Why can't we use the returned Icelandic money to save services?

Before we discuss this, memo to Barnet Council, especially CEO Nick Walkley and Leader Richard Cornelius. Instead of wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds on producing magazines like this - http://www.barnet.gov.uk/barnet-first-magazine-nov-11-007979.pdf - which are full of spin and propaganda saying amongst other things what a marvellous job Barnet have done fixing potholes (yes really!), why can't they actually take the time to explain and apologise for their cock ups. I'm writing this blog today because people keep asking me the above question.

So this is where I act as a semi apologist for our useless and incompetent council. Why? Because I think the situation should be explained and I'm sick of people asking me and having to explain. As you will recall, back in 2008, the then Leader of Barnet Council, Mike Freer came unstuck when his !"cunning plan"! to borrow money from the public works board at 3% and then invest it in Icelandic banks earning 8% interest came unstuck. The Icelandic banks went bust and Barnet lost £27.4 million pounds. News has come through that Barnet has now been made a preferred creditor and will get most of the original sum back. So that means that Barnet can now save some of the services that they were going to chop? Right? Nope wrong.

 Why you may ask? Because that money was borroweed against various capital schemes in the Borough such as road renewal. Contracts were signed and these projects had to be delivered. To enable the Borough to meet its commitments, they had to borrow some of the money again and take other money from their contingency reserve, which they keep for such cock ups. Barnet have not got all of the money back and they have a legal requirement to ensure their reserves are sufficient to meet "unexpected events", of which there have been quite a few under the Tories (Aerodrome Road Bridges £12 Million, Catalyst £8 million etc). So all that Barnet can realisitcailly do, is pay off a few loans and top up the reserves. I doubt we'll ever see the true scale of the costs (paying double bubble on the loans, etc) but all that has happened is that in future years, the Barnet Taxpayer will have to spend a bit less topping up the reserves.

Like most of the cock ups in Barnet, no one has ever carried the can and no one has ever apologised for this bonkers scheme. When the cash is fully returned to Barnet, I will be seeking an explanation as to exactly how much the fiasco has cost the Barnet taxpayer. In the meantime, don't expect to see your tax bill go down. All we've managed to do is get some way back to where we were before "Banker of the Year" Mike Freer came up with his marvellous scheme.

Traffic Calming - Barnet Council Style

Last year I attended a meeting of Barnet Councils Cabinet where Mr Novak, who lives in Uphill Road, presented a paper detailing why road humps should be put back into his road. His report had the support of all but three of the residents. He detailed how hundreds of schoolchildren us his road to walk to Mill Hill County High. He detailed how 50% of cars break the speed limit according to the councils own stats (bearing in mind that at some periods of the day there is congestion). He detailed how residents had suffered accidents due to speeding motorists using the road as a ratrun from Marsh Lane to Lawrence Street. He detailed how motorists hurtled down the road to avoid Apex Corner as a cut through to Mill Hill Circus. In short he made his case.

Barnet Councils then road supremo, Andrew Harper (now deputy Leader) dismissed the report. The views of local residents didn't matter. The safety of schoolchildren didn't matter. Why, you may ask?

The answer which Mr Harper gave, in no uncertain terms was this "Barnet Council is a motorist friendly Council so we don't want traffic calming measures, the car comes first". Mr Harper pointed out that the average speed in Uphill Road was just under the speed limit, therefore there wasn't a problem (ignoring the fact that this meant 50% of cars were breaking the speed limit). Mr Harper said that road humps damage cars and slow down emergency services. This is paramount. The emergency services must be able to get from A to B as quickly as possible (no doubt to attend accidents caused by speeding motorists).

As I drove around the London Borough of Barnet this weekend, I pondered Andrew Harpers comments. Due to Barnet  being unable to access £27.4 of reserves in Iceland, having reportedly lost £12 Million completely and having lost milions in interest, there is a cash crisis. As a result Pothles are not being fixed. These have sprung up all over the Borough. On many busy roads such as Pursely road, used by the 221 bus, these are huge. Car suspensions are being destroyed by these menacing obstacles. Wheras you see road humps and there are signs to alert you, potholes are a hidden menace. I saw an ambulance on Pursley Road nearly crash on Saturday, avoiding a particularly nasty hole.

The thing about potholes is that they grow every day they aren't fixed. As they grow, the whole fabric of the road disintegrates. A small hole can be fixed relatively cheaply and easily, as they grow, the whole road cracks up. When it comes down to it, this is one of the first and most noticeable signs of Barnets Icelandic financial woes. A decent administration would have set up a "Potholes task force" after the bad weather and would have fixed them up as soon as they appeared. In the long run this is far cheaper than resurfacing the whole road. Next time Harper and his colleagues tell you they are motorist friendly, consider the damage being done to cars everywhere by Barnets pot holes.

