10 March (Part 1) - The Amendment is a piecemeal Fudge
A correction, an overnight message suggested that if I spent more time
watching the webcast instead of just listening to it I would see that
Councillor Gower was busy scribbling a few notes in the minutes leading up to her speech.
It was not really pre-prepared.
She said that the Amendment appeared to be developed in isolation and “delivered
at the last minute for Amendmentְ’s sake”. She may be right, Kent County Council Labour delivered a
well argued 42 page alternative and Bromley Labour’s Amendment, while
much shorter is much more detailed than Bexley’s. (Pages
9 and 10 of PDF.)
Cabinet Member Gower (Bexleyheath) took exception to the criticism of her housing department,
it doesn’t let people down and receives many letters of thanks for the support it gives.
“This is not the time for last minute piecemeal proposals and criticism to be
tabled and I therefore oppose the Amendment.”
Short and sweet but with no argument against the Amendment except that it was
developed in isolation with no time for proper consideration. It has been noted before that Budget Amendments
are always made that way in Bexley. Perhaps a different approach is needed.
Councillor Ferguson (Labour, Thamesmead East) was next to his feet. He thought
it was staggering that Bexley had failed to spend £2·275 million earmarked for
affordable housing and £0·79 million of CIL payments were busy doing nothing.
He said there can be is no excuse while residents search for adequate housing
and the money should go to BexleyCo. Other developers very often gain planning permission by promising affordable housing but then renege on the deal
and this Council accepts it.
The Amendment is an easy one if the political will is there, he said but will any of the Conservative speakers tell him why the
money is left unspent? An hour into the meeting and as yet no one has got near to answering that question.
Cabinet Member Richard Diment opposed the Amendment too and started with an assertion
that Labour Councillors appeared to be making their dream speeches as MPs in the House
of Commons rather than in a local Council meeting. A thought that occurred to me too as
I listened to their words, too many of which related to things about which no Councillor can do anything.
“The opposition does not come up with specific proposals but relies instead on
11th hour Amendments presumably because they do not want them to be scrutinised in advance.”
“Many of us have forgotten what an awful experience Labour was both locally and
Nationally. Locally they make promises but elsewhere in the country and nearby
in other boroughs we can see exactly what Labour administrations do and the
mess they make of people’s lives. Mayor Khan has given us a 71% tax increase in
only eight years, more crime, a police service in special measures, a near
bankrupt TfL and no progress with affordable housing.”
“Next door in Greenwich £34 million is being cut from their budget. Across the
chamber we hear noise and bluster but nothing constructive to ensure that
residents get a better service but we get confirmation [of what my father always said to
me] that empty vessels make the most noise.”
Richard Diment was not in the mood to Wispa his words.
Note: The quoted words are a reduced version of what Richard actually said.