Richard Cornelius AKA Dr Evil EXPOSED !!!!!

Dr Evil sans Pussy

To celebrate the launch this week of the blockbuster Barnet film, Barnet - The Billion Pound Gamble, we have a special Saturday List. This is Saturday List #20 - The five dastardly deeds of Dr Evil.

On Monday night's ITV London Tonight ( http://vimeo.com/51935140) , the Leader of Barnet Council, Richard Cornelius stated that "none of us like to be portrayed as Dr Evil", when talking about Charles Hondericks film "Barnet - The Billion Pound Gamble". If Mr Cornelius has bothered to watch the film, he would have seen that Charles Honderick did not call him Dr Evil or even lay the blame for all the ills in Barnet at Mr Cornelius door.

As Richard Cornelius has decided that "Dr Evil" is a suitable moniker for himself, maybe we should examine exactly what has happened under his "Evil empire" ably assisted by his mega villain cronies. Here are a few highlights:

1. The closure of Friern Barnet Library. Dr Evils henchman, Bill Murphy admitted callous wanton act of cultural vandalism was done solely to grab a £400,000 profit on the sale of the building. Doubtless this will ultimately bu snapped up by a friendly local property developer and someone will make a fortune at the public expense.

2. The abolition of Pay and Display parking. Dr Evils regime employed a former employee of NCP (which became NSL), Mr John McArdle to "oversee the outsourcing of parking control". In a masterpiece of evilness, Pay and Display parking was abolished without debate handing control to NSL who run the "pay by phone" network. The brutal sudden  change was performed to ensure maximum profits for NSL, who run the system, with scant regard for businesses. In North Finchley and High Barnet, over 30 shops have closed as a result. In April McArdle completed his assignment and parking wardens were brought under the control of NSL and back office functions were moved to NSL's offices in Croyden. This cost 26 jobs in Barnet. Having successfully completed the destruction of Barnet's well run in house operation, John McArdle left Barnet Council. No prizes for guessing who he now works for. Yup, NSL. I am sure he'll get a good bonus. P.S. The Barnet Taxpayer is a million pounds worse off than expected, as revenues for parking have collapse, despite a record number of tickets being issued.

3. The outsourcing of Adult day care to Your Choice Barnet. This is a "Joint Venture" organisation, set up by Barnet Homes and Barnet Council. A director of this organisation was the woman who helped create it whilst at Barnet Council. Her name is Amanda Jackson. This new company came into existence in April and is responsible for looking after people with care needs. In the film Barnet - The Billion Pound Gamble, John Sullivan, who has a 49 year old daughter who uses these services explains that his daughter is now charged £1.20 for a cup of coffee in a church hall, thanks to Your Choice Barnet. This organisation already has a deficit of £700,000 after a mere six months of operation.

4. Tax Dodging at the Town Hall. A Parliamentary committee was told by a reprsentative of the LGA that only 13 people in the UK, working for Local Authorities, are employed on "tax efficient" consultancy contracts. This news came as rather a surprise to me. As a Barnet blogger, I am aware of at least 14 in the London Borough of Barnet. If you wondered what Dr Evil thinks of such tax dodging activities, the answer was given when CEO Nick Walkley resigned. He appointed his deputy, Mr Andrew Travers, who is a consultant with a "tax efficient" contract, to replace Mr Walkley.

