Guest Blog - Barnet Council declares war on the disabled by John Sullivan

By John Sullivan,

I read this article in the Times this and wept





 http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/11100600._They_re_putting_votes_before_the_vulnerable____Fury_over_council_cuts_to_school_for_disabled/?ref=var_0 If you are of the Leader of Barnet Council,  Councillor Richard Cornelius mindset and one of his ardent followers  who support what he says in this article then wear your badge with pride. Because pride comes before a fall, and I look forward to watching you fall into disgrace swallowed up by your perverse envy and greed, your grabbing at a couple of pence per day cut in your council tax no matter the damage it inflicts on the disabled the vulnerable and others.

It is not to late for you to challenge the claims of Cornelius wherein he in effect implies that the majority of the residents of Barnet do not give a tuppeny feck about the disabled, and support the cutting of support services in order to provide you with less than the price of a cup of coffee per week.

The Cornelius council hate campaign against disabled people has been raging for the past few years devastating cuts have been made to support services for handicapped adults and their support workers incomes, with more planned if he gets back into power, and now this pernicious sick minded soulless  man has started on the disabled kids. What sort of pernicious sick minded envious ideologue can possibly believe that the majority of Barnet residents are as sick minded as him and his fellow councillors, what is it that drives this perverse envy of the disabled this shameful attack on those that cannot fight back.

My own daughter attended Mapledown school back in the day when even a Tory administration treated disabled people and children with compassion and warmth, I remember mixing with Tory councillors at open days and on one occasion a sports day I organised, but they were a different breed of Tory. The Les Pym's of the then Tory administration would be turning in their graves to witness the evil being bestowed on disabled people and children in Barnet, by the vindictive sick minded Cornelius and his cronies at the town hall.

It has long been obvious that Cornelius and his gang have the Lady Porter mentality at heart, their campaign of ethnic cleansing continues at a pace and every harsh act of evil permitted within the law is being foisted on the disabled the sick and the poor to force them out of Barnet with an enthusiasm and glee that exposes a very dark side to their mindset. But the Owen Paterson(former Conservative Councilor who claimed disabled people should be gullotined for their own good) mentality has only shown its ugly head over the past four or five years, when Cornelius and co have  actively  without thought consideration or consultation set about destroying support services for disabled adults that he and his gang have managed to keep hidden, or got away with lying about what they are doing by claiming they have meaningfully consulted with all affected parties, when in fact no such consultations have taken place.

But now we have it in bold print in the Times newspaper, thank you Times group reporter Chris Hewett for finally doing what a local paper is supposed to do and tell it as it is with no frills and escape route for local councillors. How in the name of everything that is holy can Cornelius claim to be striking a balance, how can giving Barnet residents an electioneering few pennies a week cut in their council tax compare with the unimaginable devastation these cuts will bestow upon these innocent children and their families. What sick minded pervert can possibly consider a cup of coffee a month for some balances out against the destruction of the lives of others, the man is sick he is unwell  his comments are in no way those of a rational balanced human being.

 His Owen Patterson mentality has overtaken his rational, because I for one do not and will never believe that the majority of Barnet residents support this act of evil at Mapledown school and the misery it will bring the pupils and their families.

What is even worse Cornelius and his crew do not base their activities on the outcome of meaningful consultation because they do not consult, they have refused to consult with the Your Choice Barnet families whilst destroying the support services for adults with a learning difficulty, and I have no doubt they have in no way meaningfully consulted with the families and parents of Mapledown pupils.

As the parent of a fifty year old disabled daughter I know how important these support services and clubs are to both the students and the parents, the respite they afford the family carers and parents are invaluable no vital, it allows them to build up their energy levels to cope when their children come home. 

Can I ask you to try to place yourself in the position of these Mapledown family carers, the impact these cuts will have will absolutely destroy their lives. Can you imagine yourself dealing with a disabled child 24/7 day after day, night after night, month after month, year after year with little or no support from your fellow man your local community or local council. Have you any idea how tough a task it is when you received the support of your local community as we did in the past, that is now made a thousand times worse by the contempt shown towards you by this vicious and pernicious council leader and his crew of councillors. can you for one second understand the devastation these parents and family carers must be feeling, knowing the leader of their local council places a few pennies a day for the haves in front of their quality of life and that of their disabled child. let me tell you from my own 50 years of experience at the coal face I cannot imagine the horror these families are feeling, they have been effectively abandoned by their community , how debilitating and soul destroying a feeling must that be, even I cannot imagine what horror they are going through. 

