Thursday, 27 December 2018

The Tweets of The Year in The London Borough of Barnet 2018

As is our tradition at this time of the year, we look back over the year and choose our fave tweets from each of the last 12 months. Regular readers will know that we choosed ten tweets of the week every week, so there are over 500 to choose from. Here's our pick.

January
Sadly the year began with the tragic death of Vijay Patel in Mill Hill. I read somewhere that the average teenager witnesses over 1,000 violent deaths a year in movies and on TV. Sadly these images give no hint to the devastation and hurt that evry single death causes wives, children, parents, husbands, friends and neighbours. I didn't really want to start the round up on such a sad note, but it would have been inappropriate to not mention Vijay.

February
No round up of the Tweets of the Year could fail to mention the amazing work done by Mark Amies in regards to local pubs and in particular The Railway in Edgware. Mark probably could have provided a years worth of Tweets of the year, but I chose February, as this shows just how long the saga has gone on

March
No round up of the year could fail to mention the Beast from the East in March.

April
April saw the start of the the controversial demolition of The National Institute for Medical Research

May
May saw Barnet's fave cafe win a prestigious award

June
In June, we saw some great work from The Compton School discussing womens rights at #ExposureOrg

July
It seems a long time ago when we picked the first blackberrys of summer

August
Summer saw many local waterways dry up. Sadly the lake at The Darlands nature reserve was one of these. It has been mismanaged by the Council for decades, they want shot of it and sadly just don't care at all.

September
Not everyone thinks of farms when they think of Cricklewood. Maybe they should think again

October
No summary of Tweets this year would be complete without a mention for our local litter pickers

November

In November, we chose this tweet from the 2nd Edgware Scouts.



December
If you can make someone happy, you have done something wonderful. I think that our award to Mencap achieved that. We don't often give ourselves a pat on the back, but I think we really do deserve it for this. It is a lovely picture.




That's all folks

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Wednesday, 26 December 2018

Sorry, I'm not really here and none of this happened

A very strange thing happened to me yesterday. I woke up at five AM in a cold sweat, I've been fighting a cold for a few days and I was overcome with a massive sense of anxiety that I'd not be able to put together the Xmas lunch for the ten family and friends who we'd invited for lunch. So I did the only sane, rational thing. I got up and got to work on the preparations. By 8am all of the spuds, sprouts and everything else were prepared. Then the doggies had to walked. Then the dinner had to be executed. I always write a plan. In my snot fuelled haze, I forgot to put the carrots on the plan. As a result we've got a stack of uncooked carrots in the Fridge


Fortunately, there was so much food that they weren't missed. After a couple of glasses of wine with lunch (I never touch a drop on Xmas day until the dinner hits the table), I started to feel really unwell. Despite the Missus telling me it was rude, I felt dizzy and sick, so had to lie down. I just felt feverish and hot and fell into one of those feverish sleeps, where you are transported to strange and disturbing alternate realities. What I've never been quite able to understand is how your brain managed to construct a complete alternative reality and life story for you in such slumbers. Even stranger is how they are prepared with such random narratives and no back story. So one minute I'm having lunch and drinks with the family. The next minute I am sitting in Sidoli's Cafe in Aldgate on Leman Street. This has long been demolished. I used to nip in every day for a cup of tea and chat to Marg, the tea lady.

Image result for "Marine Broker" "Leman street"
Sidolis and The Marine Broker
The family who own it live locally in Barnet. They sold up and it is now a block of flats I believe. I always felt really at home there. They also owned a wine bar next door called The Marine Broker. I spent many a drunken lunch and evening in the place. It was a very friendly bar and somewhere that time passed far too quickly (and drinks flowed too easily). The family had owned it for decades and would tell how it used to make its money selling breakfasts to dockers and sailors from the Port of London. When I was working there, the main source of customers were from the huge Nat West IT centre in Goodmans fields next door, although the manager of The Lap Dancing club over the road would often nip in for a cuppa before starting work.

