A summary of the career of 'Dr' Matthew Offord's career as MP for Hendon

If you live in the Hendon Parliamentary constituency, for the last fourteen years your MP has been 'Dr' Matthew Offord ( although if you need some ointment for your lumbago, I wouldn't  visit him. He has got a perfectly valid doctorate in Geography). He has decided that the Torys are going to get booted out and has decided to stand down at the next election. I was going to compile a list of his achievements as an MP since 2010, but I can think only think of a single thing. What he didn't deliver is far more telling. Among the things he promised the residents of Mill Hill in 2010 was a cheese shop in Mill Hill Broadway, step free access at the Thameslink Station and an end to the economic failure of the Labour party, saying that the Tories would deliver sound economic management and economic growth. The only thing he delivered, as far as a I can recall, was Brent Cross West station, that I've yet to see a single person use and which has added two minutes to the journey time from Mill Hill to central London, but I am sure one day it will be a useful hub, so I will grudgingly give him that. 

As for his record voting in Parliament, he voted against equal marriage, comparing it to marrying your pet dog. Here are a few other highlights of his voting on various issues

How Matthew Offord voted on Social Issues #

• Consistently voted against allowing marriage between two people of same sexShow votes0 votes for, 7 votes against, between 2014–2019. Comparable Conservative MPs generally voted for (12 votes, between 2013–2019).
• Generally voted against laws to promote equality and human rightsShow votes2 votes for, 15 votes against, 3 absences, between 2011–2022. Comparable Conservative MPs generally voted against (23 votes, between 2011–2022).

How Matthew Offord voted on Environmental Issues #

• Almost always voted for higher taxes on plane ticketsShow votes10 votes for, 0 votes against, 1 absence, between 2013–2017. Comparable Conservative MPs almost always voted for (17 votes, between 2012–2017).
• Generally voted against financial incentives for low carbon emission electricity generation methodsShow votes2 votes for, 4 votes against, between 2012–2018. Comparable Conservative MPs generally voted against (11 votes, between 2011–2018).

How Matthew Offord voted on Education #

• Consistently voted for university tuition feesShow votes5 votes for, 0 votes against, between 2010–2017. Comparable Conservative MPs consistently voted for (5 votes, between 2010–2017).
• Consistently voted for ending financial support for some 16-19 year olds in training and further educationShow votes2 votes for, 0 votes against, in 2011. Comparable Conservative MPs almost always voted for (2 votes, in 2011).

How Matthew Offord voted on Health #

• Voted against allowing terminally ill people to be given assistance to end their lifeShow votes0 votes for, 1 vote against, in 2015. Comparable Conservative MPs generally voted against (1 votes, in 2015).
• Generally voted for smoking bansShow votes2 votes for, 1 vote against, 1 absence, between 2010–2015. Comparable Conservative MPs voted a mixture of for and against (4 votes, between 2010–2015).

How Matthew Offord voted on Foreign Policy and Defence #

• Consistently voted for replacing Trident with a new nuclear weapons systemShow votes5 votes for, 0 votes against, in 2016. Comparable Conservative MPs consistently voted for (8 votes, between 2010–2019).
• Has never voted on investigations into the Iraq warDetails0 votes for, 0 votes against, 1 absence, in 2016.
• Consistently voted for use of UK military forces in combat operations overseasShow votes6 votes for, 1 vote against, between 2013–2015. Comparable Conservative MPs almost always voted for (8 votes, between 2010–2015).

How Matthew Offord voted on Taxation and Employment #

• Almost always voted for higher taxes on alcoholic drinksShow votes16 votes for, 4 votes against, 1 absence, between 2010–2017. Comparable Conservative MPs almost always voted for (25 votes, between 2010–2017).

• Generally voted for raising the threshold at which people start to pay income taxShow votes28 votes for, 5 votes against, 1 absence, between 2011–2021. Comparable Conservative MPs generally voted for (34 votes, between 2011–2021).
• Voted a mixture of for and against lower taxes on fuel for motor vehiclesShow votes6 votes for, 10 votes against, 1 absence, between 2010–2021. Comparable Conservative MPs voted a mixture of for and against (22 votes, between 2010–2021).
• Almost always voted for reducing capital gains taxShow votes8 votes for, 1 vote against, between 2010–2016. Comparable Conservative MPs generally voted for (9 votes, between 2010–2016).
• Almost always voted against a banker’s bonus taxShow votes1 vote for, 15 votes against, 2 absences, between 2011–2015. Comparable Conservative MPs almost always voted against (20 votes, between 2011–2015).

