Gather your Gorms - It's time to bash Boris

Dave Hill at the Guardian criticises Labour for it's gormless Boris Bashing. Quite rightly Dave says that Labours ridiculous policy of trying to turn people off Boris by calling him a toff or a racist is completely counter productive. Here at the Barnet Eye, we like to think we've got a cupboard full of gorms. We are quite happy to bash Boris, but we limit our Boris bashing to bashing him for breaking his promises and not living up to his expectations.

Boris promised to be a "mayor for the suburbs". He said Ken had neglected areas such as Barnet and he didn't understand the needs of the people who live here. So how has our Barnet friendly Mayor worked out? For a Mayor who claims to be in touch with the suburbs, he clearly doesn't understand that his core constituency are commuters. What has Boris done for the commuters of Barnet? What has he had to say about the First Capital Connect Thameslink fiasco? Given how Boris ejected Sir Ian Blair from the Met Police Commisioners job even though it wasn't within his remit, I wonder why he has done nothing. Had Boris thundered " I will do everything in my power to sack this useless company" when the "emergency timetable" was implemented, I'm sure that the minds of FCC would have focussed rather sharply.

As to the tube service. How many Barnet Commuters were affected by TFL's lacklustre attitude to running a service in the snow. We always get the mantra that it's not economically viable to prepare for bad weather, but according to figures bandied about on the radio and TV, yesterdays disruption to London cost billions. How hard can it be to keep tube lines running when bad weather has long been forecast?

I predicted that the downfall of Boris would be due to his lack of attention to detail and his lack of management experience. It seems to me that this is proving to be the case. Time after time his poor judgement on senior appointments has shown him to be unsuitable for the top job. The Veronica Wadley affair is only the latest in a series of awful judgements by the Mayor.

Another example is some of the bizarre decisions by TFL, of which Boris is the Boss. Abolishing the River Thames from the Tube Map was one. Closer to home in Mill Hill, the decision to reroute the 186 bus away from the Watford Way between Mill Hill Circus and Aerodrome Road is another prime example of lack of attention to detail. This has inconvenienced many local pensioners who used to use the bus to go shopping at Brent Cross. It has also significantly increased the journey time for people North of Mill Hill Circus. Originally a new bus was promised to serve Grahame Park, but a bit of Boris penny pinching put paid to this.

So has Boris been a better Mayor for Barnet than Ken? Not if you use Thameslink. Not if you use the Northern Line, not if you use the 186 Bus in Mill Hill, not if you have to buy a ticket to travel on buses and tubes. The abolition of the Western congestion charge zone will have miniscule positive effects for the voters of Barnet as few people here enter the area regularly. They will however have to pick up the cost of it's removal, in fare and tax increases.

Like many Londoners, I don't care what school Boris went to. All I want from my Mayor is attention to detail and a good job done. Boris has done neither.

Chaos in Barnet - Fantastic snow pictures in Mill Hill Broadway

If like me, you enjoy the snow, here are a few pictures taken at Noon today in and around Mill Hill Broadway.

Here is a lovely picture of a couple of boys tobogonning in Mill Hill Broadway. It seems they've lost their reindeer and are relying on a boxer dog to tow them up the Hill.

I had hoped to get a picture of the guy skiing to Marks and Spencers but he was at the Gherkin counter by the time I'd got the Camera out of the box.

Here's a lovely snowman in Station Road Mill Hill, outside of the M1 Cab office. In the background there's a 186 bus. Due to the lack of gritting the cab office had cleared the pavement outside of their office and made this rather jolly snowman on the pavement.

In the background you can see a 186 bus, the one Boris Johnson has diverted from the Watford Way, effectively putting Brent Cross well beyond the reach of the many elderly who live on the Watford Way between Mill Hill and Aerodrome Road and who used to use the bus to go shopping.

Here's a rather deserted looking Mill Hill Broadway. As you can see, at noon, no attempt had been made to grit the pavements and as a result, rather sensibly no one was out and about shopping. Given that the traders in Mill Hill have effectively lost a days trade, I wonder if the Council has any plans to refund a days business rates? Sadly for the owners of the shops, staff costs are the same, heating costs are higher, but takings will be well down due to the dangerous state of the pavements. I doubt that too many people at Barnet Council care too much about the effect on the business community.

Earlier today, I suggested that Barnet Council Leader Lynne Hillan should have at least been answering her emails and helping to coordinate the council response to the problem whilst on holiday. I asked why she hadn't delegated responsibility to the new Deputy Leader of the Council, Andrew Harper. It turns out that he's on holiday as well and the relatively junior Melvin Cohen is coordinating the response. Both Hillan and Harper receive generous allowances for their jobs. Is it too much to suggest that they coordinate their diaries and holiday at different times of the year. According to the Not The Barnet Times Blog, Hillan receives a "special responsibility allowance" of over £34,000 a year as Council Leader. Surely for such a figure, the least we should expect is that she ensures her or her deputy is around at all times.