So that is the reality (well our reality) of the area. When I worked down there, I'd see a big issue seller every day and a couple of regular buskers in the subway. I got to know them quite well. One day, the Big Issue seller stopped me and said "Thanks for your support over the years, I won't be here any more, I've got a job and flat lined up. I'm getting myself sorted out. I am going to be alright". I was overjoyed. We'd first really talked on day after an "expose" in the Sun (I think) that said Big Issue sellers were earning thousands a week and living the life of Riley. I happened to be walking past as an obnoxious city type gave him a mouthful and started waving the article at him. One of my faults is that I tend to get agitated by bullying, which I saw this as a clear example of. So I challenged this young man and said "Hang on mate, if it's so easy, you swap places with him. Don't you remember how the Sun lied about Hillsborough". Like all bullies, the said individual immediately ran away. The guy selling the Big Issue was rather upset. I went and got him a cup of tea and a bacon roll from Sidoli's and said "Listen mate, don't judge us all by his behaviour, he's a twat". I then spoke to all of the people I worked with and made sure all (apart from a couple of rather unpleasant individuals) bought a copy.

When he was leaving, he said there'd be a new seller on the patch. That didn't turn out as well. The guy had serious substance abuse problems. One day, another seller was there. I asked about the previous one. "Oh, he's in the Whitechapel Hospital, he's got gangrene. He'll be dead in a couple of days. They wanted to operate but he wasn't prepared to give up drinking to let them anaesthetise him". He'd been banned from Sidoli's for pissing himself in the cafe (as I recall). Sid's would usually give the sellers a free cuppa so long as they behaved themselves and didn't bother customers, which most would never dream of doing. The story of this poor young man always disturbed me. Perhaps what disturbed me as much was that his replacement thought his reaction was perfectly natural and normal. I've always loved life.

Last week the Evening Standard reported that over 600 homeless people have died in five years in London, with the average age of 44. This is a fact I was sadly aware of . My experiences with these guys in Aldgate made me want to do more than simply buy Big Issues and cups of tea. I took the decision to volunteer for The Passage, a day centre for Homeless people, based in Victoria. I figured I could nip in before work in our London office and help with a breakfast shift. Through this, I learned a hell of a lot more about the situation. Some of the clients were amazing people, who simply had been unfortunate that life hadn't worked out right. An alarming number were ex service people with PTSD, people who had put their life on the line for the UK and been casually thrown away when they were no longer useful. There were migrant workers, who had run out of money and luck, there were people with mental illness and substance problems. Some of these could be quite difficult and rude, but you just have to accept this and smile. It was worth it for the nice ones and the odd occasion where you met an ex client who was back on their feet.

Anyway, I digress, this will perhaps give you some sense of background to what happened ten or so minutes after I left the dinner table, laid down and dozed off. I found myself absolutely freezing cold (probably a side effect of the cold I was suffering on my metabolism). I found myself dazed, confused, not knowing who I am or where I was wandering the empty streets of London. Then I saw a welcome sight. I saw Sidoli's cafe. Knowing that this was a good place and I could have a cup of tea and get my head together, I walked in. Sadly the people in there were not the friendly faces of Lou and Marg. They were people I didn't recognise. As I walked in they started screaming at me to get out. I was even more confused. I asked why "We told you yesterday not to come back after you pissed on the floor". I had no recollection of this at all, but walked out into the cold. I realised I was cold, alone, dishevelled, without cash or a friend. I tried to think where I could go to get warm, then I simply thought 'Why bother, what is the point?'. At that point, our dog jumped up on the bed and woke me up. When you are in the middle of a dream and you are violently woken up, you have that horrible experience of not knowing what is going on. I was still in the alternate reality, but I was in a warm bed in a comfy house with a friendly dog licking me and wanting to play. I was confused, had someone taken pity on me? Then it all came flooding back. No I'm not down and out walking the streets. If Sid's was still open I'd be more than welcome. I'm not incontinent, I am not cold, I'm not alone, I have a nice new wardrobe following Xmas, I have cash, my house was full of friends.

My mind had gone to all of that trouble to construct such a different reality? Why? I guess I'll never know. If I had the choice, I know which life I'd choose. I'd have to be insane not to. But then, if I was insane, would I have the choice. Maybe somewhere in London, some poor soul has just been thrown out of a cafe, is lying cold and completely demoralised. Maybe they are having a fevered dream that they are in our house, part of a loving family. I just feel sorry for them when they wake up and confront their reality. Christmas in 2018. For far too many, there is no room in the Inn.
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Tuesday, 25 December 2018

Merry Christmas to all our friends - Our Xmas Day playlist!

Merry Christmas to all our friends. Here's our super cool Christmas playlist for the happiest day of the year. Have a great one!



