Heartless Hillan chops funding for children in first swing of the Future Shape axe

Easycouncil. Do you know what it really means and what it really aims to do. In one of her first acts when taking over as Leader, Heartless Hillan, Leader of the Council has let the cat out of the bag. Buried away amongst "cabinet papers" I found a paper called "Community Arts Program - acceptance of Tender - (click here for full document)". This is a document signed under delegated powers (ie no open discussion in Council), award the Community Arts Program for children and young people to the "Arts Depot Trust". This document spells out in stark terms what the agenda of the Future Shape program is and how saving costs comes before providing activities for young people - Here are the two key paragraphs -

So there it is in paragraph 5.2 - Future shape is all about "reduction of services". Heartless Hillan, Leader of Barnet Council signed this document. There can be no doubt what her priority is. Sadly this drive for efficiency doesn't apply to the following :-

a) Salaries for senior Council executives (CEO pay has risen from £113,000 in 2003 when the Conservatives took charge to £200,000 today)
b) Allowances for Council Cabinet Members
c) Ever increasing numbers of highly paid executive posts at the top of the Council
d) Plasma screen tellies for the desks of senior officers

This week the Lib Dems proposed that all of these be cut. That heartless champion of efficiency (for other people), Lynne Hillan used the Tory block vote to shout these down. So who is paying for these ever spiralling costs - Yes, you've got it the young people of Barnet. As services and activities for young people are cut, vandalism, crime and anti-social behaviour rise. That is the true cost of future shape. When you get a brick through your car window, graffiti on your garden wall, syringes in your street, think back to this. This is where the horror story starts.