Today we've had Mayor Brian Coleman on the Vanessa Feltz show saying Barnet are doing a fine job gritting. We've got the Leader of the Council and the Deputy Leader on holiday at the same time, leaving a junior cabinet member in charge. What is the result of this management drift? Boys sledging up and down the Broadway pulled by dogs, cabbies building snowmen because they can't navigate the sidestreets. Who suffers? The hard pressed businesses who pay rates and have no customers. The normal taxpayers who need to take time out of work to look after school children whos schools are closed. I'm sure Hillan and Harper will get straight on the case. Just as soon as they return from their holidays.

Gordon Brown Vs David Cameron

Otto Von Bismark once famously said that “politics is the art of the possible”. Decades later, economist John Kenneth Galbraith responded to Bismark’s quote saying, “Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable.”

Cameron Vs Brown? Apart from Party apparatchik's is there anyone out their who is genuinely excited by the prospect of either of these two?

Hat tip to the Flying Oskar blog for the quote (and for VickiM for finding it)

No wonder transport in Barnet is in a state of chaos !

I had an extremely urgent query for the Leader of Barnet Council, Lynne Hillan regarding the council's gritting of roads in Barnet. I needed to urgently check claims made on the LBC last night, on the James Whale show, regarding plans for gritting of the Boroughs Roads.

Not wishing to publish incorrect facts on the blog, I sent an email to Lynne Hillan. I immediately got the following response (phone no's masked by me) :-

I am currently out of the office until 8th January 2010.   If you want to contact me urgently, please call Caroline Gray on 0208 359 2***.  For Brunswick Park Ward issues, please contact my colleague Cllr Tambourides on 0208 368****or Cllr Lisa Rutter on 07956 ******.  Otherwise I will deal with your message when I return.

Lynne Hillan has not even been Leader for a month. Surely she realises that this type of major event needs hands on management. I'm not suggesting that she fly back from her holiday, but presumably she's been given a Blackberry courtesy of the council and the least she could do is is pick up her emails. When you take the top job, you get paid more. This is because you have to take extra responsibility. When crises occur, you have to be hands on. Even a note to contact her deputy, Councillor Andrew Harper would at least give the impression of someone being in charge.

The picture at the top was taken at 11am. It is of my road and it is quite clear that no gritting has been done. On a normal day, this would be filled with shoppers cars. From the snow on those parked, you'll notice that most haven't moved. 

The picture on the left here is the pavement. No sign of grit here either. My road is a busy cut through between Mill Hill Broadway and the A1/A41. Many people walk down to the Thameslink station from Apex Corner and beyond.  At this time normally there would be many people walking up and down.

Clearly it is dangerous, especially for the elderly and disabled. This leads us to another question regarding one of Lynne Hillans pet projects. The plan to get rid of wardens for the elderly and disabled in Sheltered Housing. What would these people do if there was a problem today? Call a mobile warden from the other side of the Borough? They'd probably be put through to a foreign call centre and told someone will come next Tuesday.

Unlike Lynne Hillan, these residents, who pay the same taxes as Hillan but don't get massive allowances in return, cannot swan off on holiday to avoid the worst of the chaos.

The bottom line is that the buck should stop at the top. An organisation without leadership is an organisation that will fail. That is why your road probably looks like my road, if you live in Barnet. That probably explains why you are at home, like I am, minding my children, rather than sending them to their school. I lived in Stockholm for a Swedish winter and todays snow is nothing. The schools don't shut down there, because the authorities have sensible plans. How much money has Barnet Council cost the economy by shutting schools and leaving roads unsafe. The reason that schools and roads are shut, is purely down to bad planning. If Council Leader, Lynne Hillan can't even be bothered to pick up her emails, is it any surprise that nothing else works.

Class A hypocrisy from Brian Coleman

I could not believe my ears. I was lying in bed, listening to the Vanessa Feltz show and who pops up to say what a marvellous job Barnet Council are doing? None other than our ubiquitous Mayor Brian Coleman. In the course of the broadcast he made a statement that made me spill my tea. Asked why schools in Barnet were shut, he said that it was due to the problems of staff getting in. No problem there. He then said that pupils generally lived close to the schools and that they could walk in. Again no problem there. Then he said "I'd much rather pupils walked in every day than have their mothers drive them in, in their 4 X 4 cars". Hang on. This is Brian Coleman. This is the man who has spent more public money on taxis than the rest of the GLA put together. This is Brian Coleman who used the Mayor Limo to pick him up from a standards hearing into a complaint against his behaviour. This is Brian Coleman who has the mantra of putting the motorist first in Barnet. This is Brian Coleman who ripped out all of the traffic calming measures designed to slow down cars on roads used by children walking to school. My daughter walks to school every day at Mill Hill County High School. All of her friends who walk from the direction of Poets Corner have to traverse roads with no safe crossings such as Lawrence Street. They have to walk up Uphill road, where Barnet Council removed road humps, even though all but three residents opposed this.

