim all filming is banned in the Council chamber, then it emerges Metpro filmed the public on behalf of Barnet Council. Barnet Council deny all knowledge of the filming, even though it is part of the Metpro sales pitch.
One thing which needs to be said. Metpro are a private security firm. They are engaged by the Council. Metpro aren't the problem, the Council are, because they engaged them. Metpro should dance to the tune called by Barnet Council. If there are issues with the company, it is down to the Council to manage it. They manage hundreds of contracting companies. Metpro are just one which has come to public attention because of a council meeting. The issue is far deeper and far more worrying.
It is time for Barnet to start telling the truth.
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Barnet Council Scandal : Council claims Metpro CCTV footage has been destroyed
The Barnet Council / Metpro scandal gets weirder by the minute. The Hendon Times reports that the Council says the MetPro footage has been destroyed.
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/topstories/8955409.Secret_MetPro_footage__destroyed__says_council/
They claim to have contacted Metpro when they found out covert and "unauthorised" videoing had taken place and destroyed it. A few questions (I know a little about videoing & editing)
a) How do they know all copies have been destroyed.
b) Have they destruction records from a recognised company
c) How long between the realisation that "unauthorised" videoing and the Council sacking Metpro.
All of this correspondence needs to be in the Public domain. It is quite clear that an Independent public enquiry is the only credible way forward. I note that Barnet have awarded the contract to Blue9. I wonder what sort of tendering process took place for this contract? Perhaps Leader of the Council Lynne Hillan or CEO Nick Walkley would like to tell us?
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/topstories/8955409.Secret_MetPro_footage__destroyed__says_council/
They claim to have contacted Metpro when they found out covert and "unauthorised" videoing had taken place and destroyed it. A few questions (I know a little about videoing & editing)
a) How do they know all copies have been destroyed.
b) Have they destruction records from a recognised company
c) How long between the realisation that "unauthorised" videoing and the Council sacking Metpro.
All of this correspondence needs to be in the Public domain. It is quite clear that an Independent public enquiry is the only credible way forward. I note that Barnet have awarded the contract to Blue9. I wonder what sort of tendering process took place for this contract? Perhaps Leader of the Council Lynne Hillan or CEO Nick Walkley would like to tell us?
Monday, 4 April 2011
Barnet residents call for a public enquiry into Barnet Council Big Brother firm
Press release — 4 April 2011
Call for a public inquiry into the relationship between
MetPro Rapid Response/MetPro Emergency Response and Barnet Council
Barnet Council has been engaging private security firms MetPro Rapid Response/MetPro Emergency Response to control residents’ access to council meetings, in particular the council meeting on 1 March 2011. One of the company directors claims the company has also monitored blogs by Barnet residents, and filmed Barnet residents at Council meetings.
Despite holding contracts worth several hundred thousand pounds with Barnet Council, MetPro Rapid Response collapsed recently owing around £400,000, including £245,000 to HM Revenue & Customs. The firm is now in the hands of liquidators; however, MetPro Emergency Response, a company recently set up by the same company directors associated with MetPro Rapid Response, continued for a while to be employed by Barnet after the collapse of MetPro Rapid Response.
As well as providing security for Council meetings, these firms provided security at several council locations, including some housing vulnerable people.
At the meeting on 1 March, it appears that MetPro security staff did not wear visible identification, breaching Security Industry Authority (SIA) regulations, whilst working for Barnet Council.
Statements made by directors of the company regarding the scope of their work for Barnet have been contradicted by executive officers of Barnet Council.
The full facts regarding Barnet Council’s contract/s with MetPro Rapid Response/MetPro Emergency Response must be revealed to the public. We need to know about the use of data collected by the company (with full consideration for data protection and human rights implications). We need Barnet Council to reveal the extent of the MetPro companies’ activities on behalf of the Council. Residents and Council staff have a right to know what activities their Council undertake. They have a right to expect the Council only to engage firms with a proven track record for such activities and to monitor such, ensuring, for example, that they comply with legislation, eg, SIA regulations.