Decent parents love their children unconditionally no matter the level of disability life has presented their child with, and I believe they have a reasonable right to expect support in their endeavours from their community, for me that is a human right and the responsibility of a decent humane society, a society Cornelius and co are determined to destroy. So how in the name of decency and humanity can Cornelius claim this is striking a balance, there is no way this act of evil this shameful act of perverse envy can in any way be described as striking a balance, when any rational human being can see no such balance exists. Let us not forget that Councillor Cornelius was one of the crew who's first act on taking power in 2010 was to vote themselves a payrise.

These Mapledown folk and Your Choice Barnet folk are nor benefit scroungers. They are unfortunate souls born with serious disabilities that they never chose to be born with. The fact that Cornelius and his bunch of sick councillors place these chronically disabled children and adults in the same category as benefit scroungers exposes a fatal flaw in their makeup. They are so blinded by ideology dogma, greed and envy, they cannot differentiate between the minority scrounging off the system, and those that have the human right to be  afforded a decent quality of life in front of tax cut electioneering gimmicks.

This is a shameful act of evil delivered with glee from this pernicious and sick Barnet leader and his administration, and he is branding you the majority of the people of Barnet as his allies in this pernicious act of evil. If you support what Cornelius has to say I repeat wear your badge with pride, if you do not align yourself to this pernicious shameful act of evil then you should stand up and be counted and let Cornelius know in no uncertain terms you do not support what he is doing at Mapledown school in your name.

The fact has to be faced Owen Patterson is not the only Tory with his views, four or five years ago a Tory councillor in another borough implied  euthanasia  of disabled people who contribute nothing to society in financial terms would be a constructive cost saving exercise.  This sick bastard tried to laugh it off as a joke, and let's be honest there are other members of the Tory fraternity that have voiced similar opinions over the years.

Let's not forget Owen Patterson was not evicted from the Tory party for calling for the guillotining of disabled people at birth.  That was apparently deemed acceptable within Tory circles, he was evicted from the Tory party because he was also a member of UKIP.  In other words his fellow Tories did not object to his call for the guillotining  of disabled children at birth, that was apparently  deemed acceptable, in the same way Cornelius and co deemed it acceptable for Councillor Coleman to attack a woman half his body weight in the street, because she did not support the party line and took no action against Cllr Coleman.

Cornelius and co are right wing fanatics that hate the disabled and the have not's in Barnet and refuse to represent them and or provide homes or support services that afford them any quality of life just an existence. Their collective hatred of the disabled is on record and  is there for all to see. They have lied and misrepresented the truth repeatedly, covered up the reality, refused to consult and then lied some more. In their pursuit of quietly destroying support services and the quality of life of disabled and sick people in Barnet. A truth and a reality now spread across the front page of our local Time newspaper for all to see, and the cowering despicable pernicious council leader Cornelius claiming that this unbalanced shameful act of evil at Mapledown School, in some sick pernicious and perverse way strikes a balance.

What it proves beyond any reasonable doubt is Cornelius and his fellow councillors are unfit for office, it is the duty of every elected councillor to act in the best interests of all of their  residents no matter their politics, and not simply in the interest of those that support them to the detriment of those that do not support their party which is the current attitude of our local Tory councillors.

This Times article exposes just how perniciously evil  Cornelius and his crew are, what is even worse is they firmly believe the majority of Barnet residents would stand by and see the lives of these disabled youngsters and their families destroyed for less the a cup of coffee per week in a decent coffee shop.

We should not forget in all of this the redoubtable Kate Kennally (who is in charge of adult social care in Barnet) who is paid a huge salary to protect the disabled from these sort of inhumane attacks, yet has to date gone along with every act of evil bestowed on disabled people in Barnet since her arrival, the only person she protects is herself. This is a woman that is unfit for purpose to concern d with self interest, and a woman that has done everything within her power to deny parents and family carers of disabled adults and children in Barnet the human right of consultation.