How Matthew Offord voted on Transport #

• Consistently voted against slowing the rise in rail faresShow votes0 votes for, 5 votes against, in 2013. Comparable Conservative MPs almost always voted against (5 votes, between 2012–2013).
• Almost always voted against greater public control of bus servicesShow votes1 vote for, 2 votes against, in 2016. Comparable Conservative MPs almost always voted against (3 votes, between 2014–2016).

Given that Matthew Offord has increased his majority at every election he has stood in, he must have been doing something right. He has developed a very strong support base within the conservative elements of local evangelical African, Sri Lankan,  Jewish and Nepali communities. Members of all of these communites have told me he has been very good on foreign policy and moral issues. Forty years ago, one may have expected all to line up behind the Labour party, but in the Borough of Barnet they have become the bedrock of the Tory party. Having known Mr Offord for a very long time, let me just say I find some of this support and the reasons for it mildly amusing, or I would have done if he wasn't my MP. As he is leaving and I am feeling magnanmous, all I can really say is that perhaps, as he's grown older he's put some of his former 'foolish ways' behind him. I'll just say that when I first met him and he was going out with former Battersea MP and rather Liberal Conservative Jane Ellison, who was a founder of the Mill Hill Music Festival, he didn't really strike me as a massively moraliser? 

I must say that it is a shame that he didn't deliver on any of his promises. A cheese shop in Mill Hill would be rather nice, step free access at the station would be a real blesssing for many in our community and competent government from the Tories would have saved me a fortune in tax. 

His only saving grace is that he seems marginally brighter than the bloke the Tories have picked to replace him. The new candidate Ameet Jogia, seems to me like a dim snob. He has put out a leaflet campaigning against a proposed McDonalds in Mill Hill. He wanst a derelict restaurant, that has been shut for over a year to remain closed, on the grounds that it will be "a hub for deliveroo drivers, leading to bikes and vehicles parked on our street, clogging up the road. It will make congestion worse and become a central spot for antisocial behaviour and littering in our town'. I don't know if Mr Jogia ever frequents McDonalds. I am not a fan, but to suggest that they create anti social behaviour is just bizarre. In December, I wrote a blog detailing why the opposition to McDonalds in Mill Hill is irrational. Mr Jogia has simply reinforced my view that it is also rather snobbish. His comment "Swapping Prezzo for McDonald's isn't an equal trade - it's a blow to our high street and a downgrade for our town". is also very silly. It is not a trade, Prezzo shut down as they were losing money. Mr Jogia is a Conservative, so should, at the very least, understand the principles of capitalism and a free market. He is clearly too dim to realise that MP's have no power to take planning decisions. If this was what he wanted to do, he should have stood for council in Mill Hill.

I do wonder who Mr Jogia is trying to impress with his leaflet. It is interesting that he is too embarrassed to put the Tory logo on it. He seems to trying to make out he is a local campaigner, fighting for the rights of the local snobs to deprive those of us who enjoy a burger and a cheap coffee of our fill.  I suspect he'd do far better to talk about things that do affect residents, such as crime, the state of the NHS, the state of the nations roads, the cost of train tickets, the costs of going to university and all of the other things that have gotten so much worse after 14 years of Conservative rule. If you think about it, moaning about McDonalds as your only policy is rather sensible after all.  

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Matthew Offord MP stands down

Matthew Offord MP is standing down as MP for Hendon - You can read his press release BY CLICKING HERE. Matthew was almost an accidental MP. When he was selected, Gordon Brown was PM and was riding high in the polls. He hadn't fallen foul of The Sun and it's chicken, for bottling calling an election following his elevation to replace Tony Blair. Labours Andrew Dismore was the local MP and seen as unassailable by just about everyone locally. Offord was Deputy Leader of Barnet Council and seen by many as a bit of a comedy turn. Everything he turned his hand to ended in disaster, notably the replacement of the rail bridges in Aerodrome Road, which cost nearly double the original £11 million budget. In many ways, these are a good metaphor for Offords career as a politician, starting as a disaster, but by just being there, becoming a part of the local landscape.

