Anyone familiar with Barnet Council and what has been happening over the last four years will know that our 'flagship' Conservative Council has created a complete mess with its one Barnet outsourcing program. You may not believe me, but there are countless press stories which document the problems. See the links below.
Barnet Council signed a huge outsourcing contract with Capita, allegedly to save money. Figures detailing the overspend on the contract with Capita and Re show that this now has a cumilitive overspend running total of over £100 million pounds. Huge sums are being spent on agency staff. In short, the council is being run into the ground.
The Barnet Eye and other Barnet bloggers have identified numerous issues. We have seen countless recovery plans, all of which are sticking plasters, when what we need is to deal with the root cause. That is that this current Conservative regime is completely incompetent. We need a root and branch review of the process, conducted openly. If Capita are proud of their record and believe they can demonstrate that they add value for money, they should be screaming from the rafters about how marvellous their contract is, not hiding behind "commercial confidentiality".
You may think that none of this is your concern. We have calculated that the overspend on the One Barnet project, detailed below equates to £300 per person living in Barnet. I don't know about you, but I think that £1,500 for our family budget (a family of five people) would make a substantial difference. My guess is that would fix all of the potholes in Barnet, sort out the problems that OFSTED found in Childrens services, restore library services and still give you a lower tax bill. When the advert they published stated they cut council tax by £97, they neglected to say that they could have delivered all of their promises and cut it by even more if they ran the council properly.
If like me you do a lot of driving around various parts of the UK, you cannot but notice that the Roads in Mill Hill and Barnet are atrocious compared to most other Boroughs and other parts of the UK. At the weekend, we were in Burnham on Crouch in Essex. As we drove down the High Street, it was clear that whatever is going wrong with Barnet roads is not happening in Burnham. Just to prove the point, we made this video.
I was interviewed by the Barnet Borough Times last week and explained that I believe this is because in 2014 Barnet Council got rid of the staff responsible for inspecting and signing off repairs and brought in a cut price system of contractors signing off their own work.
He said: “The roads were in quite good condition before the cold weather. We have four gangs out all the time repairing them at the moment. If they are reported, they do get fixed.”
Mr Cornelius said the council had been carrying out temporary repairs until the weather improved.
“Now the cold weather is over, the proper patching is taking place,” he added.
The council leader denied the problem was down to the use of private contractors and said the pothole situation in Barnet was “no better or worse” than in other boroughs.
Presumably the weather in Burnham on Crouch is no better than that in Barnet, but as you can see the roads are absoluitely fine. Blaming winter weather is clearly ridiculous, although there was a short cold spell, this was not a particularly bad year. Cllr Cornelius claims that "if potholes are reported, they get fixed". If the Lib Dems get in, we will put an end to this head in the sand reactive approach. We will ask refuse crews to identify and report potholes before they get bad enough to damage cars. I spoke to an expert in civil engineering who confirmed that the sooner you fix them, the cheaper it is and the longer the repairs last.
Voters in Mill Hill and elsewhere in Barnet can be sure of one thing. Councillor Cornelius has kindly made it quite clear that he thinks everything is marvellous and if the Conservatives are re-elected we will see more of the same. Both myself and my fellow candidate Richard Logue have a background in engineering. We will not be fobbed off by contractors who make excuses. We will make sure that a culture of doing things properly and not paying contractors until things are signed off will return. We believe that this will save money and give us better, safer roads. If it's good enough for Burnham on Crouch, it is good enough for Mill Hill and the rest of Barnet. And before anyone says this is just point scoring, the roads in Burnham on Crouch are the responsibility of Essex County Council. That is the council which Barnet had to bring in to sort out their childrens services, when OFSTED identified that they were failing. Essex County Council is a Conservative authority. I mention this, because it is quite clear to me that there are good and bad local authorities run by all shades of political party in the UK. It could not be clearer that, unlike Essex, Barnet are not capable of managing the business of council. Whatever your political persuasion, it is clear that Barnet Council needs change. We believe that only the Lib Dems have a credible program, that doesn't involve throwing money at programs or giving contractors pots of money and hoping it all works out fine.