If you are a Cornelius supporter and support this act of evil against the peoples of Mapledown School can I ask you to think of me when you invest your ill gotten gains in that cup of coffee, and believe without any ambiguity or doubt that I am praying on behalf of the students and family carers of Mapledown School, and as the parent of a disabled daughter you choke on that coffee.

This morning the Times Newspaper has published another story, detailing how Cornelius crony, Reuben Thompstone, cabinet member responsible for the cut has admitted that he has never even visited Mapledown School (http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/11101494.Cabinet_member_has_never_visited_school_for_disabled_facing_hefty_cuts/?ref=var_0). He has claimed that the school should be more 'creative' in fundraising. Clearly the man is completely out of touch with reality. Does he not realise how exhausting and draining it can be to simply care for a disabled child? Does he really believe that the people begrudge the disabled at Mapledown school 3p a day? Mr Thompstone dishonestly claims that the council had its hands tied. They did not have their hands tied when they voted themselves a huge pay rise, did they? They did not have their hands tied when they passed a budget giving everyone a 3p a day pay cut. Sadly the only people who have their hands tied are the parents of the disabled children at Mapledown school. They can't award themselves a payrise. They can't vote to cut their own tax. All they can do is lie back and take the beating that this administration is giving to them and their beloved children. Mr Thompstone told the Times "“These are austere times and we want to show we are on the side of tax payers." So who is on the other side according to Mr Thompstone? Who is the enemy who he is against? The answer is quite clearly that the disabled are the enemy of Mr Thompstone. These were his words. He was the one who decided that the battle lines in Barnet were between the taxpayer and the disabled. This destroys the lie of Camerons big society. We are not all in it together in Barnet, according to Cornelius and Thompstone. The likes of Cornelius, Thompstone and Kenally have had no pay cut only the Council tax cut. So it is clear in this battle who the losers are and who the winners are.

Finally remember when you blindly put your tribal cross against the name of a current Tory councillor in order to re-elect them in May, without concerning yourself with the consequences, you will be consigning hundreds of disabled people and their family carers and parents in Barnet  to a life of abject misery, all for a fistful of pennies. I have no doubt that for many of you. it will make you feel proud.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Sullivan is a Barnet resident and a carer. Guest blogs are always welcome at the Barnet Eye

Guest Blog - A response to Mike Freer MP regarding One Barnet - by Linda Edwards MBE

By Linda Edwards,

 

"I think most people agree that it’s what is delivered, not who delivers it, which matters." Mike Freer MP for Finchley and Golders Green. (Hendon and Finchley Times 20^th August 2013).

Linda Edwards MBE offers an open plea on behalf of people with learning disabilities and family carers in response to the recently published statement from Mike Freer MP.  

I would welcome dialogue from Mike Freer MP, all Barnet Councillors, regardless of their political party and the community.  Unless we have dialogue with integrity and true intention to understand how to best serve vulnerable people and their family carers, we will continue to be thought of as if a refuse service is being delivered!   

“If rubbish blows into my street from takeaways, I want the street sweepers to clear it up as quickly as possible. If I call the council because someone has fly-tipped, I want it taken away within 24 hours” Mike Freer MP

Mr Freer MP, whilst you explain your priorities:

“Due to my current job and my previous job, I pay a lot of attention to what happens at North London Business Park. Importantly, however, what happens at council headquarters affects me as well."  It might serve you well to pay more heed to the needs of residents, including disabled and elderly people and their family carers and people who work in LBB in Barnet?  They have much knowledge and experience to share that would highlight the hierarchical views that pay attention only to what happens at ‘North London Business Park and council headquarters’.   Learning some things of value that might be taken back to Kate Kennally, Director of Social Care and Health, another architect of One Barnet Programme (OBP) could serve us all. 

Mr Freer MP, I will try to explain how misguided is your view that “….most people agree that it’s what is delivered, not who delivers it, which matters."  Mike Freer MP

Most people can deliver a ‘service’, including a private company.  I am sure that I could become a post person, a bus driver or a refuse collector whether working for the Council or a private company.  Providing a robustly caring, respectful and valuing service to vulnerable people takes far more than merely “commissioning a service that will be delivered by any Tom, Dick or Harriet” (John Sullivan, family carer).