Only yesterday I was chatting with a local Labour activist. They were telling me that they thought Hendon was in the bag. I said that I wouldn't be so sure, as the one talent Offord has is to dig up support from the most unlikely of places. The Orthodox Jewish community, Iranian and the Evangelical African community are both big admirers of Matthew, for his steadfast support of their religious practices and sensibilities. When he was first elected in 2010, it was a shock, even though many expected a Tory victory nationally. His winning margin was 103. Local Mill Hill councillor John Hart told me that he took much credit. He'd introduced Matthew to the local Gurka community in Burnt Oak, as well as many of the local businesses and traders. He said that previous Tory contenders had turned their nose up at the less well off areas, but Hart suggested that Offord had garnered 4-500 votes in these communities, which tilted the balance. I have no reason at all to doubt John, who has great political instincts. Offord realised that such communities can lead to a powerful base, one which is almost immune to Labour canvassing. It will be interesting to see if Offords successor takes them as seriously.

Offord has been a firm advocate for many groups that have been pretty much ignored. Whislt these groups are relatively small, they have worked hard in return and helped him build a decdent working majority. Matthew has clearly looked at the way the wind is blowing, seen that he's run out of activists to shore up his core vote and concluded that it's time to go on his own terms. 

So what is his legacy? He claims that his proudest achievement is 'getting step free access for Mill Hill'. Many locals of all political persuasions will be irritated by this. Firstly, after thirteen years, we have no step free access yet. Secondly, there was a group working to get this, which Offord hijacked once it became clear it may be successful. Peope such as Richard Logue, who is a transport planner and George Jones who was the UKIP candidate were key. Sadly, the key factor was when a lady died after falling, which proved the case. I firmly believe that had Offord been on the case from day one, we'd have had step free access long ago and maybe the fall could have been avoided. The major hold up was the engineering challenge of getting a lift to platform one. I have long argued that as an interim, lifts and a bridge should be installed using the already installed step free access to platform four. There is no reason why this couldn't be done. For people dropping off friends and relatives to the station with mobility issues, this would have been ideal. Offords other main achievements? Well his website says

 to have fought successfully for protection for leaseholders affected by the cladding scandal; to have supported Free School status for Etz Chaim, one of the first free schools in the country; to have led the campaign to proscribe Hezbollah, something which was long overdue; to have worked with residents successfully to oppose major planning applications such as that for the Pentavia site and the secondary school proposed for the Broadfields estate.

To me, this is a very short list for thirteen years representing Hendon. Many people affected by the Leaseholder scandal locally will be surprised to learn of Matthew's 'leading role' in this campaign. As to his work opposing developments such as Pentavia, He made a submission and spoke at the council meeting, but I never saw him at any of the meetings we had to co-ordinate opposition. I exchanged dozens of emails with the local Tory councillors, such as Val Duschinsky, putting aside our differences and co-ordination what we were saying to the various planning meetings. Matthew took no part in this. Sure he turned up and made his speech, I'm sure Val advised him, but an MP should have been at the forefront.

Sadly, our local streams and waterways are far more polluted than when Offord took over. Poverty has risen. We didn't have foodbanks when Offord was elected. When Mr Offord was canvassing, he promised a local resident a cheese shop in Mill Hill Broadway. His words were "I want to make Mill Hill Broadway the kind of vibrant high street, where people come and open independent cheese shops and other specialist businesses". Sadly, no cheese shop. We see more empty shops than ever.

Most locals only ever saw Matthew when there was an election looming. I know dozens of people, who contacted him for help to be disappointed. I know that MP's can't fix everyones problems, but Andrew Dismore had a reputation for getting things done. Matthew Offord didn't. Some locals, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community have felt that Matthew actively discriminated against them. He voted against equal marriage, making a rather inflamattory comment about "next thing people will be marrying their dogs". 

I wish Matthew well for his retirement. I have no personal animosity about him. I just wish his retirement had started in 2010. I just hope that whoever replaces him, Tory or Labour (as a Lib Dem I have no skin in the game) works a bit harder, gets properly involved in community leadership and represents everybody in the constituency, not just small groups who are deemed useful during elections. 

Happy to swim in raw sewage - Matthew Offord MP replies to our concerns about water quality in local streams

On the 9th January 2023, I sent an open letter to Matthew Offord MP, concerning water quality, following highly worrying reports in the media about water quality in Barnet.

I am pleased to report that Dr Offord has finally responded. Here is his repsonse. I really suggest you read it. It is, perhaps, the most interesting reply I've ever had from an MP (click on the image for a more readable version).