 
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Monday, 24 December 2018

Christmas Eve - A special message from The Barnet Eye

If like us, all of your teenagers have returned from Uni for the season, I'm sure you are having fun with your routine thrown out of the window. Much as I love having all of the children home, I'd forgotten the joy of hearing them squabbling. My solution, put on some really loud punk rock music to drown it all out. This is the tenth time I've written a Christmas Eve blog. What was my message ten years ago? I thought I'd have a look. I wrote

For me personally 2008 has been an awful year. I hope it's been better for all of you.  

Peace and goodwill to you and in the words of the great and wise Leonard Graves-Phillips - keep watching the skies !!!!! 

It was a rotten year. My mum had died, my father in law had died, my mother in law had had a heart attack and unbeknown to us was about to be diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. There had been a global credit crunch, with the country plunged into recession. Boris Johnson had replaced Ken Livingstone as London Mayor, Gordon Brown was Prime Minister, David Cameron was leader of the opposition and I was still a very disaffected member of The Labour Party. David Bowie, Mark E. Smith, Amy Winehouse and Pete Shelley were all still alive and kicking.

A lot of things have changed. Gordon Brown and David Cameron have long gone. We had an Olympics in 2012 when the whole world saw Great Britain at its best. How times have changed.

But my message to you at this time of year, when we hook up with old friends and new, see family members that we've not seen for ages (some we wish we weren't seeing at all), eating, drinking too much and generally enjoying ourselves is the same. So Peace and goodwill to you and in the words of the great and wise Leonard Graves-Phillips - keep watching the skies !!!!!

This year we lost Mark E. Smith of the Fall. Here is one of his finest compositions, which has a rather festive tone. Enjoy!


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Sunday, 23 December 2018

The Tweets of The Week in the London Borough of Barnet - 23/12/2018

The festivities are almost upon us. The timing of Xmas this year means that it seems like a very lengthy period of festivities. But the world keeps spinning, so lets have a look at what the tweeters of our little piece of paradise have to say.

1. This is a great little clip featuring the beloved Hendon Way! I do love an old movie filmed in our manor


2. When I see tweets like this, it really dos make writing this blog seem worthwhile. Mencap are our charity of the year. If you can make someone smile at Xmas, then you've justified the oxygen you consumed today


3. I don't like the look of this big red plane over Mill Hill!


4. This seems to be a very reasonable comment.


5. The good people of Mill Hill really have had enough of flytipping!


6. Historical tweet of the week, I bet you didn't realise what a dangerous place we live in

7.Xmas in Mill Hill. Carols and the Big Issue outside M&S


8. Nothing like freshly grown brussels. I like to fry them in Olive Oil with salt, pepper and smoked paprika! What's your Xmas dinner tip?


9. Last year, Colindale Foodbank were our Charity of the Year. They continue to be an inspiration. Hats off to the pupils at Whitefields School for their efforts.


10. In a band? Fancy a free rehearsal tomorrow?



That's all folks!!!
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Saturday, 22 December 2018

The Saturday List # 200 - #SaveLondonMusic - The top twenty tracks recorded in London Recording Studios

Image result for london calling
London Calling - The iconic London Song
So we reach our 200th Saturday List. To mark this, I have put together a special list, that has taken a rather long time to research and check. 

For me, nothing is more important than the London Music Scene. On Saturday, we had the Save London Music Xmas party with The False Dots and epublic of Brentford, on Monday, I went to see Ian Shaw at Le Crazy Coq's, last night I was at The Dublin Castle in Camden for The Pogue Traders  Tonight I'm at The Dublin Castle for the Barnet  band of The Year, The Silencerz. This is not a chore, its a privelige for me. We are so lucky to live in London and have all this on our doorstep, great music at grassroots venues.

As I run a recording studio, another aspect of London Music that I especially love is the recorded history of recorded music in London. I have been researching this and put together my personal top 20 tracks recorded in London Recording Studios. The rules are simple, the tracks must be recorded in a London Studio (or live at a London venue and be iconic) and there can only be one per artists/band.