The only way that trust can be restored in Barnet Council, following the MetPro debacle, is to hold a full public inquiry. We the undersigned call on Nick Walkley, CEO of Barnet Council, and Lynne Hillan, Council Leader, to immediately engage an independent investigator, enjoying the confidence of Barnet residents, to look into the relationship between MetPro Rapid Response/MetPro Emergency Response and Barnet Council. We demand to know what Barnet Council asked MetPro Rapid Response/MetPro Emergency Response to do and what Barnet Council has done with any information about residents it has had access to as a result of MetPro’s work.
Signed:
Alexander Clayman (N12)
Derek Dishman (EN5)
Adam Langleben (HA8)
Vicki Morris (NW9) (click on name to email)
Theresa Musgrove (N3)
Maria Nash (EN4)
Julian Silverman (N12)
Roger Tichborne (NW7) (click on name to email)
Adele Winston (EN5)
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If you are interested in this campaign or want more details, click the above links to Vicki Morris or myself. Please email Vicki if you wish to add your name to this list.
Friday, 1 April 2011
Councillor Andrew Harper Special Edition - The April Fool story that didn't make the cut
I've been planning my April fool Story ever since The Deputy Leader of Barnet Council, Andrew Harper announced that he "Was going for Model X". The idea really got legs when we found out about the Barnet Council Private Security Force Met Pro Rapid Response. It was all ready to go, when I found out two things. Firstly, all along I've assumed that Andrew Harper was being lined up to take over from Lynne Hillan when she's finally knifed in May. This week, supporters of Councillor Dan Thomas, within the Conservative Group told me that Harper is dead in the water and Thomas is a shoe in. It was suggested that Councillor Thomas is a bit more receptive to some of the suggestions that this blog has been making than his predecessors.If there is any truth in what I've been told, I would most certainly suggest that Thomas would make a big improvement. It seems that it is well known that Harper is toast, so the "Leader in Waiting" jibes fall a bit flat.
The thing was, it hardly seemed worth lampooning Harper, as he's enough on his plate to deal with coping with the abject failure of his political ambitions and deep down I'm not really a nasty person. Secondly, the other strand of the wind up, Met Pro Rapid repsonse were sacked as Council contractors. As the story involved the sensational news that they'd been sacked, it was not really relevant anymore. Anyway, I showed the ill fated blog to a few mates and they said "That's actually quite funny, so you should share it with your readers".
Anyway, here it is. The April Fool blog that never was.
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Today Barnet Council Leader in waiting, Councillor Andrew Harper sensationally announced that Met Pro Rapid Response Security Services have been sacked as security providers of choice by Barnet Council. Harper stated "I've been doing lots of research into alternative service providers and I found just the company on Page 69 of the Barnet Press. I spoke to Model X and she can offer many of the services provided by Met Pro at a fraction of the cost. She can provide services all over the Borough, she can wear black clothes on request and she can come equipped with handcuffs or a whole range of other correctional equipment. She can even film all the action for an extra fee"
Harper continued "She assurred me that some of my male colleagues can provide excellent references"
Editors Note : Please note that the picture is not actually model X, like many of the adverts in such sections, the reality is never quite as appealing.
The thing was, it hardly seemed worth lampooning Harper, as he's enough on his plate to deal with coping with the abject failure of his political ambitions and deep down I'm not really a nasty person. Secondly, the other strand of the wind up, Met Pro Rapid repsonse were sacked as Council contractors. As the story involved the sensational news that they'd been sacked, it was not really relevant anymore. Anyway, I showed the ill fated blog to a few mates and they said "That's actually quite funny, so you should share it with your readers".
Anyway, here it is. The April Fool blog that never was.
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Barnet Council Leader in waiting sacks Met Pro Rapid Response and announces new team.