So lets see what he has to say for himself. Dr Offord swims in the Thames, sails on the Welsh Harp and Scuba dives off the South Coast. The problems with dumping of sewage are a passion of his. Dr Offord admits that one outlet is discharging into the Welsh Harp a nature reserve, where he sails. When Dr Offord says that he has a passion for dealing with the problems, I can only conclude that his idea of being passionate and mine are rather different. My version of passion is to get up and put every ounce of energy I have into what I am passionate about, until the deed is done and done properly. I suspect that Dr Offords idea of being passionate is to lie in bed thinking about it, vigorously. I do respect the fact that at one stage he voted against the government, but he acquisced and voted to allow the disgusting practice to continue.

Some things should be immediately changed, or at the very least as quickly as possible. A situation where swimmers, divers and sailors are put at risk, simply because they want to indulge in healthy outdoor pursuits is completely unacceptable. 

The net result of Mr Offord and his Conservative colleagues voting for the government measure is that he will be swimming, diving and sailing sewage for the next fifteen years, he may be happy with that, but I am not. 

Mr Offord is one of 292 Tory MP's who think that is OK. 

Last night, 292 Conservative MPs voted to allow sewage dumping by water companies in our rivers and coasts for at least 15 more years.

Can you spot your MP on the list? pic.twitter.com/VXXafEGXjZ

— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) January 26, 2023

Here is my original email to Dr Offord.

Dear Dr Offord

I am writing to you to ask your views on the high level of sewage in local waterways and what action you will be taking to address this. Like yourself, I am a dog lover and a dog owner and I have become increasingly concerned about the levels of sewage, bacteria and other contaminents in the local waterways. There have been several reports of dogs becoming ill following exposure to water contamination in local streams. A local stream in the Borough of Barnet was featured on the BBC News last week. I have seen first hand sewage contamination in folly brook in Mill Hill and there have also been concerns about discharges into the Silk Stream and other streams feeding into the Welsh Harp. Many of these pass through areas where both dogs and children exercise.

My personal view is that the way to resolve this is to have far steeper penalties for water companies discharging sewage into local waterways, which act as a punitive deterrent. There should also be strong powers to deal with misconnections. Home owners employing cowboy building firms deliberately misconnecting to save costs should be liable for punitive fines to facilitate the costs of cleanup as a deterrent. I would personally like to see a clean water bill brought forward, with households given a six month amnesty to resolve issues and then heavy fines. I would recommend that a proper inspectorate of water quality are set up, who have enforcement powers and statuatory targets to deliver. The current system simply isn't working.

 
I would be interested to know your views on this matter

Regards

Roger Tichborne 

My open letter to Matthew Offord MP concerning road safety and fitness to drive

Dear Dr Offord,

I am writing concerning recent statements made to the media concerning driving whilst unfit. As I am sure you are aware, both Mr Dominic Cummings and Michael Gove have stated to the media that they have ‘gone for a drive to see if they are capable of driving’.

Putting the other issues to one side, I cannot see any way a responsible member of the government could possibly endorse such dangerous practices. No one should ever get behind the wheel of a car, unless they know they are 100% fit to drive. Not only have they put themselves and their families at risk, they have put other road users and pedestrians at risk.

My father ran a crash repair business in Mill Hill for 40 years and I grew up seeing the results of unsafe driving on a daily basis. I also had the unfortunate experience of being run over by a driver, who was not paying attention, travelling at 40mph, at the traffic lights at Burnt Oak. I still suffer daily pain from the injuries.

As such, I am asking you to make the strongest possible representations to the Prime Minister to ensure that both Mr Gove and Mr Cummings are not only reminded of their responsibility to promote safe behaviour in their cars, but publicly state that their behaviour has been dangerous and stupid.

Whilst I have strong views on the other aspects of this business, for me the road safety concerns are issues that can under no circumstances be justified.

Regards, Roger Tichborne 


Update 28/05/2020

Matthew Offord has issued a statement on his website. It doesn't address my question, but he does express criticism of Mr Cummings behaviour -  https://www.matthewofford.co.uk/news/statement-dominic-cummings

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Should I receive a reply I will update this blog

Culture Wednesday and The Wednesday Poem #54 - Cheddar Cheese and Celery

CHEDDAR CHEESE AND CELERY

Cheddar Cheese and Celery
Live together in perfect harmony
Side by side on my dinner Cheese board
Oh Lord, Pass the brie?

We all know
That cheese boards aren't the same wherever you go
There is good and bad on every one
When we learn to live, we learn to give each other
Apple, Walnut and Endive
to bring Roquefort alive

Cheddar Cheese and Celery
Live together in perfect harmony
Side by side on my my dinner Cheese board
Oh Lord, Pass the brie?

