The Power of By-Election Voters - use it and use it wisely

Tomorrow is a by election in Brunswick Park ward of Barnet.The voters of that ward are fortunate in that they hold a great deal of power. This by-election is as much about people's satisfaction with the way Conservatives run Barnet as it is to vote for a new Councillor. Promises have been made that the Conservatives will reconsider parking. Frankly, the initial comments coming out suggest that the changes will be minor and will fail to address the fundamental issue that parking is just too expensive. Will they re-open the Friern Barnet Library,  unlikely; what will happen to Osidge Library after the election, who knows?

Of much greater significance is the dogmatic and high risk One Barnet Outsourcing programme. This Billion pound gamble could cost Barnet a fortune. A similar project in Somerset has cost the Council £55 million according to its Conservative Leader Ken Maddock. Yet Barnet Conservatives seem convinced this is answer to all our problems irrespective of how badly it has gone elsewhere.

Tomorrow in Brunswick Park it will  boil down to a pro or anti council vote with Labour being the only party who can successfully represent the anti-council lobby. Let us hope that the voters of Brunswick Park use the vote and use it wisely!

Mr Reasonable is back in business

Mr Reasonable has been indisposed for the last week or so but today I am back to blogging. Several matters have caught my eye over the intervening period, all of which are inextricably linked to a Conservative regime which is out of touch with the people it is supposed to represent.

The first is the fun and games going on in the Brunswick Park Ward By-Election for which I am indebted to the Barnet Bugle for bringing to my attention. The Conservative candidate makes a series of claims including fighting against the introduction of parking charges in the local car parks and helping to relaunch Church Farm Youth Club. The fact that the conservative group voted repeatedly to introduce charges and that the conservatives withdrew funding from the Church Hill Road Youth Club seem to have passed her by. By claiming that she is not a politician simply a working mother is somewhat disingenuous given that she is the Executive Secretary of The Conservative Muslim Forum, an integral part of the Conservative Party.

The second is the consultation on Door to Door Transport. This seems to be a very clear way of cutting services to the most vulnerable. Like so many consultations carried out by this administration, simply going through a process in order to impose a policy that no one supports is not what most reasonable people would classify as 'consultation'.

The third matter relates to the railings outside Martins Primary School in East Finchley. Anyone with an ounce of common sense would have realised that this was a bonkers idea but the Council went ahead with it anyway. New person in charge, Cllr Dean Cohen realises its a mistake and agrees that the railing should be replaced. Ultimately the right decision but by not listening to local people in the first place this fruitless exercise will have cost the ratepayers of Barnet several thousand pounds.

I genuinely hope that the voters in Brunswick Park send another signal to the Conservative group at Barnet council that they have got to change their ways and start actively and honestly engaging with residents. It seems to have had a small effect with Brian Coleman but there is still a great deal of change required. The Council needs to recognise that the residents of Barnet are its biggest asset. They have knowledge, they have skills, they contribute to their local community and ultimately it is the ratepayers who pick up the bill. Barnet needs to stop ignoring residents and start taking them seriously.