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by Paul Scully | Nov 3, 2007 | News |
I’m currently reading the Bumper Book of Government Waste 2008 by Matthew Elliot of the Taxpayers’ Alliance and Dr Lee Rotherham. It’s an excellent piece of research and amusing too (rare for a political tome) so forgive me if I quote a few sections over the next few days. Here’s two about the Home Office:-
“Not that its job is always straightforward. It includes keeping a lookout for members of the 14th Waffen SS Division who are still knocking about, sixty years after the end of World War 2. Apparently, there are 1,450 former storm troopers on our streets. As a Home Office Minister explained, “The Metropolitan Police visited a sample of 13 former members in 2005 to ascertain any information about crimes against humanity but no such crimes were disclosed.” You don’t say.”
“The Home Office is also, we understand, the lead department for tackling a number of designated gang units. However, due to Health and Safety risk assessments, members aren’t allowed to actually go out and meet the gangs. They leave this to unpaid volunteers, who are deemed expendable.”
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by Paul Scully | Nov 3, 2007 | News |
The Libdems don’t do deals in smoke-filled rooms. Mainly on the basis that the smoking ban ensures they have to think again. Last Monday, Sutton LibDems held a secretive group meeting to update their backbench councillors about the deep cuts to services that they
have planned. When we asked for a similar briefing, we were told that there was no such meeting. The master copy of the list of room bookings showed an entry to reserve the largest meeting room for a LibDem update with an additional instruction not to put this up on the screen by the front door of the Civic Offices with details of the other meetings of the day.
It is true that the Local Government Settlement given by the government, which makes up the largest portion of the Council’s income is poor. The Chancellor announced a 1% real terms increase in an already low settlement and yet expected Council Tax increases to be minimal. With the spending restrictions that he places on the grants given, he is living on another planet if he truly believes that is feasible. This having been said, Sutton Council’s budget has scope for restructuring to cut waste and inefficient spending before even looking at changes to primary services. Years of self-congratulation about how well the LibDems have managed the accounts in better times precludes them from admitting that they haven’t got things right in those comparative years of plenty.
If there are to be significant cuts, we should all be told as soon as possible. We can’t go on with the usual dance each year, when the LibDems drip feed a few dramatic figures at this of year only to “save the day” in the Spring. Last year we suffered the second highest Council Tax in London. The previous year, only a last minute climbdown by the ruling group avoided capping. What’ll happen this year? Who knows? One thing for sure, it won’t be pretty.
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by Paul Scully | Nov 1, 2007 | News |
This morning we have woken up to the news that Councils are calling for more cash from the Government because of immigration, Heather McCartney has had an outpouring of emotion on every television channel to explain that she doesn’t like her media coverage and, stop the press, the breaking news by the BBC that Gerry McCann has returned to work.
It could have been different. Today is the day that I should have been up at some unearthly hour to remind a few thousand people of the Conservative message. Early tomorrow morning, Ken Andrew and Philippa Stroud would have been able to add the initials MP after their name. Yes, today the day for the Election that never was. The clunking fist has become the ham fist in the last few weeks, resulting in the polls showing a clear Conservative lead that would seriously have threatened Labour’s majority.
We will just have to wait for another couple of years, whilst Gordon’s vision pans out signing up to the European Constitution Treaty, introducing watered down policies from the Tories and Liberals, failing to tackle immigration and performing a few more u-turns when under pressure such as the reversals on the proposed cash grab on the budgets of prudent schools and the whopping 80% increase in Capital Gains Tax for small businesses.
Perhaps Gordon Brown’s biggest mistake was to annoy the Press. His controversial statement in Basra of troop reductions was made to just two broadcast journalists and his announcement that he was not calling an election was made to his “pet broadcaster” as described by Daisy McAndrew, Chief Political Correspondent at ITN. They smell blood and will continue to harry him for sometime to come.
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by Paul Scully | Oct 31, 2007 | News |
Last Saturday the clocks went back…sorry, what did you say? It should have been Sunday? Well I know that, you know that. Unfortunately for some, Sutton Council’s Parking Services didn’t. Eighteen parking meters had their clocks turned back during Saturday resulting in at least one resident who had to spend extra on another ticket.
When the Lead Councillor for Parking Services , Colin Hall, was discussing the matter with two of our councillors on Tuesday in the Civic Offices, it had to be pointed out to him that the clock in the room had not been changed a full three days after British Summertime had finished.
The parking mistake is not the first. Fifty three parking tickets were issued on New Year’s Day after Councillor Hall had assured residents that parking charges would not be levied on public holidays.
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by Paul Scully | Oct 30, 2007 | Carshalton Central, News |
As many residents in the Salisbury Road and Carshalton Park Road area will know, the site of 32a Salisbury Road was an orchard. I have written before how the open green space created by the layout of neighbouring gardens has maintained this heritage. The recent application to build four houses on it has been rejected. Although I wrote to neighbours a little while ago, it is worth detailing the reasons for refusal in order to combat similar inappropriate developments:-
(1) The proposals by reason of plot size, scale and building form would be out of keeping with the prevailing character of the surrounding residential area, and be harmful to its character and appearance. The application is therefore contrary to Policies BE1, and HSG1 of the Sutton Unitary Development Plan.
(2) The proposed development by reason of its scale and backland siting, would have an adverse effect on the amenities and outlook currently enjoyed by neighbouring residents contrary to policies BE14, BE18 and HSG1 of the Sutton Unitary Development Plan.
(3) The drawing no(s). relating to this decision is/are LBS01, SR-1-102, SR-1-103, SR-1-104, Design and Access Statement.
(4) The proposed development would provide a poor standard of accommodation for future occupiers through the likely substandard size of proposed bedrooms, bathrooms, and living/dining/kitchen areas, contrary to Supplementary Planning Guidance 7 – Internal Housing Standards.
(5) The proposed development would lead to an increase in traffic movements to and from the existing rear access with substandard width, inadequate geometry and layout, which would cause danger and inconvenience to all users of the proposed access. The application is therefore contrary to policies TR21 and TR29 of the Sutton Unitary Development Plan, and Supplementary Planning Guidance 12 – Design for the Layout of New Streets.
The applicants are able to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate in Bristol so the battle is not yet over. Thanks to everyone who sent their objections to the Council.
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by Paul Scully | Oct 15, 2007 | News |
In the week that Political Correctness came to Sutton, the BBC showed that they still had what it takes. The newspapers have been covering the story of the sacking of Peter Fincham, the BBC Executive who has been made scapegoat for the dodgy editing of the documentary about the Queen. Speculation suggestst that he has taken the rap for the most senior woman at the BBC, Jana Bennett, Director of Vision.
Why has no-one asked the obvious question which is what on earth is a Director of Vision? Since the BBC is still largely a television company, I would have thought the vision thing would have been a given. Oh well, someone ask the monkey.
I’m currently reading the Bumper Book of Government Waste 2008 by Matthew Elliot of the Taxpayers’ Alliance and Dr Lee Rotherham. It’s an excellent piece of research and amusing too (rare for a political tome) so forgive me if I quote a few sections over the next few days. Here’s two about the Home Office:-