There may seme to be some strange omissions/inclusions. Some are down to my personal prejudices, some are because songs that we always think are London tracks were recorded somewhere else (a good example is 20th Century Boy by T. Rex, which would be in but was recorded in Japan). I'd love a top 30, but it would need to include pre 1960's and post 2000 music, which are not areas that I am especially up on. My main knowledge is between 1965 and 1995. When I expand to 30, Parklife by Blur will def be added as would Kinky Afro by The Happy Mondays. Amy should be there, but the albums weren't recorded in London.

Here is my list, have a listen and take some pride that all of this music was recorded in our amazing City.


What would you add? Please check whether the song was actually recorded in London
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Friday, 21 December 2018

The Saving of the Midland Hotel - How to run a model community campaign

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John from The Midland receives an award
Is there a future for pubs and live music venues in London? Before we consider any issues about campaigns, we need to consider this fundamental question. The evidence I've seen this week confirms what I've long believed the situation to be. On Saturday night, at the #SaveLodonMusic/Barnet Eye Xmas Party and annual community awards, we presented The Midland Hotel in Hendon with Barnet Eye pub of the Year and the Campaign to save it with the community campaign of the year. I had a long chat with John, who is the Landlord. I've known John for a good few years now, but it is actually the first time I've had a proper conversation with him. The Midland was formerly owned by Greene King breweries, who sold it to developers three years ago. John explained that since he became a free house, when Greene King sold up, he's been making far more money. This surprised me, but John explained "Under Greene King, I was a tied Landlord and had to pay a fixed rate for the beers. Now I can shop around, I can get most at almost half the price and offer a better selection of beers". John has been highly supportive of the #SaveLondonMusic campaign, welcoming us on numerous occasions for gigs at the pub. It is clear that far more people are using the pub and the work John has done has massively improved the ambiance. He's brought in a table tennis table and transformed the ambiance. It has taken time. Sadly in September, the developer, who had not spoken to John of their plans, dropped a bombshell, as a planning application to knock down the pub appeared on the Barnet Council planning portal. The Barnet Eye blog immediately issued a rallying cry to the local community to object to the plans.

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At the heart of the community
That is the background to the campaign. A thriving pub business up against a developer who simply sees the site as a way to make a quick buck (or a million of them). It soon became clear that Barnet Council had been working quietly with the developers for a considerable amount of time behind the scenes on the plan. The Capita run planning department had apparently been advising the developers that there should be know problem getting their plans through. It really is quite astonishing that a local authority should not have considered the impact on local people, but that appears to be exactly what happened. There have been many worries about the effects of outsourcing the running of the planning department and the conflict of interest between the council making decisions and advising developers. The case of the Midland would seem to us to be a prime example.

As a result of the Barnet Eye blog, a flurry of objections were posted on the Council website. Once local people became aware of the issue, a group to Save The Midland was formed. The primary focus initially was on getting as many objections as possible, as this was the number one priority. This was highly successful, getting an unprecedented number (over 600) of objections. Local councillors were contacted, who in turn involved the local MP. Local community groups, both formal and informal were also involved. The next step was to get the pub listed as an asset of community value. This gives the pub a degree of protection from redevelopment, putting major roadblocks in the way of development. Local groups and campaigners made submissions. This then went to council and was granted this week.

This has been a major victory. Of course there are still many things that could happen. The planning application is yet to be officially determined, although it would be perverse if this was now granted. There may be appeals etc. But what the campaign has shown is that when a community gets together, it can change things. My expectation is that this is not done and dusted yet, but I think that ultimately the Midland is now highly likely to survive. The developers are still getting a decent income from the pub so have not lost money. I hope that they realise that they are actually sitting on a great asset, and whatever they do, they put the pub at the heart of it (although I know of few developers who actually think like that).

I think that the Midland Hotel Campaign is an absolute model of how to run a successful campaign.

Here are the key elements.

1. Kick start the campaign using all available social media resources, such as Twitter, Facebook, local bloggers, local Press and local radio. All of these have been deployed by the Save The Midland campaign.






2. Set up a committee to manage the campaign. Make sure this includes local people who are directly affected and also people with direct experience of running campaigns. For the Midland Campaign, an absolutely vital aspect was the support of local councillors, notably Councillor Helene Richman, who is a qualified Lawyer and has proven invaluable in ensuring that the campaigns arguments are legally sound. The Rev Julia Candy from St Johns had an influential role in gaining cross community support and should be acknowledged.