Harper continued "She assurred me that some of my male colleagues can provide excellent references"
Editors Note : Please note that the picture is not actually model X, like many of the adverts in such sections, the reality is never quite as appealing.
Thursday, 31 March 2011
Barnet Council Scandals - A grim day for Barnet Council in the Press
There are three major traditional papers in Barnet. They all come out today and they are all full of scandals, cock ups and incompetence this week. There is a theme. In each of these stories, the residents of Barnet have been adversely affected by services provided by Private contractors engaged by Barnet Council.
You may think that this would cause Barnet Council to think about how it runs it's services. Sadly they are doing the opposite and going hell for leather towards even more outsourcing and even more private contracts. They have put together a business case which an independent expert slammed as a work of fiction.
Anyway for your light reading here is what the traditional end of the press have to say (click on the pictures for the online edition of the paper)
Hampstead and Highgate Express
Details how Council Contractors (Metpro Rapid Response)covertly video residents. Local Tory MP Matthew Offord, quite rightly slams this behaviour (did he know when he was deputy leader and the contract was signed). This is on page 1.
Then we have the Edgware press. This details how shoddy work by contractors left the most vulnerable residents of care homes in Barnet at risk of legionella. Again on Page 1.
Then we have the Hendon Times. Barnet are only on page 3 here, but the story details how blunders mean residents haven't got their Council Tax bills and information to pay them. This will have a disasterous effect on Council finances and may lead to huge overdraft fees and temporary borrowing facilities.
So you may wonder who is running the show. The answer appears to be no-one. At the Council Cabinet meeting this week, neither Leader Lynne Hillan or Deputy Leader Andrew Harper was present. Are they both on holiday? This is not the first time that the Council has been engulfed in a crises and they've both been off enjoying themselves.
It's high time the local Tories sacked them and got some proper leadership. They get huge allowances (£35,000 and £27,000 respectively) for the jobs and they can't even be bothered to arrange for one of them to turn up. The press shows a catastrophic failure. Any of these stories on it's own would be highly embarrassing. All three together in one week are a disaster.
NB. The 160 page report which recommended more private contractors was signed off in a Council Cabinet meeting, which Andrew Harper didn't bother to attend. It lasted five minutes. I was going to video it and turned up 10 minutes late, to find it had finished. This is why these contracts are all going wrong.
You may think that this would cause Barnet Council to think about how it runs it's services. Sadly they are doing the opposite and going hell for leather towards even more outsourcing and even more private contracts. They have put together a business case which an independent expert slammed as a work of fiction.
Anyway for your light reading here is what the traditional end of the press have to say (click on the pictures for the online edition of the paper)
Hampstead and Highgate Express
Details how Council Contractors (Metpro Rapid Response)covertly video residents. Local Tory MP Matthew Offord, quite rightly slams this behaviour (did he know when he was deputy leader and the contract was signed). This is on page 1.
Then we have the Edgware press. This details how shoddy work by contractors left the most vulnerable residents of care homes in Barnet at risk of legionella. Again on Page 1.
Then we have the Hendon Times. Barnet are only on page 3 here, but the story details how blunders mean residents haven't got their Council Tax bills and information to pay them. This will have a disasterous effect on Council finances and may lead to huge overdraft fees and temporary borrowing facilities.
It's high time the local Tories sacked them and got some proper leadership. They get huge allowances (£35,000 and £27,000 respectively) for the jobs and they can't even be bothered to arrange for one of them to turn up. The press shows a catastrophic failure. Any of these stories on it's own would be highly embarrassing. All three together in one week are a disaster.
NB. The 160 page report which recommended more private contractors was signed off in a Council Cabinet meeting, which Andrew Harper didn't bother to attend. It lasted five minutes. I was going to video it and turned up 10 minutes late, to find it had finished. This is why these contracts are all going wrong.
