9 November (Part 2) - The fantastic Leader’s report
The
Quarterly Leader’s report is always worth waiting for even if the preceding
events are sometimes a little tedious. Planted questions and
Motions are not my favourite Council events.
Last week’s report went something like this…
Teresa O’Neill referred back to
the “fantastic” Alcock & Brown celebration last July but moved swiftly on to
the damaged Cob statue in Belvedere or is it Erith?
It must be right on the boundary. Opened by Boris Johnson when Mayor and damaged beyond repair by an Asda driver.
I have some respect for lorry drivers, my son has an HGV licence (passed test first time in under two weeks so maybe it’s not that
difficult) as part of his road safety researches and, as he once told me, as a
fall back in case his business hits a rough patch. Fortunately it’s not happened
yet. However local Asda drivers certainly give the impression that they are in a
class apart, and not in a good way.
The Leader said that negotiations with insurance companies were getting nowhere
fast so she wrote to the Chief Executive of Asda. We all know how unhelpful
insurance companies try to be so who can blame her?
Councillor Peter Craske has been messing around in a bin factory and who better to be
in one? The Leader has seen those already delivered to the Crayford depot and
the first of them should hit a pavement near you next Monday. I will have to
wait three more weeks for mine. No idea what I am going to do with them, I need neither.
Councillor O’Neill went to the topping out ceremony of the new Peabody
towers at Tavy Bridge along with Mabel Ogundayo (Labour, Thamesmead East) and avoided being stuck in the broken down lift which followed hers.
The Estuary Envoy got a mention and who might he be? Apparently it is
a she called Kate Willard and she “champions” the Thames Estuary.
The Leader said the SEN inquest chaired by Councillor Alan Downing “was a really
good meeting” and “to apologise was the right thing to do”. The leading parent
protester “is going to come in and have a cup of coffee” because “there are some
really valuable lessons to be learned”.
The Leader called in favours with Boris Johnson by writing her own personal
letters to the new government within days of its formation ensuring Bexley was
first in the queue. A letter went to Met. Commissioner Cressida Dick requesting
more police and one must wish the Leader good luck dealing with
that useless if not totally bent cop.
She has had a conversation with the Home Secretary about dealing with
unaccompanied asylum seekers which couldn’t have been too difficult given that
the Home Secretary is Bexley Cabinet Member Alex Sawyer’s wife. She “has had some movement on that”.
Councillor Cafer Munur (Conservative, Blackfen & Lamorbey) was the first to ask
a question but it was of the creepy arse licking variety so I will give that one
a miss except to say it was planted because the reply was read from a script by
the arch question and answer rigger Councillor Philip Read. Him again.
Councillor John Davey (Conservative, West Heath) asked another question which wasn’t much better.
It gave Cabinet Member Craske the opportunity to say that Danson Park had been
voted the best in London. Really? What? Better that Hyde Park, St. James’ Park, Regents Park?
Councillor
Danny Hackett (Independent, Thamesmead East) was the first to ask a genuine question. It was about fireworks
and already reported elsewhere. Councillor
O’Neill as you may remember provided a positive and encouraging response.
Next with a proper question was Labour Leader Daniel Francis
(Belvedere) who didn’t think
Bexley Council had done enough to counter
the plans to expand London City
Airport or to plan for and publicise the forthcoming Barnehurst, Bexleyheath and
Welling rail closure in February.
Cabinet Member Louie French didn’t think much of the Airport’s consultation
efforts either, it was all “a bit bizarre” but the Council did submit a formal response.
He has some ideas for publicising the alternative rail travel arrangements but has concerns about capacity.
Councillor Linda Bailey (Conservative, Crook Log) dared to mention the C word; Crossrail. She tempted fate
by saying it could open in October 2020 but that was “appalling”. Bexley Council
has spent a lot of money in the area but “businesses are still suffering. Under
Boris Johnson Crossrail was on budget and on time and then along came Sadiq Khan
and suddenly we are three years behind”. Last Wednesday she should have said two
years behind but 24 hours later she was right.
Teresa O’Neill is clearly no Mystic Meg for she had spoken to TfL bosses and confidently revealed their
dirty secret; the Elizabeth line “had probably slipped another month”. How wrong can they get? (In
case you have been asleep for the past day or two Crossrail opening has been deferred well into 2021 at best.)
The same TfL bosses had been to look at the hordes of ill-mannered school children who run riot by the Clock Tower every
afternoon. No solution was offered. What do you think? Confiscate their Oyster
cards, tasers or a big net dropped from the sky and hauled skywards like in one
of the final scenes from War of the Worlds?
Finally the Leader sang the praises of the Larner Road and Arthur Street developments.
Despite the mischievous blog title I think the word fantastic was only used
three times, not counting Councillor Davey getting in on the act.