3. Ensure that the absolute maximum number of objections are posted. The Save The Midland Campaign actually set up an "objection station" in the pub with a laptop and someone to help locals object. A local council cannot ignore these. If more than five objections are received the scheme has to go the planning committee. If more than 500 are received, councillors will realise that the people who elected them are taking a major interest.

4. See if listing as an Asset of Community Value is feasible. This is the next best thing to being listed to preserve a building. It is worth checking out the details of the Midland application, as this is a model for how to do it.

5. Run local events to raise awareness. The Barnet Eye organised a party, which resulted in a packed pub and a whole stack more objections to the scheme. Ensure that all users of the pub make representations. The ACV application for the Midland had support from CAMRA, The Save London Music Campaign, the Montague Road Association and local residents. Angels Fancy Dress also provided a list of social events at their local pub.

6. Remember the job is never done. I suspect that every pub under threat can expect to have to fight for years, or even decades. Until the planning laws are adjusted to reflect the distortions that skyrocketing property prices are causing in our communities, we will see more not less of this. The Midland is a successful local pub. The only logic for knocking it down is that a developer can make a quick buck. If developers know that an authority is not going to facilitate this, then maybe, just maybe they will think twice. That is why it is so important to fight. Why not pop into the Midland for a pint over Xmas. We will be and why not become a Facebook friend


If you need any help or advice in how to help save your local music venue, please contact the #SaveLondonMusic campaign for advice and help
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Wednesday, 19 December 2018

The Wednesday Poem #52 - Christmas in Burnt Oak

Image result for "burnt oak"
A roof collapse in Burnt Oak in the 1970's
Last poem before Xmas, so I thought I'd rework the twelve days of Christmas encapsulating my fond memories of Burnt Oak, past and present.

There are some great pictures (see left) of Burnt Oak on the Mempics website (Click here)
I love Burnt Oak, my band had a residency at the Bald Faced Stag in 1983/4, I spent many an hour bunking off lessons and drinking tea's in the Betta Cafe (often with Boz Boorer, until he got banned for asking if the automatic spoon greaser was broken). It still has two fine fishmongers, if all the pubs are gone.


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My brothers Baptism at The Annunciation
My parents were married by Fr Fred Smyth at The Annunciation church in 1944, my Grandma lived at 56 Milling Road, my brother Laurie met his wife in The Annunciation Social club in the 1970's, she was working at Burnt Oak Library at the time. Their first home was a council flat in Gunter Grove (remember when young couples could get them?). I went to School at Orange Hill School, next to Watling Park, which is one of the finest parks in Barnet. My son played youth football for Watling Boys FC. The area has changed, but it is probably the most vibrant and lively area of anywhere in the Borough.

The area has changed. The famous "Burnt Oak Boot Boys" of the late 1960's and early 1970's have been replaced by a large Romanian community. The Pubs have gone, but there is now all manner of different cuisines being sold at restaurants and cafe's. The market is has been closed for a while, the little alley from the High Street has been closed.


I have seen some very 'interesting' sights (and smells) down there over the years.


The 12 Days of Christmas in Burnt Oak

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me
A Betta Cafe cuppa of tea
On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Two fine fishmongers
And A Betta Cafe cuppa of tea
On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Three Closed pubs, Two fine fishmongers
And A Betta Cafe cuppa of tea
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Four Romanian Cafe's, Three Closed pubs, Two fine fishmongers
And A Betta Cafe cuppa of tea
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Five blokes in Bling, Four Romanian Cafe's, Three Closed pubs, Two fine fishmongers
And A Betta Cafe cuppa of tea
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Six Halal butchers, Five blokes in Bling, Four Romanian Cafe's
Three Closed pubs, Two fine fishmongers
And A Betta Cafe cuppa of tea
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Seven late buses, Six Halal butchers, Five blokes in Bling
Four Romanian Cafe's, Three Closed pubs, Two fine fishmongers
And A Betta Cafe cuppa of tea
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eight massive potholes, Seven late buses, Six Halal butchers
Five blokes in Bling, Four Romanian Cafe's, Three Closed pubs, Two fine fishmongers
And A Betta Cafe cuppa of tea
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Nine fresh fruit sellers,
Eight massive potholes, Seven late buses, Six Halal butchers
Five blokes in Bling, Four Romanian Cafe's, Three Closed pubs, Two fine fishmongers
And A Betta Cafe cuppa of tea
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Ten smackheads sleeping, Nine fresh fruit sellers,
Eight massive potholes, Seven late buses, Six Halal butchers
Five blokes in Bling, Four Romanian Cafe's, Three Closed pubs, Two fine fishmongers
And A Betta Cafe cuppa of tea
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eleven Watling boy, Ten smackheads sleeping, Nine fresh fruit sellers
Eight massive potholes, Seven late buses, Six Halal butchers
Five blokes in Bling, Four Romanian Cafe's, Three Closed pubs, Two fine fishmongers
And A Betta Cafe cuppa of tea
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Twelve boot boys meeting, Eleven Watling boy, Ten smackheads sleeping
Nine fresh fruit sellers, Eight massive potholes
Seven late buses, Six Halal butchers
And Five blokes in Bling, Four Romanian Cafe's, Three Closed pubs, Two fine fishmongers
And A Betta Cafe cuppa of tea, and A Betta Cafe cuppa of tea
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Tuesday, 18 December 2018