We all know
That cheese boards aren't the same wherever you go
There is good and bad on every one
We learn to live when we learn to give each other
Apple, Walnut and Endive
to bring Jarlesberg alive

Cheddar Cheese and Celery
Live together in perfect harmony
Side by side on my dinner Cheese board
Oh Lord, pass the Brie?

Side by side on my dinner Cheese board
Oh Lord, pass the Brie?

Apologies to Paul McCartney

Union Street Cheese in Barnet

Cheese is a hot topic in Mill Hill. Our local MP Matthew Offord promised us a cheese shop if he was elected in 2010. We are still waiting.  Matthew's colleague Theresa Villiers MP has succeeded where Matthew has failed. Barnet residents are lucky to have the Marvelous and recently opened Union Street Cheese in Barnet High Street. We highly recommend them and wish them every success.

Please note that no cheese has been supplied to the Barnet Eye in exchange for this plug! Although we are happy to get some if you are feeling kind!

It is great to see that High Barnet has set up a brilliant site that is promoting its High Street. A model of a great community website. 

Culture Wednesday

27 Feb - Val's Jazz Jam - MHJC filled to the brim with Jazz singers, players and listening aficionados who flock to the club to give of their best for the sheer joy of all. Professionals and gifted amateurs all raise their game to provide their very best performances - Plz RT.

— Mill Hill Jazz Club (@millhilljazz) February 24, 2019

Please join me for a BRAND *New* Tuesday night Karaoke @ChandosArmsPub #Colindale #Karaoke #KaraokeDJ #LondonKaraoke @karaokeagency @sedgeley1982 @KaraokeSinging @danielskaraoke @karaokesinginguk @karaokesevenuk @WembleyCivicUni @LonEnts @TimeOutLondon @KaraokeVenuesLn pic.twitter.com/kjwTTiuawW

— The Chandos Arms (@ChandosArmsPub) February 9, 2019

It's our 100th gig @chandosarmsjazz on 3 March feat. ZoeFrancis + @jimmullenjazz RossStanley @philipscragg @rick_finlay Jeremy Shoham Tickets going fast, prebook for 10% off food and a good seat! https://t.co/Vi88WvtKdV pic.twitter.com/PEEWkCrnss

— Chandos Arms Jazz (@chandosarmsjazz) February 20, 2019

Looking forward to my gig in March! Adding a lot of brand new sets for the show! 🎩🏓 #excited #show #barnet catch me in June too! pic.twitter.com/5BSd5ciXR5

— LEON the magician ❓ (@LEONmagician) February 27, 2019

The False Dots Live with friends at The Midland Hotel Hendon on Friday March 15th, free admission to celebrate the saving of the pub from demolition.

Be there or be uncircular!

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Local MP Mathew Offord defends Capita in the House of Commons rather than sticking up for residents

Sometimes you really couldn't make it up. It seems to me that the local Conservatives have an electoral deathwish. What other possible explanation could there be for the rather bizarre intervention by our local MP for Hendon in the Houses of Parliament today. Liberal Democrat Leader, Vince Cable, at the request of the Barnet Lib Dems, had asked the minister responsible to make a statement regarding the financial position of Capita. As Barnet has a massive outsourcing contract with Capita, it is clear that residents and taxpayers should be sure that the situation regarding Capitas finances is being monitored at the highest levels. As a member of the Barnet Lib Dems and a candidate in Mill Hill, I'd like to thank Vince for raising the topic.

This intervention has rather rattled the local Tories, who it seems are now seeing the local Lib Dems as the main challengers in the London Borough of Barnet. What other possible explanation can their be for the local Tory MP, Mr Matthew Offord to use a precious parliamentary question to try and smear the Lib Dems. Quite bizarrely, he actually attacked the policies of the coalition government, of which he was a member.

Matthew Offord Conservative, Hendon

Barnet Council has a significant contract with Capita. It also has a business continuity planning framework that monitors liquidity and indebtedness. It reviewed the situation twice last year, and again after the recent profit warning, and the company was shown to be far from reaching the relevant threshold for triggering any action, but in the local elections, the Liberal Democrats are using the issue to scaremonger. I urge the Minister not to take advice or direction from someone who undersold Royal Mail by £1 billion and then called the loss “froth”.