5. Bad Behaviour at the Town Hall. At the moment, the attitude of the Conservative Party, to those they rule has been in the public spotlight. Andrew Mitchell famously described the Police as Plebs. He eventually had to walk the plank for his outburst. What happens in Barnet under Dr Evil. Councillor Brian Coleman has been on a twelve year mission to drag the name of the local Conservative Party through the mud. He has been found gulity twice of sending abusive emails to members of the public. The first time in 2009, he was ordered to undertake training in how to respond politely to emails. He didn't take do it. Earlier this year he did it again. On one day he sent two different people abusive emails, both of which breached the standards code. He was ordered to apologise. He refused. To date, the victims of his outburst have not received apologies. What action did Dr Evil take? None to date. Brian Coleman was also arrested in September following a fracas involving a woman. On Monday, he was charged with assualt. It may surprise you to hear that on Thursday, he was still chairing the important Budget Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Unbelievably, Dr Evil seems to see nothing wrong in Coleman carrying on. It is believed that Dr Evil received a telephone call from Conservative Head Office. He has now tabled a motion for the local party to suspend the membership of the Conservative Party. This will be debated at the group meeting on Tuesday. What nobody has asked is whether he will be suspended as chair of the Budget OSC committee, if he is suspended. As he is still a councillor, there is no automatic reason why he should be. As an example of how brazen Brian Coleman is in his attitude, yesterday at approx 9.15 am, he pulled up in his car opposite the cafe owned by the woman he is charged with assaulting. He flounced out of his car and strode into MacDonalds for breakfast. It may amuse you to know that as he emerged, he was confronted by a local trader who said to him "Brian, I hear you've been a very very naughty boy. Does your mummy know how naughty you've been?" the response of Mr Coleman has not been accurately reported, but it appears he scurried off rather quickly. Rather interestingly, the local trader in question informed the Barnet Eye that he had always voted Conservative until Mr Coleman brought in the parking charges.

The Barnet Eye is in the process of recording a Dr Evil remix dance track. We are also planning to get some limited edition Dr Evil Tee Shirts manufactured.

Here is a list of forthcoming screenings of the film. Please come along

Sat. 27th Oct     2.30 - 4.00 pm New Barnet Community Centre, Victoria Road,  New Barnet,  EN4               Thurs. 1st Nov.   6.30 pm Cafe Buzz,  High road,  North Finchley,  N12                                             Tues 6th Nov  - 8.00 pm  North Road Community Centre, Edgware

The Saturday List #18 - The disasters of Mr Nick Walkley ex CEO Barnet Council

As Mr Nick Walkley, Barnet Council CEO,  has decided to do a bunk and leg it to Haringey, I thought I'd collate a list of the high points of his rule in Barnet. Unfortunately there weren't any, so here are the disasters instead.

1. Metpro Security. No contract, No CRB checks, No SIA accreditation, No Tax paid and £1.4 million of your cash. Kerching !!

2. Tax Dodging Contractors. At a recent Parliamentary hearing, a GLA spokesperson said that there were only 13 people in the UK working for local authorities on tax dodging contract. Funny that we know of 14 in Barnet.

3. SAP Procurement. Started in 2006 (pre Mr Wankley) with a budget of £6 million, costs have now risen to £24 million.

4. RM Countrysides Ltd. Barnets favourite charity. £2.4 million in work, no proper contracts and no control.

5. Helen Michaeal reported to police for producing a poster campaigning against parking charges.

6. One Barnet. So far £9 million spent on consultants (as best we can ascertain). Total savings £0.

7. NSL parking contract. The first One Barnet project. Losses so far £1 million.

8. Friern Barnet Library shut and reopened by Anarchists (Please note Mr Wankley is an admirer of the Sex Pistols motto "Anarchy for the UK")

9. Your Choice Barnet. Another Wankley special, set up to deliver care packages. Over half a million in the red since April.

10 My Favourite, the installation of his mini me, tax avoiding deputy, Mr A. T. Ravers as his deputy and replacement.

They say you learn by your mistakes. If this is true, then Haringey Council have got the cleverest new CEO on the planet. Thanks Mr Wankley for your efforts in Barnet. We hope you have spent the £700,000 we've given you for presiding over this  period of unprecidented and unmitigated disaster well. We hope you've had lots of fun at our expense and you look back on your time at Barnet Council with warmth. We hope this because no one else here will.

Our Barnet - Barnet unites to reject an uncaring council

NSL traffic warden tickets car whilst parked on yellow line

What a day it was. It started for me at Cafe Buzz in Finchley. I had the role of organising the music side of the days entertainment. I had arranged to meet the bands and finalise arrangement at Cafe Buzz. I had barely rolled up when an NSL parking warden arrived, parked on a yellow line and proceeded to ticket a car (whilst still wearing his helmet which is a contravention of the rules). You can see Barnet blogger Mrs Angry watching with disbelief in the foreground. Amazing that the outsourced parking firm seem to think they are above the law, which applies to the rest of us.