Barnet Council reveal their utter contempt for local taxpayers and residents

There are many things I could write a blog about this morning. Jose Mourinho has been sacked as Manchester United manager, the cabinet are discussing a "No Deal Brexit" and last night I went to an amazing gig at Le Crazy Coqs to see Jazz pianist Ian Shaw. All of these are interesting in their own way. However, I have just received an email that left me speechless. A Barnet resident emailed the Council about a matter of concern. The resident has a long running dispuet with the council, and rightly or wrongly feels most aggrieved. The response he received from a senior council officer was the most disgraceful response I've seen to date to a resident from a paid officer

-----
From: Tatlow, David
Sent: 18 December 2018 07:23:10
To: N******** D****; Tsangari, George
Cc: Charlwood, Andrew; Gaudin, Fabien; Hooton, John; Cornelius, Cllr Richard
Subject: Re: 3 Sunny Gardens Road, Hendon, NW4

Please do not respond as advised previously. His complaint is closed.
David.
-----

I have blanked out the name of the recepient for privacy reasons. What is 100% clear is that the leader and the CEO of the Council have been copied so will have seen this crass act of rudeness. Most interestingly, I recently emailed the leader and CEO of the Council about a matter of utmost urgency.  

From: ROGER TICHBORNE
To: John.hooton@barnet.gov.uk ; Richard Cornelius ; Cllr Daniel Thomas ; Cllr Anthony Finn
Cc: John Dix; Derek Dishman ; Theresa Musgrove ; John Burgess;
Sent: Thursday, 13 December 2018, 11:05:52 GMT
Subject: Urgent - Capita Response to Grant Thornton reportr

Dear Sirs,

I read in disbelief the response from Capita to the Grant Thornton report. This response, in effect calls Grant Thornton incompetent and unprofessional.  (Financial controls - barnet.gov.uk)




The response states
"Capita statement in response to Grant Thornton report

Capita wholeheartedly refutes the conclusions of this highly caveated and limited report, which Grant Thornton themselves admit is not a comprehensive formal audit.

The report’s conclusions regarding financial controls across the council and Capita’s CSG and DRS contracts have not been independently verified, are not underpinned by clear evidence, and in many instances seem to be based on opinion and hearsay.

Capita accepts that this case highlighted failings, which we have worked in partnership with the council to overcome. All the actions raised as a result have already been delivered by Capita and are in the process of being audited. We are committed to continue working with the London Borough of Barnet to deliver all of the activities in its rectification plans to achieve improved financial controls across Re, CSG and the Council.  "

