Who pressed the self destruct button - Barnet Cabinet

Last night Barnet's cabinet members voted for the award of the NSCSO contract to Capita and in so doing pressed that big red self-destruct button. They have successfully shown their complete disregard for the electorate by their resolute refusal to engage in debate, to inform residents, and involve them in the outsourcing process. When you see polite, knowledgeable, middle aged and mature voters incensed by the arrogance of the people who patronise or ignore them, you start to understand the massive gulf that has opened up in Barnet. Last night the cabinet went a step too far. They could have quite easily put the programme on hold and spent time explaining to residents much more of the detail in the NSCSO contract and listened to the very real concerns of residents. Instead they stuck two fingers up to the residents and pressed ahead with what will be a massive risk. Any references to the DRS contract last night were dismissed as not relevant to the NSCSO contract. However, the two are inextricably linked due to the IT and customer services that will be shared and, as a result, I suspect Capita will be awarded the DRS contract in just a few weeks time. 

I watched the Barnet Bugle's recording of the second half of the cabinet meeting held in private. I got a sense that some of the cabinet members still have some concerns but were subtly covering their backsides by shifting the responsibility to officers and consultants. There is one comment almost at the end (49mins 30 secs) where Cllr Cornelius is drafting a recommendation thanking officers for their help in "providing the information which we have relied on to make an informed decision." My immediate reaction was nice side step Richard, blame shifted to officers if and when it goes wrong. Well sorry but that won't wash because cabinet members rigidly ignored any concerns expressed by residents, unions or external experts such as APSE.

Indeed, over a week ago I wrote to my three ward councillors including two cabinet members, Joanna Tambourides and Robert Rams expressing my concerns and asking what steps they had taken to validate what they had been told by officers and external consultants. I think that it was a perfectly reasonable question and the one non cabinet member (Cllr Barry Evangeli) responded within a couple of hours with a courteous and considered response. However the two cabinet members have simply ignored my email. Such utter disregard for your own ward electors shows that council tax payers have become irreverent. Robert Rams has found plenty of time in the last week to tweet about his various activities including responding to an insulting email yet he has completely ignored the concerns of someone who has spent a great deal of time investigating the issues at stake.

Last night confirmed to me that cabinet members don't give a stuff about the people who voted for them. In so doing they pressed the self destruct button that will see them swept from control in 2014.

Arrogance or Plausible Deniability - The sorry tale of One Barnet Scrutiny

Cllr Richard Cornelius is reported as saying that he hasn't read the 8,000 page contract nor does he expect any other Councillor to have done so. Is this arrogance or that well known political tactic of plausible deniability?  If it is the latter then when the One Barnet contract goes horribly wrong Councillors can say "Not me guv, it was those useless senior officers/consultants".

I think we have heard this before in Barnet. Didn't Councillors deny knowing all the details on the Icelandic bank problem and as a result it was an officer who got the sack. The Catalyst contract problems were blamed on officers and advisors and that ended up costing Barnet residents £10.5 million to sort out.

What makes matters worse is the footage I saw yesterday of the Business Management Overview & Scrutiny Committee on 20th November where Cllr Robert Rams said he didn't go on any of the site visits to learn lessons of how other councils had worked with outsourcing contracts. He said that he had learned it all from officers and desktop research. Not a great idea when so much is at stake and the decision is irreversible.

I will be attending the Overview and Scrutiny committee this evening and I genuinely hope that Councillors will give officers, consultants and cabinet members a grilling. I will be asking a few questions but I know that dozens of questions have been tabled by the public such is the level of concern about the risks involved with this contract. I just hope Councillors take their fingers out of their ears and start listening.

Call My Bluff - East Barnet Car Park

Cllr Robert Rams told the East Barnet Residents Association that he was opposed to the introduction of charges in the Church Hill Road Car Park. We have the Barnet Bugle to thank for a permanent video recording of that meeting. Next week at the full Council meeting Cllr Kath McGuirk has tabled a motion calling Cllr Rams' bluff.

It states:

Cllr Rams said of the proposed charges that he, his Cabinet colleague Cllr
Joanna Tambourides and East Barnet co-councillor Barry Evangeli, would do
"everything in their power to stop them."

