http://committeepapers.barnet.gov.uk/democracy/reports/reportdetail.asp?ReportID=8578
So why aren't I jumping up and down and saying, "Wayhay, Mike Freer has seen the light", because if you read the report, that's what you'd expect.
Well, you see, there's just one problem with this report. It's complete b*ll*cks. There are plenty of platitudes in there which sound fantastic, but when you compare them to what the policies and objectives of the council are, you realise that it's a complete whitewash. An attempt to pretend they are doing something and they care. You see, at the moment they are pushing through a scheme called Future Shape. They are trying to dress it up to be something else, but it is really all about cost cutting, job cuts, outsourcing and money saving. A prime example of this stupid scheme is the plan to remove wardens from Sheltered housing schemes. This means that many people who currently live independently with the odd warden visit, will have their warden removed. Without this security they will have to move into homes, often at the Council (ie you and me) expense, with full residential care.
As for the wardens, the council plan to sack them and throw them on the dole, in the middle of a recession. In Mike Freer's report he states that one of the goals is as follows :-
Local Employment Partnerships: The Council are working with JobCentrePlus on local employment partnerships (LEP) where vacancies are advertised through the job centres to maximise employment opportunities with the Council for local unemployed residents.So lets get this right. You chuck wardens on the dole, then get the job centre to try and find them something else?
Another classic line in the report :-
Continuing to work closely with private sector landlords to ensure that there is adequate supply of housing in the private rented sector (given that theprivate rented sector now provides more homes for homeless people than the council and housing associations sectors combined). To date, there has only been a very small increase in homelessness in the borough.Let me translate "Because we've been so useless at providing decent, affordable housing, we now have to pay over the top rates to private Landlords on a humungous scale". As to the sentence about a small increase in homelessness. This is Great Britain in 2009. We are one of the worlds richest economies. Any rise in homelessness is abject political failure.
Another classic :-
Signposting/Publicity for recession support - A webpage, ‘Bright Ideas’ (http://www.barnet.gov.uk/bright-ideas.htm), has been set up on the council website to offer businesses and residents practical tips, for example on managing cashflow and advice on debt and borrowing money, and help to mitigate the worst effects of the recession. It is being redesigned to specifically respond to the results of the Citizens Panel survey and focus more sharply on the information that residents have said they would find useful in assisting them to adjust to a fall in income, including advice on saving money, reducing energy consumption and on free activities.This is rather rich coming from a Council administration which has increased borrowing by 8 times since they took over from the Lib/Lab's in 2002. I was quite interested in how to manage my cashflow better, so I followed the link on the Bright ideas website and it took me here :-
http://www.creditmanagement.org.uk/berrguides.htm
If you click on this link, you'll see that Mike Freer's advice for anyone with cashflow management problems is to ASK PETER MANDLESON !!!!!
So there you have it. If you want to beat the recession and you think Mike Freer is the man to help you, then you'll end up being lectured by Peter Mandleson on how to run your business. Now I'm sure that all of the guides Peter recommends are full of the finest advice that Taxpayers money can buy, but I do wonder - in Barnet, where have all the Tories gone?
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