As to the cost. If you damage your car on a pothole, it is the responsibility of the Council. I'd suggest you write to Andrew Harper and ask him for the cash.

Traffic calming measures come in many forms. For Barnets Tories, their favourate is the Pot hole.

The poster David Cameron won't be putting up in Barnet

Do you remember Tony Blair announcing that he was a "pretty straight sort of guy". Let's see how straight with us David Cameron is. Lets see how many posters he puts up in Barnet saying how Lynne Hillans Tories are destroying the Sheltered Housing Warden System. Lets see how many he puts up saying how much the Tories have lost in Icelandic Banking scandals. Lets see how many he puts up telling us how badly they managed the Aerodrome Road project. Lets see how many they put up telling us why they have so many "secret squirrell meetings" where the public are excluded. Lets see how many they put up telling you that if you are a rich property developer, you get a premium service with your planning applications. Lets see how many posters they put up telling us that Councillor Brian Coleman is the first Mayor of Barnet to be found guilty in office of breaching the standards code. You may think that David Cameron has nothing to do with any of this. He came to give his support to the Barnet Conservative Council in a meeting in Hendon recently. The Conservative Central Office look at this blog (and I believe Not the Barnet Times) every day. They know what is going on in Barnet. They sent David Cameron down here. Lets see if they were looking for poster sites to highlight the issues I've raised.

I'll donate £20 to the registered charity of your choice for the first person in Barnet to send me a leaflet delivered to them by the Conservatives that mentions any of these cock ups and apologises for being so useless.

Hot Press : BBC reports Barnet Council have lost £8 Million in Icelandic Bank Glitnr

Hot Press. The Barnet Tories under Lynne Hillan and Mike Freer have been claiming that we'd get all of our money back. The BBC have said that we will lose £8 Million of the £12 million we had in Glitnr. All of this is because the Tory Administration neglected to check up properly on our council officials. If like me you sat through the debates after the event, you will know that Former Leader Freer repeatedly said "The money hasn't been lost". Mike Freer wants to be the MP for Finchley and Golders Green. Nuff said

Barnet Councils latest punt with your money - the next big scandal in Barnet

Ex Council Leader Mike Freer lost £27.4 million of your money playing the markets.  He borrowed the money at one rate of interest and then invested it in Icelandic banks at a much higher rate of interest. The income this generated was used to fill holes elsewhere in his budget. It seemed like a masterful ruse, until all the Icelandic banks collapsed. His punt failed and we, the taxpayers of Barnet, had to pick up the cost. How did Mike Freer suffer for this? Well he didn't. He still got his £3,000 responsibility allowance for losing the money. Despite his sheer incompetence, his colleagues still laud the "magnificent job" he did.

You would think Barnet Council might have learned their lesson. Well it appears not. A Council official sent an email to a member of the public yesterday which said the following :-

The current market conditions are not favourable towards a disposal and indeed the Council is currently looking at buying properties.In fact the Deputy Chief Executive has specifically instructed the Investment Manager to find suitable properties and I will be assisting in this task.

 There you have it in black and white. Barnet Council is looking to invest in properties as they think it is a good time to buy. This is called gambling and they are doing it with your money. Lets get this right. The council has spare cash. They could  :-

a) keep the sheltered housing wardens
b) Give you a tax cut
c) Gamble it on your behalf on property

Now I was personally shocked that Barnet Council even has an "Investment manager", whilst I'm sure he's a fine chap and does a great job, this is our money. If I want a punt, I'll go to William Hill and spend it. If they were buying properties to fill the council housing shortage, I'd applaud them, but from the wording of this, it is clear as day that  this is not the purpose of the "Investment Manager" strategy, it is to exploit the state of the market. As we all know, property values can go up or down.

My message to Council Leader Lynne Hillan, Mike Freer and everyone else in the Tory cabinet. You are a council, not  a bookie. Stop gambling with our money. I just can't believe that they didn't learn their lesson after Iceland.

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If Barnet Council have sent you an email containing evidence of dodgy behaviour and you want the people of Barnet to know about it, email me BY CLICKING HERE.

UKIP & Finchley - A marriage made in heaven?

I'm not a UKIP supporter, by any stretch of the imagination. I must say though that if I was, I'd make Finchley & Golders Green my number one target seat in London.Why you may ask? Well it strikes me that it is an ideal target for them.

First, the history. Margaret Thatcher was the most rabidly anti European of all of our Prime Ministers. UKIP claim to be the successors to her legacy.

