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News and Comment October 2015

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1 October (Part 1) - In Bexley nothing is quite as it might seem

MayorSo far as one can judge, based on just one council meeting since her inauguration last May, councillor Sybil Camsey is as good a mayor as any Bexley has had in the past six years. The period over which I have taken an interest in the subject.

At that inauguration she was proposed by fellow Brampton ward councillor John Wilkinson and seconded by another from the same ward, council leader Teresa O’Neill OBE. (Objectionable Brampton Endomorph.)

From their speeches in favour of councillor Camsey’s appointment I learned that she had been a teacher for 42 years at Barnehurst Junior School, the last 14 of them as headteacher.

Council websiteIt’s a fact confirmed on Bexley council’s website. Sybil Camsey was headmistress until 2009.

“Well known and respected” was what John Wilkinson said and if you read the OFSTED report from December 2008 that does indeed appear to be the case. However OFSTED rated Sybil Camsey’s management of the school rather more harshly. The word ’underachievement’ appears more than once and teaching and learning were said to be Inadequate.

The school was placed into Special Measures. The verdict appeared to be that Barnehurst Junior School was a nice friendly place to be but the educational standards were not good enough.

OFSTED
Following headmistress Camsey’s retirement at the end of the 2009 school year, OFSTED returned six months later to see how the new management team was faring.
OFSTED
Based on the OFSTED report one might conclude that councillor Camsey is well suited to her role as mayor but is unlikely to ever challenge the leader.

Note: I was a little uneasy about reminding reader’s of Sybil Camsey’s past, it could look a little mean spirited, hence the rather late publication today. However I reminded myself that we are up against a council that doesn’t think twice about being as nasty as it can to residents.

Teresa O’Neill tried to get me arrested for threatening the old Civic Offices with an arson attack. Totally untrue obviously. Cabinet member Philip Read succeeded in getting a blogger thrown in a police cell on no other basis than his vivid imagination.

Councillor Melvin Seymour fabricated a story about dog faeces and letter boxes to try to put that same resident behind bars for longer. Cabinet member Peter Craske took expensive revenge on Felix Akele after he misunderstood the council’s requirements on footway crossovers; possibly the most vindictive act by a councillor on any resident in the past five years, and Teresa O’Neill successfully convinced her pals in Bexley police that criticism of councillors is an arrestable offence.

While she continues to be elected their leader there will be consequences for other Conservatives.

At least the report about OFSTED is factual unlike the dog poo and arson stories.

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