"No local authority should be run in the interests of the staff unions. The council is there to deliver the best services possible." Mr Freer MP I absolutely agree with this. No one was more critical than me when the outcry against OBP begun after staff redundancies rather than during the shoddy service it was becoming. I had become extremely concerned to learn that disabled people were being bussed to shopping centres over an hour away, walking aimlessly around in inclement weather under the guise of “Being in the Community”.  I heard many stories from family carers that their disabled child had become unwell because of being outside all day in snow, rain and cold weather.  The outcry happened too late for me!   Whilst mentioning unions I declare that I am not a member of a union, although had been ‘encouraged’ to join the NUT in the ‘80’s and until 2010 believed unions were a group of lazy, selfish, and ‘jobs worth’ people.  Like many people in LB Barnet’s three political parties, the union people I have met are passionate, committed and caring individuals who want a better Barnet and better society for all. 

Recently, I have taken over the management of my father’s 24/7 care.  This was because the Agency who had been delivering the service with the appropriate carer, decided without any consultation to remove the carer and insert another carer who could not relate to my father.  He had formed a relationship of trust, mutual respect and ‘friendship’ with the original carer and became distressed when this sudden change was made without any preparation or involvement with the family.  My father would have been greatly reassured had I been able to spend time with him explaining a new carer was coming to be with him but, in their arrogance, the Agency did not think it necessary to work in partnership with the family. It has now become my responsibility to ensure that my father’s carers are qualified and experienced in working with people with dementia, knowledgeable in my father’s needs and that they deliver his service with respect and dignity, valuing that he is a human being in his ‘winter’ years who no longer has mental capacity and cannot make decisions or look after his own personal care.  Oh! If only this were not the situation and my father could be the independent family, business and community minded man he once was.  But in order to ensure my father has the best quality of life in his last years, I have to ensure that his service is not only “delivered” but provided by people who have the skills, commitment and respect and who will honour my father for the person he was and the person he has now become.  The way in which they listen, speak, hear and when providing personal care, touch my father, is of paramount importance to me.  Their relationship together is so crucial to my father’s well being. This is all so much more than merely delivering the service.

Our learning disabled children have very little to give them value and quality in their lives.  Probably the most important, essential and crucial thing in their lives is the relationships they have with their family and staff. My integrity would be challenged if I pretended most people with learning disabilities have friends; they don’t!  Can you imagine not having a friend to share your hobbies, outings, thoughts, problems, joys with?  I cannot!  I challenge you to acknowledge how empty and alone you might feel without having the connection and intimacy of friendship!

There is the ‘politically correct’ debate that staff are not friends but let’s leave this aside as I am only concerned with the effects that friendship and being human gives us.

Kate Kennally, Director of LBB Social Care and Health is continually asking for "experts by experience" and now, once again by establishing The Peoples Bank in LB Barnet.  This is not a genuine and sincere desire to seek the experience of family carers as her practice is to exclude anyone who confronts her many contradictions of not putting into practice what is spoken and written.  Involving "experts by experience" is a Government recommendation but gets so diluted at the point of LBB Adult Social Care and Health delivery when those “experts by experience” dare to challenge and confront the current dogma. Let me share the contrast of real quality of service and how it affects disabled people. Hopefully this will outline why the misguided opinion …..”It’s what is delivered, not who delivers it, which matters." Mike Freer MP please replace this with the following:

“In Social Care and Health, the quality of service delivered is determined by WHO delivers the service; the quality of the relationship they develop with the people receiving the service, their values and HOW the service is delivered, including How staff are supported and encouraged by their management.”

