3 November (Part 2) - Council meeting 2nd November
I don’t know where to start. I am tempted to say it was a disgraceful spectacle
that will have benefited the local population not one jot and leave it at that.
But you may be expecting something more.
Apart from four of us from the Bonkers team and a lady who often turns out in
support, the audience peaked at twelve, three of whom were wearing Bexley
council identification. No one apart from myself was taking notes so I assume
the press was absent again. The mayor started the meeting with his usual
diatribe about protecting the public from the intrusion of recording equipment
and off we went. First up a Petition against a new ADSA store.
Petition against ASDA supermarket in Belvedere
Councillor Kerry Allon (Belvedere) presented a petition from local residents
"Who do not wish the overdevelopment of their small town by ASDA, sharing the
current B&Q warehouse site in Lower Road Belvedere, bringing with it all of the
dangers and challenges to the community that such a move entails”. This was read
out taking all of 10 seconds and I was looking forward to hearing what dangers a
supermarket might represent, salmonella in the chicken perhaps? But that was it,
a bundle of papers changed hands without a word of debate. Next business please.
Question from the public
There was only one because the obstacles put up by Bexley council prevent serious
questioning. The one that got through the net was from Tory sympathiser and one
time candidate Tony Ault who asked councillor Katie Perrior (Blackfen & Lamorbey)
about fostering services. I have no reason to believe Bexley’s record on this is
not good; Katie told us that it cost £5,000 a week to keep each child in care so it
wasn’t something to be undertaken lightly, but the reason for Mr. Ault’s planted
question soon became clear. Bexley has just been rated “outstanding” for fostering
services by Ofsted. Mr. Ault asked a secondary question as is his right. “Does
Ms. Perrior have plans for next year?” “Yes” said Katie, “Lots”. Presumably one of them is
not to travel B.A. again.
Questions from councillors
Most questions landed in councillor Craske’s (Blackfen & Lamorbey) lap so I turned
down the sensitivity on my lie detector in case it went into overload.
From councillor Brian Bishop (Colyers), (edited to reduce length), “after two
horrific murders, please reassure residents that Bexley is a safe place to
live”. Craske launched into his trademark thank you speech to council staff and
emergency services and eventually got around to telling us that the Bexley CCTV
system wasn’t turned on on the fateful night. He was going to recommend that the
kebab shop has its closing time changed from 2 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Councillor Sybil Camsey (Brampton) then repeated Tony Ault’s question to Katie Perrior and
unsurprisingly got the same answer.
Councillor Munir Malik (Thamesmead East) came in with all guns blazing. “As the income from
parking is reduced would councillor Craske tell us what the car park occupancy
rate is?” Craske’s usual practice when asked for a number is to think of one,
double it, and maybe put a nought on the end but this time Craske was stumped.
He didn’t know. “But you claim to have made a business analysis of parking charges”,
said Munir, and (paraphrased) “you must know something, and why with business spiralling
downwards aren't you introducing discounted rates, no charges at night and free initial
periods? You have no ideas at all” he said to a chorus of jeers and cat calls
from the intellectually challenged hooligans opposite. One of their number, John
Davey (Lesnes Abbey), invited Craske to recite his well known list of
car parks across London that charge more than Bexley, the tourist centre of
Greenwich and the new Olympic Park in Stratford. Craske has evidently not
noticed that parking in the adjacent Westfield Centre is currently free.
Among
the hooligans making excessive noise were councillors June Slaughter (Sidcup) and James
Hunt (East Wickham) but they were outplayed by their neighbour who shouted at councillor Malik that he should
“sit down”. My colleague who had a better line of sight than I said the verbal abuse
came from Ms. Katie Perrior. Is KP nuts? Elsewhere Craske and councillor Gareth
Bacon (Longlands) were jeering and pointing with gestures that were a bit too reminiscent of Nazi salutes.
In another theatrical set-piece councillor John Waters
(Danson Park) asked Craske, who had run through the number of Penalty Notices
issued by Bexley council, if he happened to remember how many were issued under
Labour and by one of those amazing coincidences the appropriate piece of paper
was already in Craske’s hand. This episode was so well handled that Craske couldn’t keep
a straight face and sniggered uncontrollably throughout. He reminded councillor
Malik that he had voted for a 20 pence rise in the cost of parking back in 2003
which probably makes Malik a much better economist than Craske could ever be.
During the fake boom engineered by Gordon Brown demand would have stood an
increase in the market price without killing the goose that laid the golden egg.
But Craske, clueless as ever, doesn’t recognise that Brown’s boom is well and
truly bust and the market will no longer stand being milked. Munir Malik. Not only a better economist, a better man all round.
Councillor Brad Smith (Christchurch) then planted a question designed to let Craske re-announce
the three million pounds that Boris Johnson has allocated to revitalising
Bexleyheath. He is going to get rid of three sets of traffic lights which
shouldn’t have been put in in the first place. Councillor Margaret O’Neill
(Erith) wanted to know how this was going to revitalize Bexleyheath. While the mayor got
in a muddle over which of the various O’Neills was asking questions, Craske had
time to scratch his head for an answer, but before my lie detector was able to
beep, he admitted that he didn’t know; but the night life was going to be
improved. How closing a kebab shop early helps wasn’t made clear.
Councillor Chris Taylor (Colyers) then asked a question but I’m not going to give space to
pointless ones and the meeting moved on to Motions; as though the chamber had
not been filled with them already.