So lets have a look at Mr Offords charges. He claims that the Local Lib Dems are scaremongering about Capita. So is he correct? Is it scaremongering, or should Barnet residents be worried. Well lets have a look at Capita's share price. The One Barnet contract was signed in 2013. If I'd invested my savings in Capita shares then, I'd be sitting on an enormous loss.  I actually used to be a Capita shareholder. I sold my shares when the One Barnet deal was being mooted, as I thought it was going to be bad for the company. I've seen nothing to change my mind since.

Mr Offord also stated that Barnet Council reviewed the situation twice last year and once this year. I seem to recall that Mr Offord was Deputy Leader of Barnet Council when Icelandic banks went bust. At the time, the response of Mr Offord and his Leader Mike Freer was that "no one could have foreseen the situation". This was in spite of numerous warnings that Offord and Freer chose to ignore. As I said at the time, when dealing with public money, politicians should not be gambling. Let me remind you of what Mike Freer said on his blog at the time and my response in bold

Nobody foresaw the collapse of the entire banking sector either in the United Kingdom or Iceland. Claims that Council’s saw this collapse coming are spurious, and after contacting a number of authorities including Brighton & Hove they have advised that they were lucky, and that their deposits simply matured and were paid back on the due date originally agreed with the banks. They did not make the conscious decision to withdraw and indeed, Icelandic banks remained on their approved list of banks for use well into 2008. 

The independent article makes it quite clear that Councils using Butlers, were far more likely to be affected by the problems. It seems that Councils not advised by Butlers were much luckier than those which were. Who rates the ratings agencies.

It is worth reading the article from the Independent in full. It is clear that Mr Offord has form for missing warning signs and only listening to information that is what he wants to hear. Of course the Capita situation is different to Icelandic banks, but to claim that all is rosy is quite ludicrous. Mr Offord has past form for mismanaging contractors whilst at Barnet Council, in 2008 Mr Offord announced  a £12 million redevelopment of Aerodrome Road rail Bridge. By 2009 the costs had spiralled to £23 Million. It seems that Mr Offord hasn't learned that contractors need to be properly managed. As an MP, he should be making sure his constituents concerns are addressed.

The Barnet Eye is quite shocked that Mr Offord seems to be more interested in sticking up for Capita than making them do their job. The hub of the matter is that Capita are not serving the interests of Barnet residents.  As Wednesday is my day off, I decided to visit my parents grave and pay my respects. Like parents of thousands of other residents, they are buried in Hendon Cemetery, in the heart of Mr Offords constituency. The cemetery is managed by Capita. Prior to Capita taking on management, the cemetery was well maintained and it was always consoling to visit. Now I hardly ever go, because it is heartbreaking to see the state of disrepair. I thought I'd respectfully make a short film to illustrate the lack of maintenance we are seeing from Mr Offords favourite contractor. We'd like to ask Mr Offord why he isn't berating Capita to sort the mess out, rather than indulging in silly point scoring in the Commons.

Have a look at this short film and tell me what you think.


It breaks my heart. My Father flew Wellington bombers for the RAF, was shot down, taken POW, escaped and went on to become a senior air accident investigation officer in the RAF before starting a business in Mill Hill and employing dozens of local people. I believe his memory deserves better.

We have an MP and a council who have no interest in the people they are meant to serve. The state of Hendon Cemetery tells you everything you need to know about what happens when you let private contractors loose on public services without proper monitoring.

Matthew Offord MP speaks against Opt Out organ donation

Matthew Offord MP

I thought that voters in Hendon Constituency should be aware of the fact that our local MP, Matthew Offord has spoken in Parliament against the scheme for "Opt Out" organ donation in a parliamentary debate. I must say that I am totally in favour of this scheme. My Sister in Law's niece died awaiting a heart/lung transplant for Cystic Fibrosis. I know three other people who have had life saving transplants, often having waited months or years for donations. 

If people have strong views they will opt out, which is a basic human right. If they don't, then thousands of lives in the UK will be saved, thousands will be spared grief and pain. If people have strong religious views that forbid them from participating, then they will not be required to participate. It would spare families the pain of "having to decide" and often having to guess what a relative would have wished. As far as I am concerned, you can use the lot if I die unexpectedly. If I can help someone else, that is my civic duty. Here is Mr Offords speech in full (source - https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2018-02-23a.445.2&s=speaker%3A24955#g475.1 )