Every child should have a "safe corridor" to walk to school. A route where they do not have to chance their luck with dangerous traffic. Brian Coleman was road safety supremo in Barnet for many years. His policies were the exact opposite of a sensible policy required to get children "out of the 4X4's". Given that Barnet Council has completely neglected to grit sidewalks and sideroads, I'd say that the mums are quite justified in buying 4X4's as these are the only cars it is safe to drive your kids in when it snows.

Brian Coleman then said that anyone having problems caused by extreme weather in Barnet should email him directly via the Council website. Here's a link to his web page if you want to - http://committeepapers.barnet.gov.uk/democracy/council/councillor.asp?intsectionid=9&councillorid=6030 - I just hope he's more polite if you email him than he was to me.

Brian Coleman gets more money from the public purse than any other GLA member or any other Barnet Councillor. Well over £100,000 at last count, for a few part time jobs.  I'd suggest that if you have any problems, he's your man.

Sheepwash Pond and the Tory Deputy Chairman

Sheepwash pond on the Ridgeway is one of the Mill Hill's outstanding landmarks. Generations of children have come to admire the ducks and geese that nest in the island in the middle of the pond. There is a rich flora and fauna with a massive variety of fish, birds, bats and amphibians making their homes around the pond. Anyone familiar with wildlife and conservation will know that many of these species like a quiet environment.

Although the front edge of Sheepwash pond borders the busy Ridgeway thoroughfare, the back edge has trees and farmland (see attached picture from Google Earth). This sort of habitat is vital for the protection of native flora and fauna. Sites like these preserve the fragile ecosystem and form vital Oasis's in the frenetic and busy modern world. The vast majority of residents of Mill Hill recognise the importance of such sites. This is the reason that the Mill Hill Preservation Society in association with the Scouts and the Former owners of the Belmont Riding Stables renovated and cleaned the pond in 1990/1. Schools such as the neighbouring St Pauls use the pond to educate children about the environment. It gives children an opportunity to see native species in their natural habitat.

I've been appalled to see what Hendon Conservative Deputy Chairman and current owner of the Belmont riding stables has done to the pond.  I took some pictures on a visit on Sunday and was deeply upset to see how he's actually fenced off some of the pond to use as a watering hole for his recently installed zoo. This pond is an amenity (I thought for all generations in Mill Hill). What does it say about the Conservatives in Barnet when they treat a natural beauty spot in such a way? Do they not understand the impact that such invasive actions has on the fragile ecosystem and the native species. I am amazed that Barnet Council permits such actions, especially in the Conservation  area. What conclusions can we draw from this. Have a  look at these pictures.

This picture shows how a new fence has been installed IN the pond.In the background you can see non native animals from the "Zoo" drinking. Who knows what effect such a fence will have on the traditional inhabitants of the pond, such as the geese and ducks. I am also worried about the possible effect of the fencing posts on the clay base of the pond. Sadly we won't know until drier weather in the summer if this has been compromised.

This next picture shows the view of the fence from the Ridgeway. Where previously there was an unresticted view of the Totteridge Valley, now we have ugly fences. Can anyone who knows the area possibly think that this is anything other than an act of gross vandalism? One has to conclude that the only people who don't are Conservative Councillor for Mill Hill, John Hart and the rest of the Hendon  Conservatives. As Andrew Reid who owns the Belmont stables and installed these fences is the Deputy Chairman of the Hendon Conservative Association, responsible for membership and fundraising (according to their website), they clearly think that this is marvellous.

Now just in case you think I'm over egging the case for this, lets just remind ourselves that this is in the Conservation area. This means that anything which materially alters the view has to undergo a stringent planning regime. Only in cases of urgent public need, are such alterations normally allowed. Whilst Barnet Council seem happy to let these fences go up, they were taking enforcement action against another fence just down the road (strangely the owner of this fence wasn't a deputy chairman of a local party). This fence is in the middle of a field. Tell me which you think has the greater impact on the look of the Conservation area?

This fence was replacing an existing barbed wire fence. Barnet Council served enforcement action on the owner. All of the rules on protecting the conservation area are there for a good reason. Once it's been destroyed, it's gone forever. Maybe the wealthy landowners of Mill Hill don't care about future generations. Maybe they don't care about conservation of wildlife. Maybe the local Conservative Party don't care what happens to the green belt and the conservation area.

