Your actions shout so loudly I can’t hear your words

Goggle Cllr Watts, leader of Bolsover DC and you’ll soon find him indulging in some rather pathetic anti-Thatcher rhetoric. May-be that’s because we have to go back 30 years to find any remnants of socialism in his life. Both of them have uttered some distasteful words but how do their actions compare?

Thatcher famously flogged Council houses at a discount, she managed to shift well over one million during her time, but thirty years on the concept of socially rented housing is still around and needed more than ever. So what has Watts and co done? The rent increases they have pushed through last year coupled with the one they are proposing this year amounts to an average of nearly 15%, that means rents doubling every 10 years, during the biggest recession in our lifetime. With policies like this Watts will finally do what Thatcher failed to do and make consign Council housing to history? To make matters worse the Council doesn’t even need the money, this year the Housing account is predicted to take over £5M more in income than it needs in expenditure. The money will all go to the bank with the balances doubling over the next three years.

Thatcher allowed some of the money from Council houses sales to be used to build new Council houses, Watts has a better idea. He’s making so much money from rents that he proposes to use £1M this year rising to up to £1.7M year to build new council houses. Does it matter where the money comes from so long as the houses are built? Yes it does – paying for new council houses from the rents of current tenants is like asking just current patients to pay for hospitals or families to pay for schools. We should all contribute to the cost of new housing, that way we also make sure the rents remain affordable.

Another Thatcher legacy was the poll-tax – by trying to levy a flat rate tax she made sure that the poor made a disproportionately large contribution and protected the lifestyles of the rich. Bolsover under Watts’s leadership have designed and even more oppressive scheme: forcing every working age person on Council tax benefit to pay 8.5% of the bill. This imposes an additional tax paid only by the very poorest in our community and use the money to subsidise the highest basic allowances of any District Council in the country as well as the £1.4M cost of refurbishing the Council’s palatial new offices at Clowne.

Finally Thatcher of course said there is no such thing as society, and not to be out-done Watts is making sure that there is no such thing as a Community, by personally proposing the closure of all community houses in the District unless some Parish Council, rich benefactor or fairy godmother comes forward to pay for them!

If you still prefer words to actions Councillor Watts – here’s an idea. Why not sign-up to the pledges that your colleagues have made on must prefer words to action Cllr Watts how about signing the statement on http://councillorsagainstcuts.org? Its launched by members of your own party who haven’t forgotten what the Labour party is supposed to be about. Have a word with them, you might that you don’t have to leave your ideals in the past.

Fair Trade - its time for Bolsover!

I have failed to get Cllr Watts leader of Bolsover DC, to express any enthusiasm for adopting the living wage so I thought I have a go at asking him to consider oppressed workers in other countries and commit the District to becoming a Fair Trade area. Here's a draft resolution I could ask him to endorse at the December council meeting - let me know if you have any comments on it.

Bolsover District Council aims to be recognised by its residents and business community, its suppliers and employees and other local authorities as a Council that actively supports and promotes the concept of Fairtrade – ensuring that producers from all countries get a fair price for their goods and labour.

The Council resolves to:

• Review the Council's own purchasing policies to ensure that the Council purchases Fairtrade where possible.
• Offer Fairtrade tea/coffee at Council meetings and in its offices and restaurants where these are currently provided.
• Work with local Fairtrade Network in its work of achieving Fairtrade County status by nominating a Council member / officer to liaise with the Steering Group on a regular basis.
• Promote awareness of Fairtrade issues, and make publicity and educational information available to local people concerning the worldwide impact of unfair trade and the opportunities that Fairtrade provides to promote sustainable development.
• Promote Fairtrade issues and practices amongst local business, and commercial and other organisations.

The pre-contemplative stage

Change is never easy, many never get to smell the coffee.

At yesterday's council meeting the member allowance scheme was on the agenda, but the Chairman didn't want to have any discussion about it and when I dared to suggest that Cllr Watts record of claiming some of the highest travelling and subsistence allowances of any District Councillor in Derbyshire wasn't the best qualification for the role of presiding over other member's expenses they moved rapidly to the vote.

So for those who are able to get over the pre-contemplative stage and want to make the world of local government a better place here were my proposals:

1.   Remove all references to the Leader or Deputy Leader giving approvals for meal or hotel expenditure and replace them with the Chief Executive an independent, and accountable, officer.

2.   Reinstate maximum claims for meals and hotels, we cannot afford, and the public will not tolerate a 60% increase in these costs.

3.   For travelling costs state that where there is a public transport alternative Councillors the scheme should require it to be used.

4.   State that the Council will never pay for spouses, partners or friends whether the cost are subsequently reimbursed or not. They should be met from the basic member’s allowances, after all they are large enough!

5.   Where Council members take positions of responsibility with external organisations such as the ICA then the acceptance of such a position should be on the condition that organisation bearing the associated costs of travel and subsistence not the tax-payers of Bolsover.

 

It is hard to comprehend why such sensible proposals should get such a hostile response, unless that is, there is something to hide.

A new translation service

I'm offering the Leader a new translation service, here's a sample of it:

The Claim.

June: "Despite cuts to the government grants we are determined that front line services will not be affected as we do not feel it is fair that our residents should suffer or feel the pain through no fault of their own. The plans we have in place show we are planning for the future, that we are a responsible Council and that we can continue to deliver our services to meet the needs of our residents" Cllr Watts, Leader of Bolsover DC.

The reality.

August: Councillor's Basic Allowances in Bolsover found to be the highest of any District Council in the country (by some £2,700 a year)

September: The Council's fails its value for money assessment.

October: Labour members of the Council's Safe and Inclusive Scrutiny Committee vote (twice) to recommend the closure of all three of the Council's Community houses in spite of overwhelming representations from the residents who they claim to be protecting.

Suggested Translation.

Despite cuts to the government grants we are determined that our own allowances will not be affected as we do not feel it is fair that we should suffer or feel the pain through any fault of our own.The plans we have in place show we do not have a future; that we have been an irresponsbile Council; and that we will continue to cut our services to meet the needs of ourselves.