Cllr Rams also said that "We agree that these charges will be the death of the
community here. It is clearly not the right decision and I can’t see any
rationale as to how it would be. I personally haven’t seen a campaign like this
since I have been a councillor and that is why I’m so confident we will get the
proposals withdrawn."

Council agrees wholeheartedly with Cllr Rams, and asks Cabinet to withdraw
the proposals to charge in these car parks.

I look forward to seeing how Cllrs Rams, J Tambourides and Evangeli vote.

East Barnet Car Park - What did our Councillors vote for

On Tuesday evening, the East Barnet Residents association held a meeting at which the introduction of charging at East Barnet car park in Church Hill Road was discussed. The Barnet Bugle filmed the proceedings and the video can be seen here.

Cllr Rams states quite clearly on the video that he did not vote for these proposals but that he voted for a ‘consultation’. However, when he was repeatedly challenged on this by former Councillor Dan Hope of the Barnet Bugle and Cllr Pauline Coakley-Webb, Cllr Rams seemed somewhat reluctant to give a straight answer.

As I understand the situation, based on the documents published on the Council's website, Cllr Rams did indeed vote for a consultation on the budget proposals - which included the introduction of charges to Church Hill Road Car Park at the Cabinet meeting of 3 November 2011.

HOWEVER, at the Cabinet Committee meeting on 20 February 2012 it is is quite clear:
"The Cabinet received the Corporate Plan, Budget, Council Tax and Medium Term Financial Strategy proposals for the period from 2012/13 to 2014/15" (which included the introduction of charging to the Church Hill Road car park) "and RECOMMENDED them to Council for adoption".

Then on Tuesday 6 March at the full Council meeting the Council agreed item 4.1 where it "Recommends budget proposals for 2012/13 to 2014/15 for approval". Indeed that report set out the very clear details of the consultation that had taken place.
I would be grateful if Cllr Rams could point out to me where, at either the cabinet meeting of 20 February or Council meeting on 6 March, he voted for a 'consultation' or expressed any concern whatsoever about the introduction of charges. Residents should be clear as to what is the truth in this situation and I would be grateful if Cllr Rams could clarify the facts. If Cllr Rams and his Cabinet colleague Cllr Joanna Tambourides failed to stop this proposal at two Cabinet meetings and at the full council meeting, why did they wait until the statutory notice signs were erected before starting a ‘consultation’. It has been suggested to me that, as a non cabinet member, Cllr Evangeli had no power to go against the party line when this was discussed at Council so that may let him off the hook. It does however call into question the point of having councillors if they are unable to represent the views of their ward members.

A cynic might suspect that Cllr Rams will manage to stop the introduction of these charges and will then claim that he is the hero of the hour at the same time overlooking the fact that he in fact voted for the proposal in the first place. I wonder if East Barnet residents will share that cynicism?

Barnet Council and their plot to destroy East Barnet

East Barnet is a small local centre, at the heart of a community, with a selection of shops. They have a great dry cleaners who are incredibly friendly and helpful, newsagents, an electrical shop, an optician, a florist, a chemist and post office, cafes, etc. Behind the shops in Churchill Road is a small car park which has approximately 50 spaces. When I go to the dry cleaners or opticians I always use the car park because it is free and makes using the local shops easy.

The problems is Barnet Council have a focus on generating money and tough luck if it hurts people on the way. They want to introduce charges for this car park; £1.05 for 30 mins £2.10 for up to an hour and if you are staying more than 3 hours it will cost you £5.25. Now on the face of it some people would say that car parks should have a charge but most people are just popping in for one or two things; picking up your dry cleaning, nipping to the chemist. Up at Potters Bar the first hour is free. What it will do is either encourage some people to pull up on the bus stop or on double yellow lines. More likely is that they will drive elsewhere where they can park for free or get other shopping at the same time.

Will it generate that much money - no. Barnet council have identified that the revenue generated form charging in all the free car parks will generate about £6k a year of revenue. Speaking to a few of the shopkeepers today they are all pretty angry with Barnet saying that it will ruin business. Some of the shop staff park in the car park to keep the road free outside the shops for the passing trade but that will stop when the parking charges are introduced.

Now given that Boris has just ploughed over £400k into tarting up High Barnet, you would have thought that £6k per annum could have been found to keep these car parks free.