I can assure you of one thing though. The people of Mill Hill care passionately about all of this.

Lynne Hillan makes the headlines (for all the wrong reasons)

A report in the Times says that Hillans Easycouncil scheme to allow rich property developers etc, to pay to jump the queue has been deemed illegal. It seems that Lynne Hillan, rather than realising this bonkers crackpot scheme is unfair and unworkable, has been in to see David Cameron to ask for more "flexibility" for councils. Let us all hope that Cameron gave her a cup of tea, a pat on the head and sent her on her way. I'd love to know how much Barnet Council has wasted on pointless legal cases since the Tories got into power. It looks like there may well be a whole lot more of them sometime soon and as usual taxpayer will pay. If David Cameron really wanted Councils to save money, he'd pass a law limiting councils to just running the services that they are meant to run and doing it properly. Ask anyone how you get results and they say "concentrate on what you are good at". All of Barnets many problems have been caused by getting involved in schemes where they have not got the skill or knowledge base to do the job. Added to that the Tory Councillors have neglected to perform proper scrutiny.

Islam4UK March in Wooton Bassett

I'm not going to say too much about this appalling idea, other than to ask why a group who claim to want to promote Islam should want to hold a march in such a place and in such a way as to totally alienate the vast majority of the British public from their cause. I checked out the Islam4UK website and there is a video clip called "Islam Vs Democracy, Freedom and Secularism". Says it all really. I will say this though, I have quite a few British Muslim friends who think these people are abhorant troublemakers. The vast majority of British Muslims live here specifically for our democracy, freedom and secularism. That is why these idiots will ultimately lose.

Would you trust John Hart and the Hendon Conservatives to defend the green belt?

I've spent much of my life walking around Mill Hill. In my opinion it is one of the most beautiful parts of London and needs to be treasured and preserved. My son goes to school on the Ridgeway and is treated to spectacular views of London and the Totteridge Valley as part of his daily routine. How many children in London can be so lucky?  Much of this part of Mill Hill is within the Conservation area. This means that nothing which materially changes the views and scene of the area can be done without undergoing a rigorous process of planning permission. Even erecting a fence without permission will result in a visit from the Barnet planners. Mill Hill is lucky to have an exctremely active organisation called The Mill Hill Preservation Society which vigorously defends the Green Belt.

Until March this year, I believed that there was a consensus amongst all local political parties that the protection of the Green Belt was paramount. I believed that they all agreed that one of their highest priorities was to ensure that the green belt is safeguarded.


Then I saw this announcement on the Hendon Conservatives website (please click on the screenshot featured left for a readable version or click on the link).

This said the following :-

The officers of Hendon Conservative Association are responsible for the day to day management of the Association and are elected annually by members.

The following were elected at the Annual General Meeting held on 23 March 2009:

Janice Lavery - Chairman, Hugh Rayner - Deputy Chairman (Political), Andrew Reid - Deputy Chairman ( Fundraising & Membership) and Elliot Arwas - Treasurer.

 This announced that Andrew Reid, owner of Belmont Stables on the Ridgeway was appointed to be Deputy Chairman of the Hendon Conservative Association. It is fair to say that Mr Reid and the Mill Hill Preservation Society have not seen eye to eye over the issue of what constitutes acceptable "enhancement" of the green belt. Before Mr Reid owned Belmont Riding Stables, the image at the top of the page was an unrestricted view of the Totteridge valley. Now it is a view of the car park for Mr Reid's newly installed Zoo.

The view to the left is how it used to look before the Zoo was installed.  The grazing field that until recently had farm animals on, has been concreted over. A huge complex of buildings containing Owls and other birds of prey have been installed. Ugly steel fences security fences have been erected. All of this has happened since Mr Reid was elected as an officer of the Hendon Conservative Party. It amazes me that Barnet Council could possibly allow such a development on green belt land, designated for grazing.

 There are many aspects of the whole issue which require further investigation, but one thing is beyond all reasonable doubt. Mr Reid is well known in Mill Hill. John Hart has long been associated with the Mill Hill Preservation society. A leading Hendon Conservative personally assured me, in Mill Hill Broadway, less than three years ago, that he was a steadfast supporter  of the Green Belt. He told me that he would fight any development and passionately cared about conservation. You know what? I actually believed him. Here's another "view"which Barnet Council says is a protected view of the Green Belt, this is the after view. Mr Hart and  the Hendon Conservatives clearly believe that this is how the Green Belt should look, this is confirmed by their choice of officers for the Hendon Conservatives. I think it is awful.

Happy New Year

Wishing all of my readers a Happy and prosperous new year.

I'm having a couple of days off blogging to recover from my hangover !