The death of trust in Barnet Council

Outside Santander Bank on Finchley High Road, traders had set up a symbolic display to mourn the death of the High Street. A coffin adorned with posters explaining the effects of Barnet Council policies on local trade and adorned with the number plate "DEATH" greeted shoppers. The band HAMPTONS, serenaded the parade from this location as it passed. Rather bizarrely, someone asked me if the coffin was a PR stunt for the new Batman film as the bus rolled past?? Clearly there is more work to be done getting the message across.

The protest bus rolls up to victoria park

The bus was adorned with messages and slogans

Having watched the parade and the bus pass through North Finchley, myself and Charles Honderick, who was filming the parade for the follow up to"A Tale of Two Barnets" jumped in the car and made our way to the entrance of Victoria Park to await the arrival of the parade and the bus. The sight was magnificent. The one thing you cannot ignore is an open topped double decker bus, resplendent with balloons and posters. Especially when it is lead by a march of hundreds of people. Barnet Council may lead the way in stupid unpopular people, but they are losing the battle to win the populations trust.

The parade arriving

Hamptons entertain the crowd at Cafe Buzz afterwards

The bus was decorated with all manner of placards, posters and slogans. The entire back of the bus was covered with a Save Friern Barnet Library banner. This was a graphic demonstration that the protest was not simply about protecting the jobs of Union members, but rather a rally of the whole community against a sustained attack. A whole host of speakers addressed the crowd. We had Rabbi Newman, explaining that as a community we have to ensure the council supports the weaker members. We had Stan Davison, a Barnet pensioner, explaining how the council are making life impossible for local pensioners.

GLA rep Andrew Dismore explained how his election and the removal of Brian Coleman had allowed the London Fire Authority to reverse 

Colemans ban on the public addressing the authority and how he is working for the people of Barnet and Camden. Youth Parliament member Elliot Forlan explained how young people are bearing the brunt of the policies of the government.  I also spoke and explained how Barnet bloggers were cooperating with the Parliamentary committee to end the practice of highly paid executives working as consultants to dodge tax at Barnet Council. Afterwards one disabled old lady told me she thought this was disgusting at a time of cuts. Quite true !

After the rally finished, many of those in attendence made their way to Cafe Buzz in Finchley High Street, for music, food, drink and entertainment. Music from Hamptons, Radfax and Keith Martin and delicious food from the Cafe (with Councillor Andreas Ionnedies jumping in to assist with the cooking as crowds grew) was a suitable end to a tumultuous day.

After everyone had gone home, I was left in Cafe Buzz finishing my beer with Helen Michael, the owner. Helen told me she was off to dinner with Tirza Weisel, the BAPS organiser of the rally. As I looked at Helen mopping the floor of her cafe, a strange thought occurred.

It is only a year since Barnet bloggers found out that Councillor Brian Coleman was about to abolish pay and display parking in Barnet. I wrote a blog detailing Colemans sneaky plans to nobble the local High Streets. Just suppose I was Dr Who and I had a Tardis? If I went back exactly one year and had walked into Cafe Buzz and said "Helen Michael, how will you be voting in the GLA elections next year", she would have replied "Conservative of course, I've always voted Conservative".

If I had then said "Helen, exactly one year from now, you'll be a hero of the anti Conservative movement in Barnet, you will have appeared on national TV (ITV Tonight) denouncing the policies of the local Council, you will have been interviewed by the anti terrorists police for your activities against the local Conservative GLA representative, your business will have been nearly brought to it's knees by their policies, you will have featured in countless press and blog atricles, your will have had a coffin displayed outside your cafe, with a picture of the local Conservative Candidate on it and in One year's time you will be speaking from the top of a bus, adorned with slogans supporting Trades Unions, addressing a large crowd of members of the Labour Party, the Green Party, Trades Unions as well as hundreds of local residents, to tumultuous applause", I'm sure she would have kicked me out of the cafe and called me a lunatic. That is what the policies of Barnet Council have done to Helen and many other local traders. 

In fact the story is so completely bonkers, that I wouldn't believe it myself if I read it in a book or saw a film of it. Maybe Helen Michael should ring her cousin George (you know the one who likes a bit of a sing song and sometimes falls asleep in his car when he's tired) and see if he fancies backing the production of a film about it? I think it's a great story (unless you happen to be Helen who simply wants to run her business).