I hope that our three local councillors, Robert Rams, Joanna Tambourides and Barry Evangeli are ashamed of their actions and make a rapid u-turn. If they don't then they shouldn't be surprised when yet more business in East Barnet close down.

East Barnet shops put at risk for £1,000 a year

Last night's cabinet meeting was a tragedy. All the local residents who have been working hard on alternative options to the closure of Friern Barnet Library were dismissed out of hand. Cllr Rams had tweeted earlier in the day that the decision to close Friern Barnet Library was made last year. Why then, asked one of the residents, had they encouraged them to come up with alternative plans. Good question no real response. Why is Friern Barnet Libraray being treated differently from Hampstead Garden Suburb Library. Hmm. Doesn't need a genius to guess the answer to that one.

Residents opposed to private events in public parks, dismissed. Budget cuts nodded through.

Sadly for East Barnet is was confirmed last night, in the response to a question put forward by Barnet Bugle proprietor Dan Hope, that parking charges will be introduced in Church Hill Road car park. The income generated from introducing charges in 6 currently free car parks is only £6,000 a year, an average of just £1,000 a year from each car park. So do you think that this will help the traders in East Barnet village at a time when so many shops are struggling. I don't think so! Two East Barnet Councillors sit on the cabinet and have agreed the introduction of these charges. Cllr's Joanna Tambourides and Robert Rams should hang their heads in shame, oh no sorry they don't do shame. That was quite apparent last night.

Oakhill Park Bin Lorry Depot - What is the truth?

Thanks yet again must go to Mr Mustard who passed on the response to a Freedom of Information Request he received this morning. Knowing that I had blogged previously about the Council considering using Oakhill Park for a bin lorry depot when the main Mill Hill depot is sold off he thought I should see the response.

Frankly I am utterly shocked and no longer know who to believe. Cllr Evangeli reassured me that the bin lorry depot in Oakhill Park will not go ahead. Cllr Rams tweated that it would not be going ahead because he had stopped it. So what was the response from the Council this morning.

As per the published Council budget, a total of £12.1m is currently allocated for the re-provision of depot services. From this £12.1m a maximum of £2.4m has been earmarked for the redevelopment of the Copthall & Oakhill Parks & Cleansing Area Operations sites.

So the question is who is telling the truth, a council officer in a Freedom of Information Request response sent today or the assurances of two local councillors back in December.

Every single resident in New Barnet, East Barnet and Brunswick Park should be concerned about this. It's all very well getting a verbal denial that something is happening but when you see that millions in cash have been allocated for the redevelopment of our local park as a 'Cleansing Area Operations Site' you should start to get very worried.

What is the truth here?

East Barnet Residents beware - Bin Lorry Depot to be Relocated to Oakhill Park?

At last night's residents forum a little birdy told me to look again at what first seemed a rather innocuous Delegated Powers Report which related to the appointment of an architect. Looking further into the report it appears they want the architect to prepare plans for "The redevelopment and expansion of both the Copthall and Oakhill Satellite Depots to provide fit for purpose facilities for the Council’s Parks and Cleansing Services and to facilitate the regeneration of Mill Hill East by moving these services out of the existing Depot into the newly developed Satellite sites". What I had not grasped is that the small parks depot in Oakhill looks like it is to be turned into the bin lorry depot for this side of the borough. Now for those who don't who know the area in Oakhill Park it is a small fenced area immediate off the car park and is tiny. Perhaps it would hold 3 bin lorries at most. Immediately behind the small area are houses for the elderly, owned by the Lancelot Hasluck Trust. It also transpires that this issue was one of the questions refused at last night's residents forum. So the council want to sneak in a great big bin lorry depot down a very narrow road (Parkside Gardens) in the park car park and immediately behind a cluster of elderly peoples homes. Oh and we aren't allowed to discuss it at the residents forum. When were our local councillors, Cllrs Rams, Evangeli and J Tambourides going to tell us about this proposal?

If these plans are true then this is a disgrace and ever single person in East Barnet should be queuing up at the next councillors surgery on Saturday 3 December at New Barnet Community Centre, 48-50 Victoria Road, New Barnet EN4 9PF.