“Spiritual relationship is far more precious than physical.  Physical relationship divorced from spiritual is body without soul.”  Mahatma Gandhi

For many years I battled with LBB Adult Social Care and Health to remove the ‘cowboy’ service provider they had commissioned for my learning disabled daughter Rachel.  Kate Kennally refused to remove them and instead delayed the complaints process at every stage, forcing me to instruct solicitors to represent my daughter on many occasions.  Because of Kate Kennally’s obfuscation and determination to continue her vindictive battle against my disabled daughter and me, we were forced to go the Ombudsman, costing London Borough of Barnet thousands of pounds in ‘independent’ inspectors, officers and solicitors time.  Well done Kate Kennally!  Now here is some of the evidence to demonstrate how wrong you were: 

When my daughter was in her flat with the ‘cowboys’ commissioned by Kate Kennally’s team, including the In House Supported Living Service (February 2007 – September 2012, whilst Mike Freer MP was Leader of Barnet Council, most of my daughter’s staff ignored her for long periods of time; sat in her flat chatting to their friends and family with their mobile and watching her television which resulted in my daughter often going to bed very early because she was bored.  She did not learn to cook for herself or clean her flat and as a result of her being hungry and unable to prepare anything, many of her main ‘meals’ were a jam sandwich.  Some ‘cowboy’ staff did their family shopping with my daughter trailing behind and they often arrived late causing her great anxiety and distress.  Arriving late is absolutely the worst thing you can do to someone on the autistic spectrum! My daughter’s bed sheets were not changed for 10 months and only one support person spoke to her as a human being.    In between this kind person, she was plagued by staff who made it quite obvious they didn’t want to be with her.  My daughter was put at risk on many occasions and the staff always lied when I reported the incidents to LBB Adult Social Care and the complaints department.  My daughter lived in fear and unhappiness in her own home and her only pleasure was to see me at the weekends.  The service delivery had made my daughter depressed, withdrawn and compliant! 

In September 2012 (thanks to her very caring LBB social worker who was then made redundant in April 2013, and her Advocate and Solicitor) we managed to get a new service provider commissioned.  In only 11 months my daughter is almost unrecognisable to how most people knew her previously.  Her new staff listen, hear, involve, respect, value, chat, consult with her in decisions, explain consequences, encourage her to solve problems, appropriately share their personal life events and so much more. She has become the unofficial office ‘assistant’ to the manager of the supported living service who leads her team by taking her lead from Rachel herself.  As a result of HOW she is being treated by her new service provider, with the focus on the How? the service is being delivered and Who? is delivering the service, Rachel has become feisty, assertive, determined and appropriately outspoken.  She is so much more confident and problem solving for herself and for others.  What more can I ask for so that I can withdraw from being fully responsible for her daily life as I watch my daughter soar to heights most believed impossible. Rachel is safely encouraged to take risks and has a quality of life never experienced previously.  Rachel’s new Service Provider is still delivering the service they had been commissioned to deliver, but it is being delivered by people who are encouraged and supported to work with integrity, warmth and humanity and a far cry from the same skills needed to deliver the service of emptying bins! 

Life really has begun for Rachel at 40 years of age!  Having spent most of my adult life as a family carer, this is the first time that I have been able to enjoy hobbies and activities for myself.  Adult life really has begun for me as a pensioner!

People with learning disabilities usually have low expectations of themselves. In educational terms this is the 'self-fulfilling prophecy' from years of life experiences of society having low expectations of their ability and for their potential; they in turn learn to live by others low expectations of themselves and achieve much less than they are capable of. If London Borough of Barnet commission services for vulnerable people without considering WHO is delivering the service or HOW services are being delivered, vulnerable people will continue to be thought of in the same way as a refuse removal service.

                                                    

Some words of warning…………..

When people are feeling threatened and insecure by redundancy, having their already low salaries reduced and wondering if they will have employment to be able to feed their children next week, the quality of relationships they previously had with our disabled children becomes so difficult to maintain, even for the most committed and dedicated people. Staff will still arrive for work and go through the motions of delivering the service as per Mr Freer's ‘rubbish and fly-tipping being removed within 24 hours’, but the staff would need to be super human to disregard ***Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and connect with humanity on anything but a survival state when they are still striving to feel safe in their jobs and daily lives.   If basic needs of food, warmth security and safety are disregarded, staff will not have reserves and not be able to be motivated to give our vulnerable children the quality of service they need to have a life that increases their friendships, self-esteem, confidence and achievement and develops the quality of their relationships.   It is so simple.  If staff do not fee valued, they will not be able to value the vulnerable people they are supporting.