Secondly, the Tories have a very weak and very left wing (for a Tory) candidate. Former Leader of Barnet Council, Mike Freer, has left a catalog of disasters in his wake at Barnet Council. If UKIP could find someone who'd run a Whelk stall for 4 years, without going broke, they'd have someone with more financial acumen than Mike Freer. How many other Tory leaders campaign for Stealth taxes and indulge in Stalinist media manipulation.

Thirdly, there is a big bandwagon for them to jump on in Barnet. Brian Coleman had a major bust up with Boris Johnson about Boris Johnsons plans to open 22 new travellers camps in Barnet. Whilst Labour and the Lib-Dems would never campaign on a Xenophobic platform, UKIP have no such qualms. They could eat a big hole in the Tories support base. Unlike Brian Coleman, Mike Freer is very supportive of the Mayor (rumour has it that Coleman and Freer have fallen out big time. Could this be the reason?).

Fourth. UKIP offer an alternative to both incumbents, the Labour government and the Tory Council, both of which are deeply unpopular in the seat.

Fifth, UKIP must surely be against the abolition of the Sheltered Housing Warden Cuts. This hated policy has left many right leaning OAP's with no political home to go to. If UKIP miss this opportunity, they really shouldn't be in the politics business at all.

Sixth,  David Cameron said at his public meeting in Finchley that he wants Turkey to join the EU as soon as possible. Again I've no idea what UKIP would make of this, but I'm sure there are many people in their party, who shall we say, would be even less keen on an EU with Turkey as part of the club.

Seventh, UKIP are untainted by the Commons expenses scandal. If UKIP did there homework and read the Barnet blogs, they'd soon see why Mike Freer would not exactly be a fresh page for the voters of Finchley and Golders Green. The fact is that under his leadership, councillor allowances have gone through the roof, doubling up against the advice of the independent panel. Then there's the trips to America courtesy of the taxpayer. A clean slate?

If I was Tory Candidate Mike Freer, UKIP would be my worst nightmare. If I was UKIP, I'd want Thatchers old stomping ground more than anything. If the Tories lose Finchley at the next election, then they've really only got themselves to blame for putting up the worst candidate they could possibly find. Do UKIP stand a chance in Finchley? Well if they can't do well in this climate, against someone as divisive and unpopular and with such a poor track record as Freer, they should pack up their bags and give up. Would I like to see it. As someone of the left, no, not at all, but it really wouldn't come as a surprise.

Shake, Rattle and Roll - The Councillor Mike Freer Show

I thought I'd nip down to Whetstone to watch the emergency debate about the Council's missing (not lost) £27.4 million and the full general council meeting. Now I'll give a full report on the ins and outs of the meeting tomorrow, tonight I'll just give you a flavour of what you missed. It is always interesting to go to these meetings to see our chosen leaders in action. I sat down next to a nice lady from Unison who had come to take notes on the debate on the future direction of the council. It is always pleasant to have someone like minded for a bit of moral support in the face of the torrent of blather which we were about to be subjected to. Councillor Wayne Casey stood up to present the case for the Lib Dems. His case was that the council lost £27.4 million quid and it is Mike Freer's fault as he's in charge. Councillor Casey is pretty competent on the chambre floor. He made his points pretty well. About half way through his speech, the nice lady from Unison said "Look at Freer's leg!" Poor Mike was clearly nervous and his leg had developed a mind of it's own. Shaking does not do it justice, imagine Buddy Rich's leg during a bass drum solo. Strangely enough the other leg was completely still. I noticed Councillor Matthew Offord's body language, sitting next to Freer. He was leaning so far away from Freer, that he was nearly nestling in Councillor Braun's bosom. He looked momentarily as if he was seeking motherly comfort. All too soon Councillor Casey was over. It was Mike Freer's big moment.

As he stood up he was clear he was angry. How dare those pesky LibDem's have the audacity to ask such impertinent questions. Watching Mike Freer ranting away reminded me of Blakey in on the Buses. He had the power, he knew he'd win the debate as he had the bus company (sorry the majority) on his side, but Butler (sorry Casey) had made a monkey of him. The Tories made appropriate noises at the right moments and all managed to put their hand up at the same time to ensure the vote was carried.