"I congratulate Mr Robinson on promoting the Bill, and I know that it will make progress today. As many people have said, 80% of British society support organ donation, but 20% do not. I want to speak on behalf of that 20% to ensure that they are carried along with the debate, rather than left behind.
A gentleman in my constituency, Vijay Patel (editor note - This link is for the wrong Vijay Patel), was recently unnecessarily killed, and his family took great comfort from the fact that his organs were used to help other people. For me, that is such a gift, and I commend anyone who donates, and their families, for allowing the donation to take place. Many people prepare themselves to be organ donors after they die, and their families are an integral part of that process. Within that wider framework, the crucial role of the donor’s family must be understood, because their role regarding the ownership of the body after a person dies, and their duties towards it, is a central aspect of the grieving process.
There has recently been a lot of concern about a north London coroner who refused to release bodies, which is causing a great deal of concern to my constituents. It therefore follows logically that the family must be involved in organ donation, and I believe that their consent is paramount at the crucial time. Those families need reassurance along their pathway towards consent.
It has been said that there are religious differences on donation, but that is incorrect. Both Islam and Judaism allow organ transplants from live and deceased patients in order to continue and save lives. One factor that perhaps some are not aware of, and that might influence the decision-making process of some families, is how the point of death is decided. Some people regard death as defined by cardiovascular criteria, which is when the heart ceases to function. Others use cessation of brain function—brain stem death—as their criterion. Those two distinctions sometimes make people uncomfortable with donation.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recognised both definitions of death when it formulated the NICE guidelines that explain how healthcare professionals should support a bereaved family when discussing organ donation. There is one pathway for those who accept only cardiovascular death, and another for those who accept brain stem death. As a result, families are helped to understand how they might be able to combine deceased organ donation in a way that does not interfere with some religious traditions.
Enabling someone accessible to guide a family through the donation process is a humane, sensible and constructive proposal. A properly trained and resourced transplant co-ordinator should be able to do that, as it is the most important way in which families can be supported at a terrible time in their lives. In practice, however, under the system proposed, there would be less institutional incentive for health services to employ such people.
The Government are aware of the issues around transplantation, and they cannot plead ignorance in that our religious communities are being unresponsive to human need. In 2013, leading Muslim and Jewish groups wrote jointly to the Government suggesting a way forward in which an enhanced and improved opt-in system could be introduced that would alleviate their concerns. Improvements would include a Government-backed statement that Jews and Muslims could sign, which would enable them to donate organs in a manner compatible with their beliefs. If that approach were to be adopted, it would enable the two communities to be even more supportive of an opt-in system than they have been in the past. That proposal has been raised on several occasions, but I am afraid it has been ignored. The hon. Member for Coventry North West mentioned former Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks, who he said opposed such measures. As I understand it, however, the current Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Mirvis, is in favour of the proposal I have just outlined.
Life, and indeed death, has changed for many people. More people want, understandably, to spend their final months at home. If they die at home, organ donation is much less likely. Healthcare professionals who need to secure consent for donation must have a conversation with organ donors, and their loved ones, about why they are best placed to give the gift of life if they remain in hospital. That conversation is a natural feature of an opt-in service. Under an opt-out service, there will be little incentive to have that complex discussion with potential donors and their families. The result could be that patients might drift to spend their last months in hospital."

Barnet - The KFC Council

First the good news.  It appears that the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant at Apex Corner is open for business (we listed it as number nine in our list of Mill Hill's best takeaway restaurants).  Sadly, many local branches are shut. The reason? KFC have recently outsourced chicken deliveries to DHL to save money and guess what? The cut price contract hasn't been working and so chicken is not being delivered. This is only the latest in a whole string of high profile failures of contracts that have been outsourced to save money. We've seen Olympic security go pear shaped under G4S. We've seen the East Coast mainline fail three times when franchise companies have failed to make money. I thought I'd see what other outsourcing failures have made the news, so I googled the subject. One of the first examples I came across was an article in the New Statesman. This was entitled "nine spectacular council outsourcing failures". To my complete surprise (cough cough), Barnet Council featured twice in the list! The first, at number 2, was the sorry tale of how Barnet oustoruced care homes to Catalyst. Catalyst found out that they weren't making the profits from the Barnet Taxpayer that they hoped and sued the Council. They won a £10 million payout.

Then at number 4 we have Barnet council again. This details how a spectacular failure hit IT services. Barnet had outsourced IT services to a company called 2E2, which failed. This meant that the council had to hand Capita an "emergency contract" to dig themselves out of the mess.

I have personal reasons to be angry at Capita, who now run much of Barnet Councils business. They are responsible for maintaining Hendon Cemetary grounds. My parents and grandparents are buried there. Sadly since Capita took over, the quality of grounds maintenance has massively deteriorated. I made a short video detailing this, driving around showing the neglect.