Thursday, 24 March 2011
The Questions for Lynne Hillan regarding Metpro Rapid response
I have sent two emails to the Leader of Barnet Council, Lynne Hillan regarding Metpro Rapid Response and their use of CCTV cameras to record activities & members of the public at the Town Hall. I've received no reply at all. Not only is this extremely bad mannered, it is also a sign of sheer panic at the Town Hall. Fellow Blogger Mrs Angry has had a similar experience. Here is the two emails I've sent. I will be sending a third email in the next few days. I think Barnet may find they will be legally obliged to respond to that one. They could always avert that situation and that cost to the taxpayer of Barnet by answering these quite reasonable requests.
Reproduced for you now is the original email and the chaser.
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Reproduced for you now is the original email and the chaser.
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I trust that Barnet Council are aware that they are governed by the same laws as the rest of us----- Original Message -----Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 11:03 PMSubject: Re: Filming of Barnet Council Meetings
Dear Councillor HillanI do not seem to have received a reply regarding this email. I consider it to be the height of bad manners to ignore the genuine concerns of residents to matters of public interest. If you are not in the position to respond to my query, then I ask that one of the other people copied responds on your behalf.RegardsRoger Tichborne----- Original Message -----Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 1:00 AMSubject: Filming of Barnet Council Meetings
Dear Councillor Hillan,One of my regular blog readers was informed by the owner of the security company which Barnet Council employed to manage the last council meeting (metpro), that all his staff were wearing hidden CCTV cameras and had filmed the entire proceedings both inside and outside of the hall.Given that you had previously announced that no filming was permitted in the council chamber, please can you explain why you clearly had allowed your own rules to be breached.Please can you clarify how long security staff have been allowed to film at the council and how this is monitiored by Barnet Council in relation to the Data Protection act. Please can you forward me your privacy policy regarding this and also let me know when signs stating that the council chamber was under CCTV surveillance were fitted.I also would like to review all footage of the council meeting, as there have been allegations of inappropropriate behaviour made privately to me and I would like to see if these can be supported by the CCTV footage.
Regards
Roger Tichborne
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Barnet Council : Hillan, Coleman and Future shape are rated as catastrophic risks
I kid you not. On Thursday 24th March, the Barnet Council audit committee meet to discuss the Corporate Risk management policy. I was intrigued to know what constituted a Corporate risk. Item 8 on the agenda -
http://committeepapers.barnet.gov.uk/democracy/reports/reportdetail.asp?ReportID=10175 - explains how this works. Have a look at the numbers at the bottom of the page. On page 66 it explains what constitutes a political and a reputational risk. These are contained in this illustration (i've stuck the definition of catastrophic on the bottom of it).
So what have we had under the Hillan and Coleman regime. We had a leadership challenge caused by her poor judgement. I doubt that as a political risk anything could be greater than this. As the vote was split by a single vote, it is clear that "internal issues" prevented the Torys from working collaboratively. There have been a whole host of other political issues within the Tories which have shown them to be in catastrophic disarray. The Allowancegate scandal destroyed forever the notion that they were a political group interested in anything but lining there own pockets. The action to discipline Councillor Kate Salinger was highly divisive and the whole fiasco lead to Brian Coleman getting the sack as Tory chief whip.
Then there is the reputational damage. Hillan has become a national media laughing stock with her involvement in the OneBarnet/Future Shape/BarnetTrack scheme. When asked to explain the Easycouncil concept, she announced that developers could pay for their own planning officers, only to be informed this was illegal. Even more disasterous has been her refusal to take up Tory cabinet minister, Eric Pickles suggestion to allow open access to council meetings. Just today, Tory Councillor Danny "Imber" Seal made a none to veiled attack on Lynne Hillan in the Hendon Times. Following Hillans inept attempt to ban social media, he told the Times "We have some older members of the group who don’t understand social media and I want to educate them it’s a great way forward". The only elderly member who has come out against social media is Hillan. It is clear that Imber and his colleagues questions have moved well away from corporate priorities.It is clear that when Tory councillors speak to the press, portraying their leader as "elderly" and out of touch it is catastrophic for the reputation of the Council. There can be no question that public confidence has been eroded. No one thinks Hillan is a credible leader of the Council, outside of the cabal of Tory cabinet members who owe their allowances to her.
