The unusual site banners are to bring attention to the fact that Labour activists in Bexley are manipulating Facebook Groups with fictional posters. They deny it, threaten police action for ‘harassing’ a fictitious character and then demonstrate their willingness to impersonate by creating a false Administrator account in my name. The banner on display is chosen randomly from a selection of three, with a fourth bearing the familiar Bexley Council is Bonkers logo.
24 June (Part 2) - A storm in a talking shop
One of my Reform UK contacts gave me a fright a week ago
by saying that he and four of his colleagues had attended a Cabinet meeting. How
did I come to overlook that? But it turned out to be a Cabinet Committee
meeting which is not one I usually attend.
The meeting was wholly about the money pit which is BexleyCo. At the last
meeting, the Chairman, about whom I have an unenviable collection of emails from
work colleagues, accepted that things were progressing too slowly and there
would be no dividend for Council Taxpayers until 2028/29. Without a webcast I have no idea if things
have got worse since then, however what was clear from X (Twitter) etc. is that
the Reform crew were not impressed.
They claimed that about 10% of Bexley Council’s budget was trickling down the
BexleyCo drain which was instantly disputed by Daniel Francis MP. I don’t know
why he thought BexleyCo should be defended because he used to say it was
a bit of a disaster. “We are lending money to be pee’d up the wall” he said. But not any more.
In
an X exchange with @ReformBexley and their supporters he said that their arithmetic was all wrong and that
nothing like 10% of the budget went on supporting BexleyCo. More like 5%
was touted. If Bexley Council has pumped £64·7 million
into BexleyCo, how does that compare with the total expenditure?
@tonyofsidcup provided some evidence. (See associated Table.)
Reform’s 10% claim may be the roughest of estimates but the MP’s lesser figure
is beyond me. @tony whose financial qualifications are infinitely greater than
mine suggests it is something to do with net and gross revenues but goes on to
say;
“Under £600 million on services and £80 million on capital makes around 10%”.
Where can a lesser figure come from? And why would a Labour MP push one?
Who really cares? £64 million is a lot of your money with nothing much to show
for it, but the MP is still arguing that Reform has committed a major faux pas.
Wisely, Reform, or at least their most vociferous supporter, seems to have dropped out of this argument undefeated. Not for
them the condescending tone of a Labour MP defending the dubious financial
decisions of a Conservative Council. Quit while you are ahead! And Reform most likely are in Bexleyheath.
I have no real idea why the MP decided he should support an outfit that built
zero affordable homes last year. Neither have I any idea
why @tonyofsidcup has spent so much time on X defending the local Reform branch when his only
reward is that they blocked him. Similarly I am not sure why I defend Reform
either when prominent Reformers send me solicitor’s letters, four I think it is
now but I am losing count, demanding that I sign a gagging order so that I
cannot ever reveal what I have in a big fat file.
Stuff that!
BexleyCo Index.