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No Deals in Smoke-Filled Rooms

by Paul Scully | Nov 3, 2007 | News | 1 comment

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.

An Almighty Clock-Up

by Paul Scully | Oct 31, 2007 | News | 0 comments

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.

Totem Pole Caption Competition

by Paul Scully | Oct 8, 2007 | News | 17 comments

You may have seen this competition featured on the front page of last week’s Sutton Guardian or in my last ward newsletter.

Regular readers will know that the totem poles are my pet subject with £23,000 of taxpayers’ money (via landfill tax credits not council tax, but taxpayers’ money nonetheless) wasted on public art looking out of place opposite a hospital that is in danger of closure through a lack of cash. At the last council meeting we were told that we shouldn’t refer to them as Totem Poles for fear of offending Indigenous North American natives.

Imaginary offence to North American Indians is not a reason to rename them. Maybe the fact that they haven’t got a series of heads sitting on top of each other is reason enough. Let me know what they should be called. The best entry as judged by me wins a bottle of House of Commons Whisky signed by David Cameron. Send your entries to totempolesATscully.org.uk (substitute the AT for the usual sign, I don’t want a whole load of spam in the meantime.) Leave a suggestion or two in the comments section as well.

Council Meeting 23rd July

by Paul Scully | Aug 12, 2007 | News | 15 comments

I thought I would do something different following the last full Council meeting. This short film is the result. It took a while, hence the delay. Let me know what you think and whether it is worth doing more.

As well as the points in the film, we spent a little time discussing the recent flooding, though it will be a few more weeks until we have compiled all of the lessons learnt from the experience.