3. Did you know West Hendon was a hotbed of East German spies in the cold war?
With all this talk of the USSR... here is West Hendon's related history...
Former East German Intelligence building on West Hendon Broadway. Abandoned. Beautiful art deco building. pic.twitter.com/EgPyfCsIGW
— Cllr Adam Langleben 🇪🇺 (@adamlangleben) April 15, 2018
4. There was a time when the people of North Hendon had an amazing local MP. This is a great picture.
Barbara Ayrton Gould 5 Jul. 1945-1950 North Hendon constituency.
Barbara questioned why woman in Holloway Prison were locked in their cell alone from 4.30 p.m. until morning. She asked for the provision of an educational programme in all prisons and access to BBC broadcasts. pic.twitter.com/3BtUiD6Xw3
— Women Members of Parliament (@WomenMPs) April 14, 2018
5. There was a time when Hendon FC were one of the countries top amateur clubs. We hope that those days return and it would be great to see them back in the London Borough of Barnet
Hendon's John Swannell makes a save for the cameras, having been part of their Amateur Cup Final side in 1966. Swannell made his name for the Corinthian-Casuals and played one league game for Stockport County before returning to the amateur game. pic.twitter.com/aXOXtKfriT
Today is a glorious day! It feels like we've finally cast off the shackles of winter and spring is here. On days such as these, I enjoy snapping the sights of Mill Hill and tweeting them. I make no claims to be a great photographer, but I do enjoy it.
It is interesting reviewing the pictures I've taken over the years of Mill Hill. putting this together made me realise that there are a few walks that we've negllected recently, especially around Totteridge Valley. Now the weather is getting better, it is time to get those boots back on! I hope you've enjoy these as much as I have!
1. I snapped this whilst visiting the Daughters of Charity convent on the Ridgeway for a Mill Hill day of reflection. I rather like it
On May 3rd, we will be waving goodbye to a whole stack of Councillors. Barnet is in the public eye. Yesterday, I was on BBC Radio London's Eddie Nestor show (starts at 1.17.45), talking about the forthcoming local elections. whilst we don't know who will be winning and loosing, we already know that some long standing Councillors will be departing. What has disturbed me is that nearly all of the departing Tories who have been deselected or stood down, seem to be from the sensible wing of the local Tory party (for clarification, I don't personally consider the soon to be gone Tom Davey to be in this part of the party,lovely chap that he is).
So lets have a look at some of them. I was inspired to write this, by Hugh Rayner, who tweeted to ask me to point out that he saved a football pitch in Colindale.
Roger please show again the excellent video of the football field in Burnt Oak which i saved from extinction.
Lets start with Hugh (Brians comments in italics).
Hugh Rayner. Councillor Hugh Rayner (Hale Ward ) former RAF Squadron Leader elected in 2006 . Solid , dependable, reliable but somewhat naïve, he is considered a safe pair of hands . A good Deputy Mayor ( to me ) but would not put his name in to be Mayor in 2011 as he wanted it in Olympic year , when he did so in 2012 he was surprisingly beaten by newcomer Brian Schama supposedly because Rayner as Chairman of Hendon Association had upset many of the Hendon Constituency Councillors . Was very hurt by that experience . Had a difficult relationship with Matthew Offord MP but rumours that Rayner was busy ringing round North London Conservatives seeking advise on how to deselect his MP seem to have come to nothing . A bit of a fence sitter will become Mayor in due course unless Hale Ward reverts to its former marginal status.
Barneteye comment - Hugh has been a sensible Tory. Reasonable chair of audit, made sure critics and bloggers got a hearing and didn't duck tough issues. As Brian stated, had issues with Matthew Offord, which to many is a sure sign of being sensible. A critic of One Barnet from the outset. Did he jump, was he pushed? Or had he simply had enough?