Barnet & Camden GLA rep Brian Coleman creates 28 new jobs - in Croydon !

Yesterday the Deputy Leader of Barnet Council, Daniel Thomas issued a grovelling apology to the people of Barnet for totally misleading them about the effect of the outsourcing of parking control in the London Borough of Barnet to NSL. Having previously claimed that there would be no redundancies following the decision to move the contract to Croydon based NSL, Thomas had to issue the following statement.

"I have to apologise to staff, the statement was prepared quickly and officers did not check with HR before issuing it. 

(the full story can be read here) - http://www.barnet-today.co.uk/news.cfm?id=8399&headline=Outsourced%2520staff%2520could%2520face%2520redundancies

It beggars belief that the Deputy Leader of the Council could issue statements without checking the facts. Thomas was forced to issue the statement, only when it became clear he'd been telling whoppers. You would think that a man who is so totally discredited, would consider his position, if his boss Councillor Richard Cornelius isn't considering it for him. This wasn't some minor little technicality. Thomas issued the statement claiming no jobs would be lost in the middle of an industrial dispute about redundancies, with the express aim of misleading staff and undermining the dispute.

Whilst I am stunned at the fact that a senior member of the cabinet could be so "splapdash" (let's give him the benefit of doubt about it), the real culprit in the story gets away without so much as a mention. This is, of course, Councillor Brian Coleman. It was Coleman who championed the policy of outsourcing the parking contract. A man who is the GLA rep for Barnet and Camden has created 28 jobs in the London Borough of Croydon. At a time of economic despair, he has exported them from Barnet, leaving staff to pick up the pieces. What sort of economic illiteracy removes jobs from Barnet at a time when the economy is reeling. It is widely accepted that for every public sector job destroyed, up to five other jobs elsewhere will also be lost as local shops and businesses see their takings diminish. Of course, Croydon will be booming. I sincerely hope that every resident of Croydon is grateful to Councillor Brian Coleman for his largess with the tax receipts of Barnet Council, in creating a mini boom for them.

In one way though, Daniel Thomas has at least shown Brian Coleman a good example. He has apologised for his behaviour. Something Coleman seems to find impossible.

Barnet Parking Wardens - The shape of things to come

Barnet is outsourcing Parking to a company called NSL.What sort of company are they? I've no idea, I'm not an expert eye on parking enforcement companies. What I do know is that one of their former employees in Westminster described them as "Ali Baba And The 40 Thieves". I am endebted to todays Daily Express - http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/293808/Warden-sacked-for-being-fair - for exposing exactly what we can expect.  Here is another quote from the article:-

Mr Berkani, who worked in west London for Kensington and Chelsea Council’s parking firm NSL, says bosses cited one colleague as an “excellent example” for issuing 35 tickets, known as Penalty Charge Notices, in a single shift, and a manager said it was “good revenue for the council and that everyone should generate the same revenue as him”.

At a recent council meeting, Barnet Traffic supremo and Tory GLA candidate hailed this outsourcing as a core Conservative policy. Here is a video clip of Coleman explaining how marvellous such enforcement will be for Barnet motorists and taxpayers.



In the next clip, you have the head of parking, John McArdle describing how the contract will work.



Now you may agree with Councillor Coleman that having a company such as NSL issuing parking tickets in such a manner is a great idea. When I read the following quote from Mr Berkani in the Daily Express, I took a rather different view.

Mr Berkani, 45, told a London Employment Tribunal: “It soon became clear that it was commonly accepted amongst my work colleagues that the whole operation of civil parking enforcement was dishonest and mainly designed to extract as much cash as possible, via both fair means or foul, from the motoring public.

“I have seen during the course of my employment… things which I would never imagined could exist in a country like England, which I have always understood and believed upheld and applied the law in a fair, open and even-handed manner.”

Targets for the number of tickets to issue per shift were “impossible to achieve in an entirely legal and ­honest manner,” he said.

I trust that when it comes to May and you get the chance to pass your verdict on Brian Coleman's bid for re-election to his £50,000 a year part time job at the GLA, you remember what you are voting for and what Mr Coleman considers core Conservative policies to be.