There are only three possible conclusions that can be drawn from this statement.
1. Grant Thornton are incompetent and Barnet Council should commission a new report from a company that is recognised as capable of doing the job and not presenting "opinions and hearsay" as fact. If this is the case, Capita should demand that a new report is commissioned by a company that can be deemed "independent". If this report exhonorates Capita, Grant Thornton should pick up the tab. If it confirms Grant Thorntons findings, then Capita should issue an apology and pick up the tab.
2. Capita have issued a defamatory statement that is both misleading and libellous. If this is the case, then presumably Grant Thornton will sue Capita (and possibly Barnet Council) for publishing it. No potential customers of Grant Thornton could possibly consider working with a company that has such serious doubt cast on its professional integrity. In this case, the Council should call time on the Capita Contract in short order.
3. Both Grant Thornton and Capita are equally culpable. Capita have failed to deliver the services that they were commissioned to provide and Grant Thornton have failed to provide a competent assessment of the failings. The only way that this can be proven would be to commission a new, independent report. Should this be proven, then both Grant Thornton and Capita should pick the tab up between them.
It is clear that Barnet Council need to take this accusation seriously. Unless Grant Thornton seek a retraction and apology in short order, a new report is required that is beyond reproach. At a recent Audit meeting the chair assurred me that Grant Thornton were a professional company with great integrity. Given that Barnet Councils chosen partner and procurement agent have issued such a scathing assessment of their work, this assessment has clearly been called into question. I seek your assurance, as  council tax and business rates payer that Barnet Council will take immediate action to ensure that residents can have confidence in the management of the Capita account. Following this statement, there can be none until either Grant Thornton are exhonourated or a new report has been published.
Regards
Roger Tichborne
-------

I can only assume that the recepient of the email from David Tatlow was never supposed to see the response and was sent due to gross incompetence. The only other possible explanation was Mr Tatlow simply wanted to be rude. Either is inexcusable. This leads to the question as to whether there is a blanket policy of not responding to residents. This morning, prior to receiving a copy of this email, I'd actually emailed Leader and Ceo of the Council asking for an explanation as to why my communication had been completely ignored. I assumed that this was probably just down to workload, but in light of this latest development, I must now conclude that there could be a far more sinister reason. 

At a recent Council meeting, a Council officer told a blogger that asking questions was a waste of everyones time. It now seems that the Council no longer feel that they are accountable to us. I believe that this is a result of the Barnet Conservatives receiving a massive majority in the May Council Elections. They no longer think they need to bother about us, the voters. I had previously believed the Council Leader to be a basically decent and affable chap with impeccable manners. There is now evidence that his administration holds the general public in contempt. 

I would suggest to Mr Cornelius and his cohorts that this is an exceptionally bad policy. There is likely to be  General election sometime soon. Whilst I am sure he believes that the local Tory MP's are unassailable, that is often what happens just before out of touch political structures are toppled. As a blogger, this only inspires me to shout about what I see on a daily basis even louder than I would otherwise. 



Earlier this year, I made a short movie about how Barnet Council are more interested in serving the shareholders of Capita than the general public. Many of these comments resonate even more loudly in light of this latest revealation. The Current regime is totally uninterested in ordinary residents. The executive are purely interested in their own jobs and making sure no one rocks the boat. They are no longer even bothering to conceal their contempt.  I wonder how many other residents are on Mr Tatlows blacklist.

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Monday, 17 December 2018

Environment Monday - Barnet Council and a sustainable transport policy

Every Monday, we look at issues affecting our local environment. Today we look at the transport policies of Barnet Council and how they are working with The Mayor of London todeliver a coherent transport policy. The answer sadly seems to be "they aren't".

The relevant page on the council website says

Local Implementation Plan

The Mayor of London produces a transport strategy for London. Local Implementation Plans set out what individual borough's will do to implement the Mayor's Transport Strategy locally.

Local Implementation Plan for 2005/6 – 2010/11
 We are consulting on the new Local Implementation Plan from 2011/12.

After more digging, I found a draft version of a 2018 plan.

The objectives are described, interestingly it says
The aspiration to increase sustainable travel to a mode share of 80% presents significant challenges for Barnet, where the car remains an important mode of transport. A significant number and proportion of car tripswithin and across Barnet originate  elsewhere and are  between origin and  destination points outsideof the Borough on keystrategic routes (e.g. M1, A1, A41,  A406). Equally, the origins and destinations of traffic on these routes are not necessarily within  Barnet and traffic
reduction strategies will require cross-borough collaboration significant input, and potentially funding, from TfL. Those who administer such roads (TfL and Highways England) must help contribute to vehicle reduction targets on their networks in Barnet, especially in relation to freight.
 So is 80% "sustainable" achievable? The answer is that it certainly should be, but before we can answer, we need to be sure what sustainable really means. I can find no proper definition of this in the document. It could be argued that the only truly sustainable form of transport is walking. Even cycling requires raw materials, steel, rubber and plastics and requires a smooth carriageway. A human on their feet is the best all terrain vehicle. In fact probably the only place that a human being is not at home travelling on is a road or cycleway. But realistically most people would not walk more than a mile if they need to get somewhere. If you live in Cornwall, this makes walking more or less anywhere impractical, however in the London Borough of Barnet, good design should put facilities in easy walking distance. I live in Millway, the shops, railway station are 1/4 of a mile. My place of work is 1/2 a mile. I rarely need to drive. I tend to take Thameslink to town and use the bus and tube network. It is quicker and cheaper than a car for such journeys.