Sury Khatri
Councillor Sury Khatri (Mill Hill Ward) Elected in 2010 when 16 years of Liberal dominance in Mill Hill ended. Heavy smoker who dislikes virtually every aspect of Conservative Group policy . Made a speech once in the Conservative Group in which he attacked privatisation , parking policy , One Barnet , Library closures , cuts etc and which colleagues thought was a resignation speech but still he hangs on . Quite happy to tell anyone who asks that "One Barnet" is crazy (as he did at the Audit Committee a couple of months ago ) . Many Tory Councillors think he is barking and wonder if he will sign up to the 2014 Manifesto . Will cause problems if the Tory Administration is reelected next year with a slim majority. The Tory Councillor most likely to defect to Labour.
Barneteye comment - Brian Coleman spells out exactly why Sury was a sensible councillor. He did sign up in 2014 and won a bigger majority. Even after deselection did not defect to Labour, which shows just how badly Brian had read Sury. In short decent, thoughtful, sensible. As to why he was deselected. He was assured by the Leader of the Tories that he was safe. Sadly for him, he'd upset a clique in the party that is angling to replace the leader with the deputy leader. I was told, off the record by a Conservative insider, that this was all to do with representing local residents concerns about loss of parking spaces in Mill Hill, which affected a pet project of one of Khatri's former Tory colleagues. Of course they are all quite busy briefing against each other, so who knows the truth. what we do know is that Cllr Khatri was quite upset.
Joan Scannell
Councillor Joan Scannell (Edgware Ward ) Wily Old Bird first elected in 1994 and before that was a Council Officer serving as PA to the Director of Social Services amongst other things. Long time Secretary of the Conservative Group and knows where some of the bodies are buried. Stickler for the rules. Distrusted by Cornelius and actively disliked by "the boys" who see her as part of the Old Guard that has consistently hated the Cabinet system . Was an excellent Mayor. Is a survivor and I suspect will still be there long after "the boys " have all grown up and moved on .
Barneteye comment - Joan is a friend of mine. We've worked on the Mill Hill Music Festival for many years. A very sensible and solid councillor. Sadly Brian's prediction that she'd outlast "The Boys" was very wide of the mark. Her leaving comments, showed that Dan Thomas, the leader of the gang had comprehensively skewered her. This is well worth a second watch
Maureen Braun Councillor Maureen Braun (Hendon Ward ) Elected in 1998 having previously served 4 years on Camden Council where famously she had a bag of soot thrown over her during a Poll Tax setting debate, now that was proper Politics ! . Loyal to Lynne Hillan and implacable supporter during the Salinger coup had a long term rivalry with Eva Greenspan over the Mayoralty and positions on planning . Has become the target of accusations from the "boys " that she rests her eyes at meetings.
Barneteye comment - Braun was the Tory who broke rank and saved the Mapledown Special School afterschool and respite care, with the famous words "If we are not here to protect the parents of disabled children, what are we here for". I don't get in with Maureen, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I admired her stand and comments. She was done for from the minute she shafted Reuben Thompstone at that meeting.
Helena Hart. Councillor Helena Hart (Edgware Ward) Huge admirer (some would say clone) of the beloved Margaret Thatcher she has become the acknowledged expert on Health . Loyal to Mike Freer he brought her into the Cabinet in 2006 as a reward for her support against Salinger in the coup and because the Group was short of competent women . Would have made a good MP but her heyday in the mid nineties was the time of the Conservative Party's lowest fortune. Hates rows and usually tries to keep a low profile ( less generous colleagues suggest she has a lot of splinters in her nether regions from sitting on too many fences ) Loyal to Lynne Hillan to the end she would make an excellent Mayor but has turned the job down several times
Barneteye comment - Unlike most of the others, had had enough and knew when it was time to go. She was sensible and efficient. I suspect that the group will be weaker without her input.
Brian Salinger,
Councillor Brian Salinger (Oakleigh Ward) now 65 served since 1986 with four years on Haringey before that . Had an unpleasant skirmish with the Local Government Ombudsman ( before the Standards Committee was ever invented ) in the late 80s over a planning application . Has never recovered from losing the Council and Group Leadership after the 2006 local elections in a coup organised by the late great Lynne Hillan and others (including me ) which has lead to a long "Ted Heath " like sulk . Whilst Leader was nicknamed by the Officers "Dr Strangelove " (remember Peter Sellers played all the parts ) after his Leadership was nicknamed "Napoleon" , because he had been a very short leader .