Motions
Councillor
Sandra Bauer (Thamesmead East) put forward the Motion that the council condemns those
involved in the August riots. Well they are hardly going to speak up in favour
are they? However it gave ample opportunity for grandstanding politicians to
blow various trumpets, however credit where it is due, councillor Craske
acknowledged that the good people of Bexley are not the rioting sort, and many
of them volunteered to help out with food etc. for the police. Even the
previously maligned ASDA was praised for donating supplies. For a borough that
mercifully suffered no riot damage the motion was particularly long and drawn
out. One reason was that councillor Gareth Bacon droned on well beyond his
allotted time and when the Wishy Washy chairman mayor asked him to stop, he
ignored him leaving mayor Sams (St. Michael’s) to regret not taking Val
Clark’s (Falconwood & Welling) advice to read the
ABC of Chairmanship by Citrine.
Next councillor Don Massey (Cray Meadows) was to put forward a Motion about proposals from the
Boundary Commission. Having read ahead I had already commented that it looked as
though the Conservatives were proposing a neat bit of gerrymandering, but before
councillor Massey had a chance to speak mayor Ray Sams declared that debating
time was up. Massey’s wife Sharon (Danson Park) rode to the recue pointing out that by the time the
council met again next February the Boundary Commission would have stopped
accepting comments. The meeting descended into turmoil with factions demanding
that the mayor extended the time allowed or that standing orders be honoured.
The mayor floundered and didn’t know what to do. At least five minutes was
wasted while some of us pined for the days when Val Clark was in charge, she always
knew what she wanted to do, even though it was often contrary to her favourite book,
the passage of time,
council standing orders or simple common sense. Sams was totally out of his depth and even when
guided by his legal adviser managed to confuse the words sufficient and insufficient so that
when he called for a vote someone had to call out “what are we voting for?”. Councillor Stefano
Borella pointed out that the mayor had invoked the wrong Standing Order and his call for a vote
on a time extension was thereby invalid. I’m not sure it was her place to do so but leader O’Neill
(Brampton) over-ruled him and councillor Don Massey was eventually
allowed to put his Motion.
In the proverbial nut shell, Massey, backed by all the Conservatives, wants to move
part of Welling into the Erith constituency and both North End and Crayford wards to be moved into the
Bexleyheath & Sidcup seat. As I had anticipated, the Labour party saw this as blatant
gerrymandering. Putting Tory Welling in with marginal Erith might be enough to swing the latter
to the right and to put the left leaning wards of the industrial north into an area which has
traditionally had among the largest Tory majorities in the country wouldn't
swing it enough to do any harm to the Tories. A more blatant case of gerrymandering is hard to
imagine but Bexley Conservatives managed to drag up some compelling reasons why
Welling and Erith, Slade Green and Sidcup were natural partners with common
interests. Councillor Melvin Seymour excelled by recounting how they were linked
by the events of the First World War. Additionally the A20 being a natural
boundary helped his case but councillor Deadman (North End) countered that by saying so was
the more northerly railway line a natural boundary. While making notes of this with my
eyes lowered I realised that without the benefit of sight it is near impossible to distinguish
between Deadman speaking and council leader O’Neill. The Motion was carried. Let’s hope the
Boundary Commission can recognise skullduggery when it stares them in the face.
Next the immaculately attired councillor Stefano Borella (North End) with
no clothes flapping this time was due to put a motion about “equality and human rights and
in particular the work to promote gay rights” but he was ruled well and truly out of time.
Miscellaneous musings
Councillor Chris Ball recalled that the Sunday Times, not an organ to usually
castigate the Tories, had made Bexley “nationally notorious”
with its tales of stealth taxes. Leader O’Neill countered this by saying that the lady
featured had said that her family finances were being threatened but the example given
by the newspaper was not a council imposed charge. She couldn’t remember what it
was and I curbed my inclination to call out that it was the cost of hiring a boat in Danson Park.
Councillor Peter Catterall (Falconwood & Welling) provided a logical explanation of why
we may not be seeing the same staff in libraries as often as we did. With library hours
reduced, staff have to make up time elsewhere according to some sort of rota system.
It’s hardly ideal but unavoidable given the cuts to the service.
When councillor Stefano Borella said something not altogether
complimentary about Boris Johnson, the Conservatives, many of them standing and
gesticulating, erupted into mocking and jeering. Craske and Gareth Bacon stood
out with their particularly undignified behaviour.
Councillor Craske was asked about the alleged 70 ways of getting a parking
ticket and responded that it wasn’t true, the number was nearly 90. During the
meeting Craske managed to slip in his notorious lie that Labour don’t know that
Bexleyheath has a railway station twice but managed to inform us that
Southeastern are going to install a lift there. Pity about the lack of disabled
access at Erith.
Leader Teresa O’Neill had possibly been out celebrating
Olly Cromwell’s
predicament a little too hard because she had turned into Mrs. Malaprop for the
evening. While speaking about the August riots she said to much laughter that
councillors were responsible. She also said that councillor Perrior had
assiduously “looked after children [in care] to death” and that Bexleyheath’s
Christmas decorations are going to “set Broadway alight”.
Councillor Colin Campbell (St. Mary’s) it should be noted had apparently
visited a charity
shop after all and sported a red tie. I was wearing the silk blue one he
declined to accept last month.
I left the meeting to catch the 22:04 bus home. The meeting had a little time
still to run. By the time I left there were perhaps two, maybe three people left
in the public gallery not wearing Bexley badges.