Then there is Brian Coleman. He has been a catastrophy for years. He regularly makes the National Press, be it for his Taxi expenses, his visits to the Standards Committee or his outburst against the British Olympic team. He even went so far as to "out" former Tory Leader Edward Heath, waiting till he'd died and couldn't put his side of the story.
Now according to the Risk management strategy, "immediate action" must be taken to deal with such catastrophies. A number of corrective measures may be required. If I was a Barnet Tory Councillor, I'd be looking to replace Hillan as leader and send Coleman to the back benches (assuming he wouldn't willingly go to the Outer Hebrides).
http://committeepapers.barnet.gov.uk/democracy/reports/reportdetail.asp?ReportID=10175 - explains how this works. Have a look at the numbers at the bottom of the page. On page 66 it explains what constitutes a political and a reputational risk. These are contained in this illustration (i've stuck the definition of catastrophic on the bottom of it).
So what have we had under the Hillan and Coleman regime. We had a leadership challenge caused by her poor judgement. I doubt that as a political risk anything could be greater than this. As the vote was split by a single vote, it is clear that "internal issues" prevented the Torys from working collaboratively. There have been a whole host of other political issues within the Tories which have shown them to be in catastrophic disarray. The Allowancegate scandal destroyed forever the notion that they were a political group interested in anything but lining there own pockets. The action to discipline Councillor Kate Salinger was highly divisive and the whole fiasco lead to Brian Coleman getting the sack as Tory chief whip.
Then there is the reputational damage. Hillan has become a national media laughing stock with her involvement in the OneBarnet/Future Shape/BarnetTrack scheme. When asked to explain the Easycouncil concept, she announced that developers could pay for their own planning officers, only to be informed this was illegal. Even more disasterous has been her refusal to take up Tory cabinet minister, Eric Pickles suggestion to allow open access to council meetings. Just today, Tory Councillor Danny "Imber" Seal made a none to veiled attack on Lynne Hillan in the Hendon Times. Following Hillans inept attempt to ban social media, he told the Times "We have some older members of the group who don’t understand social media and I want to educate them it’s a great way forward". The only elderly member who has come out against social media is Hillan. It is clear that Imber and his colleagues questions have moved well away from corporate priorities.It is clear that when Tory councillors speak to the press, portraying their leader as "elderly" and out of touch it is catastrophic for the reputation of the Council. There can be no question that public confidence has been eroded. No one thinks Hillan is a credible leader of the Council, outside of the cabal of Tory cabinet members who owe their allowances to her.
Then there is Brian Coleman. He has been a catastrophy for years. He regularly makes the National Press, be it for his Taxi expenses, his visits to the Standards Committee or his outburst against the British Olympic team. He even went so far as to "out" former Tory Leader Edward Heath, waiting till he'd died and couldn't put his side of the story.
Now according to the Risk management strategy, "immediate action" must be taken to deal with such catastrophies. A number of corrective measures may be required. If I was a Barnet Tory Councillor, I'd be looking to replace Hillan as leader and send Coleman to the back benches (assuming he wouldn't willingly go to the Outer Hebrides).
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Ed Milliband
The meeting was organised by the Federation of Small Business (FSB). Ed Milliband was keen to hear the views of people running such businesses (which in itself is a welcome change). Gordon Banks is one of only seven MP's who responded to a survey in 2007 stating they had experience of running a small business. I must say Gordon impressed me.