We should be united in our aims that disabled people be given the same opportunity to soar to the same heights that my daughter is now experiencing. This has been achieved because of the quality of the people (WHO?), their motivation in the way they deliver the service, their own sense of value and self-worth, their positive communication, partnership, affection towards each other, their encouragement for personal growth and fulfilment and the support they are given by their management (HOW?).

People with learning disabilities are not an industry, they are our beloved children who are disadvantaged throughout their lives and sadly, now even more so by people in power believing that services for vulnerable disabled people can be delivered in the same way as delivering a refuse service. 

***”Hierarchy of Needs - A Theory of Human Motivation” 1954

Abraham Maslow  

Abraham Maslow (USA) developed the Hierarchy of Needs model in 1940-50s, and the Hierarchy of Needs theory remains valid today for understanding human motivation, management training, and personal development. Maslow's ideas surrounding the Hierarchy of Needs concerning the responsibility of employers to provide a workplace environment that encourages and enables employees to fulfil their own unique potential (self-actualization) are today more relevant than ever.

Linda Edwards MBE

August 2013

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Linda Edwards MBE is a parent/carer and CEO of a charity involved with care for people with learning disabilities. Linda was recently awarded an MBE for her charity work. Guest blogs are always welcome. 

Barnet Council loses the plot - Two Sides to every story

Sometimes, just sometimes, I am shocked beyond belief at at the shenanigans at Barnet Council. I print the two next items without comment, just an email from Kate Kennally, a director at Barnet Council and the second, a story from BBC Wales. Make your own mind up. No further comment required from me.

Email From Kate Kenally

From: **********
Date: 5 August 2013 15:50:55 BST
To: *********
Subject: Update from Kate Kennally about the appointment of Family Services Director

Dear All

Further to my earlier email, I am pleased to let you know that Nicola Francis will be joining the council on 19 August as the new Family Services Director. Nicola is a social worker by background and has extensive senior management experience of leading Children’s Services. Nicola has most recently been working in Wales, although she started and established her career in London. Nicola impressed the panel with her passion for Children’s Services, knowledge and experience of improving outcomes and commitment to early intervention and prevention. We look forward to welcoming Nicola to the authority.

Kind regards

Kate Kennally 

Director for People

Tel: 020 8359 ****.  Email: kate.kennally@barnet.gov.uk. Fax: 0870 889 ****. Mobile: 07932 ******. 

Building 2, North London Business Park, Oakleigh Road South, London, N11 1NP.

www.barnet.gov.uk

P please consider the environment - do you really need to print this email?

 This is the text from the Story on the BBC website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-22990700

And this is what it says

Nicola Francis quits following abuse files error

Continue reading the main story

Related Stories

• Sex abuse files 'released in error'
• Child safety panel finishes work
• Education row councillor quits

The head of a Pembrokeshire council department alleged to have wrongly disclosed sensitive child sex abuse reports has quit, it has emerged.  Nicola Francis left her job as head of the children's department last week. Allegations her department released reports about child sex abuse victims to another victim are the subject of an investigation. The alleged breach followed a report highlighting failings in safeguarding children.  These included allegations about children being locked in rooms and the hands of one being tied by a teacher. It led to the creation of a body - the Pembrokeshire Ministerial Board - by the Welsh government in 2011 to support the authority.

The panel of experts completed its work days before the alleged data breach was reported.
An official report highlighting Pembrokeshire's failings in safeguarding children led to a row between the council and the Welsh government.  Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) and Estyn carried out a joint inquiry following 25 cases of alleged professional abuse between 2007 and 2011.
The council had said it wanted to assure parents it was working tirelessly to ensure children were safe.
The allegations about wrongly disclosed child sex reports are being investigated by the Wales Information Commissioner's Office - an independent public authority set up to uphold information rights.
An email circulated to staff last week said Ms Francis had decided "to leave the council to return to England to pursue other career opportunities."

The council thanked her "for the committed service she has provided and the successes she has achieved".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Draw your own conclusions. I have

Guest Blog - Discrimination against the ill by Barnet Council? - By John Sullivan

By John Sullivan,

I just read your cancer blog and the update on your own personal cancer issue. My cancer treatment left me with a stomach problem, a quite acute stomach problem that attacks me at random, it should not have happened it was probably  an error on the part of a member of staff of the NHS. But I have never thought to try to sue or anything like that I am just grateful to the NHS that I am still around to enjoy my family, and support my beloved wife and daughter, and  a public free at the point of need NHS currently being privatised by stealth as is the London Borough of Barnet via the One Barnet programme without consultation.