Later during the meeting, as I recall as Councillor Moore was speaking, Mike Freer suddenly got up and frantically started fiddling with the venetian blind behind him. For a horrible second I thought we'd all gotten to him. I said to the nice lady from UNISON - "He's going to jump". His jerky movement's, each limb seemingly divorcing itself from the central control of the brain. Then he stopped. It was as if his brain was resetting itself. He sat down and suddenly seemed back on his brief. It seemed that order of the day was evade the question. I must hand it to Mike. He does this well. It seems that in the Barnet Tory councillors there are three ways to answer the question. Mike Freer just answers the question he'd like to have been asked. To give a potted example - Monroe Palmer asks "Will you take responsibility for losing £27.4 Million in the Icelandic Banks" Mike replies "I'll happily take responsibility for doing a marvellous job in restoring the council finances so we can do lots of marvellous things" (yes I know I'm not Hansard, but you get the drift). Then there's Brian Coleman. I quite like the fact he can't even be bothered to pretend to be bothered - example: Brian Salinger asked "Will you be asking the Barnet Press to ban adverts from Brothels" - Brian Coleman replied "No". Then there are the rest of the councillors, the finest example being Councillor Andrew Harper. He tries his best to give a proper answer and when he hasn't got the facts to hand promises to give a written answer to the questioner. Needless to say, of the three he's furthest down the food chain (and the allowance pot). I actually quite like Andrew Harper (I guess I shouldn't say that, as I'm probably the last endorsement he wants or needs). He just seems like a decent bloke, who wants to do a good job for Barnet and I can't argue with that.

Following the Q A& A session there were four motions debated. One of these was proposed by Deputy Council Leader Matthew Offord. This motion was one to say that it was great that Burnt Oak Library has had a makeover. Somehow Councillor Offord managed to turn this motion debate into a diatribe against the last 10 years of Labour Govenrment and how this had robbed people of opportunity. Now there was little old me thinking that you went to the Library to borrow a few books. Oh No, Barnet Library's have the power to transform workshy slobs into dynamic entrepreneurs, and turn Burnt Oak into the new Mayfair. Hugh
Rayner then added an amendment to say that all the ills of humanity are the fault of the Barnet Labour Councillors (or words to that effect). Labour stood up and said Rayner had ruined a perfectly good motion, so they had to oppose it. A vote was called and the Tories all put their hands up. So there you have it, Burnt Oak library is great and all the ills of the world are Alison Moore's fault.

People ask me why I don't stand as a Councillor. The reason is because every time I go to a meeting, I see a room full of people, most of whom are quite intellegent and who want to do a good job, wasting a perfectly good evening in pointless debate, evading reasonable questions, posturing and preening. My old freind Jane Ellison (former councillor) used to assure me that lots of good work was done behind the scenes in committee. The trouble is that from what I've seen (and this isn't just under Mike Freer and the Tories) the herd mentality rules. I can't believe that all 33 Tories were happy with what the council has done with Icelandic banks, but the arms say otherwise.

Until the day when independent and non aligned councillors hold the balance of power, I'm afraid things just won't change.

Advisers Advise, Leaders Lead - So give your Dog a valium !

Today is a big day for the leader of Barnet Council, Mike Freer. This evening there is a cabinet meeting. Item 12 on the agenda is a discussion of the situation concerning investments in Icelandic banks. It has been widely reported that Barnet Council may have lost £27.5 Million because of the failure of several Icelandic banks.

Mike Freer is the man who is ultimately responsible for the running of the council. Now is his big chance to shine. What will he do, what will he say? How will he deal with the crisis and restore confidence in his administration?

I don't know. It will be a tough call and as the cash went down the plughole on his watch, I don't envy him the task. It is a huge sum of money, our money. Mike is the council leader and it the buck stops with him. He is a man with a background in banking. He should have been aware of the issues and risks with these investments. As I understand it, he gets an allowance of £47,000 a year from the public purse in relation to his publically funded jobs (please post a comment and tell me if this is wrong and I'll happily correct it).

Now I've no idea what he'll say. I hope for his sake he has a good story. What I can assure him of is that if he attempts to wash his hands of the whole issue and blame his advisers, then Mr Freer is not a leader, he's a failure. the job of advisers is to advise and leaders to lead. If you get a stonking great allowance from the public purse, you need to justify it. This means scrutinising advice and making decisions.

There is a press release on the Barnet Council website, dated 21st October. On this Mr Freer advises you to give your dog or cat a sedative if it gets nervous when it hears fireworks. It is nice to know Mr Freer is concerned about Fido, Rover and Felix, but what about us poor nervous taxpayers, who are worrying about the prospect of huge tax rises? What about Barnet council workers pensions? What about council house tenants? We're all worried. We don't want a dogdrop, we want to know what is going on and Mike Freer hasn't told us.

Well Mike, there will be a lot of interest in what you have to say. If you duck the issue and blame everyone else, we won't be fooled. Just remember this :-


ADVISORS ADVISE, LEADERS LEAD