The discussions were private, although Ed is happy for us to mention the fact the meeting took place. All I can say is that it is encouraging to hear that he is keen to hear our views. He will be addressing the FSB conference. I passionately believe that Small business is an area of teh economy which has been neglected and should be encouraged. I have asked several times for the opportunity to arrange a meeting with senior Barnet Tories and been rebuffed, hoping to discuss various issues affecting local firms. Let's hope that the fact that the Leader of the Labour Party has bothered may inspire them to take a more sensible approach. For all his faults, at least Mike Freer engaged with local business when he was leader of the Council. This has completely stopped since the election last year. Lets hope Ed's good example will inspire Hillan to be a bit more business friendly.
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
BarnetTrack - The new name for Future Shape / EasyCouncil/OneBarnet
>>> BARNETTRACK >>>
Do you remember Railtrack? The company which forever destroyed the credibility of Rail privatisation? The company that took a "license to print money" and lost a shedload, requiring a taxpayer baleout. What has this got to do with Barnet Council? Well Barnet Council have studied the Railtrack model and decided that this is the way of the future. The Railtrack board wanted a "virtual company" which did nothing except commission work from contractors. They believed that outsourcing provided the cheapest price and the best quality in every case. Whole factories in the UK supplying high quality steel rail products closed as cheaper imports were sourced abroad. Hundreds of third party supplier agreements were signed. Maintenence teams were split up and sold off to companies.
Then one day there was an accident at Potters Bar. A private contractor called Jarvis had "issues" with some maintenance work. 7 people died and 76 were injured. Railtrack and it's business practices unravelled. A new company called Network rail (a not for profit Company owned by the Government) took over, to clean the mess up.
Sadly our local Conservative Council learned nothing from the embarrassing fiasco. They have emabarked (they put the bark in embark, this lot) on a program called Barnet Future Shape. When this started to unravel, the then Leader of Barnet Council rebranded it as "EasyCouncil". Being a bit dim, Mike Freer didn't realise that the public associate budget airlines with less than excellent quality. He also didn't realise that unlike Council services, airline customers have a choice. When asked to explain how it worked, a Tory Councillor explained that a local property developer had bought their own council employee to ease through development applications. Mill Hill Councillor John Hart told the Guardian that the disabled and bedridden who rely on the council for care could "wipe their own arses".
As the scheme became more infamous, it got renamed again. It became "OneBarnet". Sadly the Borough Auditors, Grant Thorton slated it, pointing out there was no business case and no project plan. The Tories in charge said "Oh, no problem, we'll just go off and write one". This was after three years and millions of pounds had been wasted, delivering NO SAVINGS AT ALL.
Well, The Barnet Eye has decided it is time for a rebrand. We're going to refer to the whole cock up as
BARNETTRACK (the cock up formerly known as OneBarnet) in future. The leading expert on the subject, Professor Dexter Whitfield is giving a talk on why the whole project is ill conceived. If you want to know why it's doomed, please come along. Here's a few details from the BAPS press release.
Who pays in outsourcing and privatisation - the myth of strategic partnerships?”
Barnet UNISON & Barnet Alliance for Public Services (BAPS) have organised a Public Meeting and have invited Professor Dexter Whitfield as the Guest Speaker.
The meeting takes place on Tuesday 15th March at 7pm in the Greek Cypriot Community Centre, 2 Britannia Road, London N12 9RU.
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The Barnet Eye will be filming some of the meeting and some of the people attending. If you want to star in a fantastic low budget film, please get there early
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Barnet Council - it's tough at the top !
La la la , la la la, Happy days are here again, read this extract from the latest £140,000 + job advert for Barnet Council :-
It is a really exciting time to be working for the London Borough of Barnet. We’ve always prided ourselves on actually realising the grand plans that we speak about.
As a public service, I've listed the full details here on the Future Shape blog :-
http://barnetfutureshape.blogspot.com/2011/02/job-vacency-at-barnet-council-140000.html
As Council Leader Lynne Hillan says "We're all in it
As Barnet public services are put to the torch, it's great to know some people are getting nice exciting jobs
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