Still thinks he will be summoned back from the wilderness (voted against "One Barnet" in the Conservative Group) but was shocked this year when he was well beaten (by Cllr Melvin Cohen ) in the internal Conservative ballot to be Mayor this year. Yes there is a Conservative Councillor more unpopular than me .
Barneteye comment - The rumour had it that Brian Salinger let it be known that he'd not go until he'd served a term as Mayor. By all accounts this is why the Tory group finally relented and gave him the job. It rather seems to me that for the Tories, being Mayor is the pinnacle of a career. As Coleman mentioned, Salinger was a One Barnet Sceptic, which clearly marks him out as sensible.
Graham Old
Councillor Graham Old (Church End Ward ) Another nice guy who has been around politically a long time . Served on Merton Council with Theresa May but best known for losing in Hale Ward in 1994 which handed Barnet to the Lib/ Lab coalition . Nicknamed by one senior Barnet Tory as the "Councillor for Narnia " because he is so far back in the closet . Hates the infighting since he came on in 2010 but is no Brian Salinger fan . Nice , certainly not stupid , hardworking but sadly a bit wet .
Barneteye comment - I can't say I really know Graham Old, but Julia Hines, who's judgement I trust, assures me he's honest, decent, hardworking and sensible.
Bridget Perry
Councillor Bridget Perry (High Barnet Ward) failed in her initial attempt to get elected at the 2005 High Barnet by election but successfully fought off a Liberal challenge in 2006 . Enjoying being Deputy Mayor having been shafted last year by Kate Salinger. Hard working Ward member genuinely popular in High Barnet with a history of voluntary work with the girl guides. Brighter than she looks and underestimate her at your peril. A rarity in Barnet Conservative Politics in not being interested in high office and having a sense of loyalty, consequently looked down on and patronised by "the boys" .
Barneteye comment - Another councillor I don't really know. Joan Scannell tells me that she's a decent sort and quite sensible.
It looks like a huge fraud scandal is about to break out at Barnet Council. Papers examined by Barnet Blogger John Dix reveal that there is a secret investigation going on into a massive fraud.
So it looks like a serious fraud has been committed at Barnet Council. While they don't want to reveal the details we must understand how this can have been allowed to happen. Was an outsourced finance department and flawed BACS payment system to blame? We need answers ASAP. pic.twitter.com/iP6voWLLmr
John Dix also notes that after five years of the One Barnet outsourcing BACS processing is also experiencing serious problems. It looks like next week's audit committee meeting might be quite "interesting"
Problems with the BACS payment system highlights no clear segregation of duties. This should not be happening nearly five years into the Capita contract and why wasn't it identified earlier? Expect some awkward questions at Barnet Audit Committee. pic.twitter.com/qMoLfOXr1N
As a Mill Hill Resident, I am delighted that my fellow Mill Hill Resident Marie Farmer has won the Entrepreneurial Barnet competition. As a fellow entrepreneur, I understand just how important to the Barnet and national economy it is that we have a society that encourages people with ideas and energy to set up companies, develop ideas and build companies. I have long been a member of the Federation of Small Business that lobbies for Small Business. There is a regular networking event for small business people at Cafe Buzz in Finchley on the first Monday of every month, it is well worth going along.
Marie developed the Mini Mealtimes App which allows parents with fussy-eating toddlers and new mums to wean their children onto solid food, and to gain a clear idea of how much nutrition their child is absorbing. Marie received £3,000 in prize money and will receive ongoing mentoring to grow and develop her business. The 28-year-old, who came up with the business idea during her maternity leave, said: “ I’m so pleased to have won this award, as the prize money and ongoing mentoring will really help me develop my business idea further “The support you receive throughout the process is wonderful. I would definitely encourage anyone with a business idea to enter the competition next year. It gives you an extra boost of confidence and will validate your idea.”
