20 July (Part 1) - Hot Air Quality
It is not normal for BiB to agree with anything Bexley’s Chief Executive says
- on reflection does she ever say anything? - but just before the microphones
were switched off at the end of last night’s Full Council meeting she whispered “well
done” into new Mayor Andy Dourmoush’s ear. One can only agree, a calm and
professional first outing with every word audible, except of course when the
automated camera and mic system thinks it knows best.
Mr. Dimitri Shvorob was there to ask his usual awkward questions and
one of them was “Please tell me about the financial impact of the decision, made
in early 2023, to close the Council’s parking-warden phone line, crippling
parking enforcement in the borough?"
Whether enforcement has been crippled or merely made less accessible is obviously contentious
but I know of two residents fairly local to me who have stopped making reports following the changes.
Cabinet
Member Richard Diment, who did not make the decision, we owe that to Peter Craske, said that there was no impact on revenue as the service was only used a couple of times a day while
150ish penalties were issued every day. Dimitri (usually known as @tonyofsidcup
on these pages) did not challenge the answer but instead chose to post on
Twitter only a few minutes later.
I made the mistake of responding without having listened to the webcast and my
FOI suggestion was unnecessary as Richard had already answered the question.
At only two or three calls a day it probably isn’t worth making someone
available to answer the phone. Maybe Dimitri should ask how many web form reports come in daily.
I am particularly pleased that there is no reason to suppose that the new Cabinet Member has already
become as slippery as his colleagues because for the moment at
least I have found Richard Diment to be straight forward and honest which is something of a rarity in a Bexley Cabinet Member.
They are either chosen because they share the Leader’s dictatorial tendencies,
swallow their own principles and bask in the glory or soon resign in order to
pursue a successful career in business or become an MP.
But meanwhile the new Cabinet Member for Places seems to be playing a straight bat.
(In late news; Dimitri has come around to that view and regrets any contrary implication.)
Dimitri had another question. “Who is responsible for the Council’s failure to
develop an Air Quality Action Plan in the 16 years since the creation of the
Bexley Air Quality Management Area?”
The Leader said an Air Quality Report (not Plan) had been produced every year since 2015
and reviewed annually by the GLA which is content with everything Bexley is
doing. Bexley is designated as an Air Quality Management Area but recent figures
do not reach the threshold for designation. “There is no part of our borough
which breaches the national objective for air quality. We have some of the
lowest readings for NO2 and particulates in London.”
I wonder if there are readings for Harrow Manorway which took me eleven minutes
to traverse at 8 a.m. this morning? (Knee Hill roundabout to Sainsbury’s only.)
In response to a further question from Mr. Shvorob the Leader said she would
pursue an Air Quality Action Plan even though there is no longer a legal
requirement to do so. The question about not producing one while there was such a
legal requirement was ignored.
Mr. Paul McQuillen asked why Bexley Council did not object to the proposal to
increase operating hours at London City Airport when they were in a statutory position to do so.
Cabinet Member Cafer Munir (Growth) said that an objection was made on 3rd July.
What he didn’t say is that submission was made too late to be included in Newham
Council’s report. The best that the Cabinet member could come up with was “We
are where we are.” Impressive as usual.