The influential magazine The Register chronicles a whole list of Capita failures in Barnet. The article notes

"a "lack of strategic support from IT is a significant issue" and that CSG "need to improve their capacity to lead change, bring forward innovation, forward plan for hardware/software/system updates and identify risk."
Other issues ranged from the IT service needing to improve its "advisory function", slow responsiveness of IT strategic advice being a barrier to service delivery, inflexibility and lack of an agile approach around security and hardware. Further, the report highlighted a lack of accurate performance data for IT; a lack of out of hours IT support; insufficient notice given for system upgrades and down times; and poor coverage for WiFi in some of the buildings."

An article in Spendmatters also details the concerns of Barnet Councils auditors, BDO,  in how Barnet Council is managing the contract with Capita. They note

BDO agrees with this diagnosis in their report. However, and unfortunately, this does not seem to be actually happening in Barnet.  BDO talks about contract management and monitoring like this. 

“During the course of 2016/17 we have noted a number of internal audit reports which have raised significant findings in this area. In addition, further concerns have been identified through our own audit work. As such, we have recognised a significant risk to our use of resources [value for money] opinion.”

Worryingly for citizens and taxpayers, the council’s financial reserves are being depleted, and there was an overspend on services of £8.3 in 2016/17. “Savings targets remain significant and achievement of these will be inherently challenging, as evidenced by the overspend in 2016/17

As a result of this mismanagement, Barnet Council is having to make drastic cuts. This is evidenced by a rather amusing tweet from one of our local Conservative Candidates, Laithe Jajeh. Laithe is a decent guy and one of the Tory candidates that I think is a good guy. However, his tweeting has inadvertently highlighted the mess his Council colleagues have made.

Hale Conservatives were on Hale Grove Gardens this evening cleaning up litter. A resident wrote to me a few days ago and asked if we could swing by and clean up his street, these are the results! #torycanvass @Daniel_Thomas81 @GurungLachhya @elliot_simberg @BarnetTories @rozgab pic.twitter.com/o6uH2m7Ib6

— Laithe jajeh (@Laithe_Jajeh) February 20, 2018

You may wonder why this public spirited display by Laithe has highlighted a problem? Well in recent weeks, many public minded citizens such as Laithe have become aware that our streets are getting completely swamped with litter. As a dog owner, I walk around Mill Hill every day and have been increasingly alarmed at full bins in the parks, litter strewn everywhere etc. I hadn't realised that this was the direct result of a policy of cost cutting by Barnet Council. A report on the Barnet Unison website this morning explained why. The council has drastically slashed the budget for street cleaning and cut the hours staff are allowed to spend cleaning streets. I suggest you have a look at this shocking report.

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2018/02/20/barnet-residents-dont-blame-our-members-working-for-street-cleansing/

Respected blogger Mr Reasonable has detailed just how much the Capita contract is costing us. The share price of Capita has crashed following the failure of Carillion (another failed outsourcing supplier). Barnet Council has not responded to an FoI request I sent, following the Carillion collapse, asking for details of the contingency plans for Capita, in the event of a Carillion style collapse.

One can only speculate as to why. One thing is clear. The Barnet Council taxpayers are picking up the tab for a whole series of spectacular outsourcing failures. The Barnet bloggers exposed the complete lack of supplier management supervision during the MetPro scandal. It became clear that there is almost no financial control of such contracts. For those not familiar with Metpro, the council was paying an unlicensed security company over the top fees to provide security for council services and vulnerable people. The audit inquiry revealed that the council were paying 30% over the going market rate and hadn't even checked to see if the company was licensed. They were paying VAT on bills to a non VAT registered company and the enquiry found that many of the services they were paying for were unneccesary.

The one difference between Barnet Council and KFC, is that if KFC can't sell you chicken, you can go to Red Rooster at Mill Hill or Nando's at Edgware. If Barnet Council don't clean your street, or want to hike your council tax to pay for failing outsourcing contracts, you have no choice, you are lumbered.

I will finish on a lighter note. Back in 2010, our local Tory MP, Mr Matthew Offord suggested that if he was elected, Mill Hill would become the kind of Town centre where entrepreneurs flock to open businesses. The example he gave was that he'd like to see a Cheese Shop on the Broadway. Eight years later, we have no cheese shop. We suspect that if Offord opened one, he'd use the Barnet Council/KFC business model. I suspect it would operate rather like this.



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