My family have run small businesses in Mill Hill since the 1940's. My parents started a business in Bunns Lane works in Mill Hill to make chairs for the Festival of Britain in 1951, they then started to manufacture reflectors for cars, when they were made compulsory for cars. From this, my father got into the crash repair business and ran a crash repairer called Mac Metals in Bunns Lane Works, Mill Hill until 1984, when he retired. My parents bought the freehold to their business in 1977. Both of my elder brothers worked in the business in the 1970's. In 1979, my eldest brother started his own business "Bunns Lane Welding Ltd". He is the one person in Mill Hill who loves Potholes, as he repairs broken alloy wheels and is doing a roaring business. Shortly before Laurie started his business, my own studio business was formed. Unlike my brother, I didn't start it with any plan for a business. I just needed a place to rehearse. The business grew organically over the years. Now we employ 12 people, some are students struggling to survive with debts and student loans. We've employed several people with long term industrial injuries over the years. We share our estate with a dozen or so other businesses, there is a car steam cleaners, a fitness company, a party facilities company, a fabricator, a crash repairer, a couple of mechanics, a hair products company which specialises in products for African ladies, a tree surgeon, a kitchen design company, a builder, a tree surgeon, a cardboard box supplier and a reggae sound system company, to name a few.
The way small businesses work has changed beyond recognition. In the early 1970's my father employed enough people in his business to run a football team. There were three ladies in his office doing the books, invoicing and sorting out the billing. The chap who runs the crash repair business employs five people and does all the billing himself. IT, power tools etc mean that far less people are needed to do the same work. Whilst most of the work my Father did was for insurance companies, now they run a virtual closed shop and the work is all private, people not wanting to lose their no claims bonus.
As for my brother's welding business. When he started, it was fixing rustbuckets for old ladies who's cars had failed MOT's. Now it is all alloy wheels and classic car restorations. My studio business is no longer sweaty, hairy rock and rollers, who roll up with ciggies and beers. Probably 50% is lessons, dance and photography, the ciggies have long been banished to the wild outdoors! Bands no longer unload crates of beer before they unload their guitars. Most rehearsals are "dry", as people want to work efficiently.
To survive as a small business owner, you have to adapt. When we saw the upsurge in interest in X-Factor, Pop Idol and Britains got talent, we realised that we had to change or die. We built a new, purpose built studio block, with modern facilities which was accessible. The business has thrived ever since. in March we saw double the number of sessions we'd had in March 2013. This is the payback for our hard work and investment. As well as our staff of 12, there are 30 other people who indirectly rely on our studios to make a living, we have a ballet school, private tutors, a violin school and all manner of other people using the facilities as a key part of their business.
Mill Hill is a great place to start a business. The transport links are great, the high street has excellent cafe's for impromptu meetings and there are plenty of like minded people, who are there to support you. If you are interested in starting a business and want some help, come along to Cafe Buzz next month for the networking session and have a chat, as Marie has shown, if you put the work in and have the ideas, it can change your life for the better.
The more I've been talking to residents recently, the clearer it becomes that there is a healthcare crisis brewing in Mill Hill and other areas of Barnet. There is one reason for this. Overdevelopment. Whilst we've been out speaking to the residents of the Millbrook Park development , we've met many who are unable to register their children with GP practices as all local practices are full.
As someone living with cancer, I have to regularly use the services at my local GP surgery. Over the last couple of years, it has become increasingly difficult to get an appointment or even get through to book one. Local Facebook groups are awash with reports of residents unable to get through to book appoinments.
It is clear that the level of overdevelopment in Mill Hill is creating a situation where the GP service simply can't cope. We need Barnet Council and the Mayor of London to stage a public enquiry into local health services and develop a plan to ensure that everyone in Mill Hill and Barnet can get proper access to GP services, as both are party to approval of these massive developments.