As you are aware part of that support is my dogged determination to ensure quality of life for disabled people in Barnet, with a particular interest in the activities of Your Choice Barnet and its board of directors, along with LBB councillors and officers that are highly paid to ensure the quality of life for the most vulnerable people in Barnet. One of whom is my daughter Susan and linked to her and  important to her quality of life are her peers with a learning difficulty and some with a sensory impairment and other disabilities, and the vitally important skilled and committed support staff  we rely on and value so highly yet have no value where LBB councillors  and YCB  directors are concerned.

Even before the formation of YCB, we had from the then head of adult services Kate Kennally obfuscation misinformation and obstruction, and absolutely no attempt to meaningfully consult on equal terms with parents carers and service users on any important issue. Someone determined to get her own way, someone that thinks they know everything and parents and family carers with hundreds of years of coal face experience know nothing. As a consequence she set in train the divide and rule policy that was adopted and continued by YCB to ensure complete control of all and every decision, ensuring parents and family carers have no impactive input on any subject. Someone enjoying an income in excess of 150K per annum that has decided that skilled coal face workers that have forgotten more than they will ever know about attending disabled people, are being overpaid and as a consequence are having their already low wages cut significantly. A revisit  to the guest blogs of Linda Edwards MBE and the torrid time she had convincing this highly paid person that her daughter Rachel was not enjoying any quality of life or being treated properly will give you some indication of where I am coming from.

Last night at the BSOMC committee Councillor Rawlings was successful in his attempt to secure a review of YCB  I am pleased to say. What I am not pleased about is the rules of this committee. I wrote to them asking permission to speak to the committee in favour of the request of Councillor Rawlings, and believe it or not after having checked with the legal people, that permission was granted . I am a Barnet resident that wanted to speak in support of an item on the agenda, so what need was there to check the legality of my request ? simply because I had had the courtesy to advise them that along with other parents carers and service users we had already instructed experts in this field to undertake a complete review of YCB. Its successes and failures related to the business model it was launched upon, the future viability of all YCB services in their questionable hands, and the viability of bringing all YCB services back in -house. 

We hear the cries of  "outsource anything that moves" Conservative councillors. We hear  that to bringervices back in-house would not be viable based on prejudice not fact, so our review will allow us a few unbiased facts to consider.

One fact  Kate Kennally, LBB councillors and YCB directors  cannot overlook is the fact that after more than 40 years of action in-house,  these services never finished up in huge debt, or found the need to get rid of skilled workers and replace them with cheap labour unskilled labour any Tom Dick or Harriet agency workers. As is the case after just one year of YCB, so might I suggest the return to in-house provision might just possibly be a better bet for Barnet taxpayers and service users and families , than those so determined to outsource everything suggest..

Sadly I was attacked earlier in the day by my random cancer treatment induced stomach problem and unable to make the meeting to speak in support of Barry Rawlings, therefore my colleague and co joint founder of CADDSS Janet Leifer asked to read my statement on my behalf.  It was a statement supported by many other family carers , parents and service users and the intention was quite simply to have those opinions placed on the record and Janet was denied that request.

Like Roger and everybody else that has been visited by cancer I did not choose this situation, and I find it incomprehensible that in these circumstances my democratic right to be heard and have my opinions placed on the record was denied me. Purely and simply because I am one of the many victims of cancer, and was unable to attend and afforded no facility to ensure my democratic right to  be heard via a second party was ensured.

I am so pleased that Councillor Rawlings has stuck to his task he has been continually fighting the corner of disabled people in Barnet and the call to bring YCB services back in-house ,so all we can do is hope and pray he like us is not struck down by some illness. Because that might result in his lone voice in the council chambers in defence of the most defenceless people in Barnet , being silenced  by an uninvited  illness, which I find absolutely bizarre. I ask "since when have people with Cancer been legitimate targets of discrimination and when did they cease to have the rights and dignity afforded to healthy people"