When I speak to people who drive into town from Mill Hill, the reason is generally they live more than a mile from Mill Hill Broadway Station and when they factor in the cost/hassle of parking at Mill Hill station, they find a car journey more pleasant. Typically they do not work in the centre, but in places such as Hackney and Tufnell Park. The question has to be, how do you encourage such people into "modal shift". The options for some is a bus journey or cycling to the station. Many of the buses are packed or don't serve their roads. For people living in areas like Bedford Road, the walk/cycle to Mill Hill Broadway station is from pleasant. The nearest bus to the Broadway is the 251 which involves a ten minute walk in the wrong direction, for a service that is often packed.

I've long been a fan of the concept of small hopper buses that serve specific estates and locations, opening up public transport to estates a mile or two from stations. These are ideal for electric or hydrogen cell vehicles. Such solutions are not necesarily sexy, but do offer a simple, quick win. This is recognised in the strategy "Work with TfL to review bus routes to serve new development and lessaccessible locations and to realise the  delivery of orbital express bus provisionand demand responsive public transport.". It will be good to see what comes out of this review

Then there is cycling. From my perspective, the biggest issue in the Borough of Barnet is safety. To cycle safely, there should be segregation between cars, cycles and pedestrians. Juncions such as Apex Corner, Henleys Corner, Brent Cross and Mill Hill Circus are quite simply lethal. Cars and Lorries often drive aggresively as soon as they see a cyclist and are resentful of cyclists riding defensively. Cycling is an excellent way of travelling distances of between 1-3 miles. Whilst I mentioned that there are environmental costs compared to walking, it is the greenest vehicular form of travel. Barnet Council should be identifying journeys in the 1-3 mile band, that are potentially popular, and installing segregated cycleways. All stations, schools and hospitals should have clear paths between local housing estates etc and such sites. This would reduce pollution and traffic and increase health. Sadly there are virtually no proposals to make cycling safer in the Borough. This is a real missed opportunity. Barnet likes easy to implement schemes such as cycle parking, and training schemes, but have an intense aversion to actually making safe cycleways. There are opportunities, such as the disused rail lines between Mill Hill and Edgware and Mill Hill Broadway and Mill Hill East. These should be converted to cycle lanes ASAP.

Then there are the railways and tube network. The Thameslink network has had a major upgrade. Once the teething problems with the timetable are ironed out, this will massively improve travel options. Interchange with Crossrail at Farringdon will also make travel to Heathrow far easier. The proposed Brent Cross Railway will also open up West London to Barnet residents. Sadly there are no plans to extend the line to Colindale and Mill Hill, which would open up the RAF museum to mainline train travel and the new developments at Graham Park and Colindale. The Northern Line also needs to explore ways to improve travel options to Mill Hill East and beyond to Copthall and Saracens. Perhaps the major improvement would be to have step free access at stations. It is totally unacceptable that 2 million people a year use Mill Hill Broadway, but none are in a wheelchair. This is recognised in the strategy "Step  Free access is proposed at additional Northern Line stationsin the borough at Mill HillEast, Burnt Oak and in the major growth areas of Colindale andBrent Cross.The delivery of Brent Cross West will provide a new National Rail station with step-free access and London Borough of Barne thas  undertaken a study and provided information to Network Rail, forapplication to the DfT regarding proposalsfor introduction of step-free accessat Mill Hill Broadway Station" This is a painfully slow process. When the idea of a London Mayor and TFL was first mooted, we were told that this was just the type of thing they would make happen. Sadly we've had three Mayors over  a period of eighteen years. Two were obsessed with grand schemes and the third seems unable to make a decision about anything.

The plan talks about consultations. Sadly the date for this has been missed as it was between 2 November 2018 and 7 December 2018 (according to the document). This is a ridculously short period of time and sadly I completely missed the deadline. Many other Boroughs actually ask local bloggers etc to contribute. That's not how things are done in Barnet.
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