We are seeing huge developments in Mill Hill. The Medical Research is currently being redeveloped and there are plans for a massive 800 dwelling development in Pentavia retail park. The local GP services are already stretched to breaking point. Where are the new GP practices, dentists and other services to cope with all of this.
It is not just GP appointments that are in crisis. Barnet Council has recently cut funding for specialist breastfeeding support. They are rather misleadingly claiming that this will now be done by "midwives and breastfeeding buddies". Breastfeeding promotes infant health, reduces infection and is cheaper than formula milk. Have a look at these statements from the Barnet Conservatives website
Another issue to consider is that many new developments are being built on sites with extremely poor air quality. This is creating a health crisis for the next generation of Barnet residents. Some sites in Mill Hill are amongst the most polluted in Western Europe. Building such flats with no GP provision is criminally negligent in our opinion.
The council needs to ensure that the services are in place to cope with the residents we already have. No new major developments should be passed until it can be demonstrated that the infrastructure is in place to cope with it.
We have to start to take a joined up approach to developments. These mega projects need to be part of a holistic plan, not just thrown up on any available plot of land with a "To hell with the consequences" attitude by developers who are making millions.
This morning, I made my way at 7am to Cafe Buzz in North Finchley to attend a business breakfast, with around 40 other local business people. The guest of honour was the Leader of Barnet Council, Richard Cornelius. The purpose of the breakfast was to brief local small business owners and traders as to the local Conservative polices towards small business. This was the third in a series of meetings, The Lib Dems went first with Jack Cohen, Barnet Lib Dem group leader. Last month we had Barry Rawlings representing the Labour Party. Today was Richard Cornelius.
The meeting is a monthly, usually first monday of the month event. It is open to all. It is £10 for a light breakfast and the opportunity to network, with £5 discount for members of the Federation of Small Business.
The remit of the meeting was quite simple. Councillor Cornelius would be answering questions regarding his parties policies on small business. It was not a forum for a wider political debate. I regularly attend these networking meetings. They are a great opportunity to catch up and make new business contacts. If you are running a small business, then it is a great opportunity to network.
Whilst the discussions and networking was very useful, sadly the main act didn't show up. Richard Cornelius, despite having confirmed to the organisers that he would be attending, did not show up and did not send apologies or a replacement. Around 40 people had made the effort to attend the meeting and paid their money for breakfast. I emailed Cllr Cornelius for an explanation, which has not been forthcoming.
I will refrain from any comment, other than to say if Cllr Cornelius was unwell, I hope he gets better. The group of people who he was due to address are intelligent, hard working and natural networkers. They will doubtless draw their own conclusions.
On the third of May, there will be an election held, to choose new councillors to represent the two NW7 wards (Mill Hill and Hale) in the Barnet Council chamber. Whilst local elections sometimes lack the glamour and excitement of the General Election, councillors can actually get far more done in your neighbourhood than your MP. The council fixes potholes, handles school admissions, runs adult social care, maintains parks and pavements, makes sure the street lights work and controls local planning matters. They organise refuse collection and collection of council tax. They distribute benefits such as housing benefits. If you have to sort out any of these issues, then you have to deal with the council or their chosen contractors.
The list of candidates has been announced. Here is the list for Mill Hill ward (Roughly NW7 postcodes east of the M1 to Apex Corner, and East of the A1 and South of Marsh Lane North of Apex).
And here is the list for Hale ward
The team from A Better Mill Hill of Donna, Richard and Roger are proud to be representing the Liberal Democrats in Mill Hill. We are local people, with a long association with Mill Hill. We will represent your concerns with passion and vigour if we are given the honour of your votes and elected. James, Michael and Geoff in Hale are also excellent candidates with a long association with the area.
Don't forget that you get three votes. If you want to see your potholes fixed, money from the Barnet Council community fund, paid by developers when submitting planning applications, used to provide more GP places, if you want serious action and sensible policies to ensure that the burglary epidemic in Mill Hill is addressed by the Police then make sure that you vote for our team on May 3rd.
,%20Hammerson%20PLC%20with%20Winner%20Marie%20Farmer.2018-04-10-14-57-49.jpg)
