10 February (Part 1) - And they’re off!
It's 15 months until the Council elections are due but Councillors are
already jockeying for position. In 2018 there is the added excitement of the
boundary changes. 18 Councillors will lose out in the game of Musical Chairs. It
looks like I will be moved from what might be considered a traditional Labour
area to Conservative. It’s back to square one for me because that was how it was
when I first moved to the borough in 1987.
The Tories like to keep their candidate list secret until the last minute in
case any of them
get arrested at a critical stage (†), so they produce Action Teams
instead which can be changed without too much embarrassment.
So far I have heard only of the Action Team for the new West Heath ward. The
Chickens who are Running there are Councillors Philip Read, Peter Reader and
John Davey. West Heath is in the Bostall Woods area south of Lesnes Abbey.
It
is also being said that Lord and Lady Rochester have had enough of neighbours who object to noisy parties and are to stay close to home in future.
And that isn’t Bexley.
In not so good news it is being said that Deputy Leader Rob Leitch will give up
the struggle to clean up Bexley Council. Elected only three years ago Rob
appears to have found the culture of Bexley Council too difficult to handle
compared to the rough and tumble of the comprehensive school where he is the Assistant Head.
I have heard of him complaining about the way Teresa O’Neill
runs the Council soon after the 2014 election but he was prevailed upon to fight back,
hence his rapid election to Deputy Leader by those of a like mind. Let us hope
that his arm can be twisted again. Apart from Rob, and since John Fuller left
the Cabinet, there is not a single Member who can be trusted absolutely on Bexley Council.
† The candidate for East Wickham ward, Daniel Taylor, was reported to the police by his
employer Councillor Maxine Fothergill for theft. An act which resulted in a caution
for Taylor and serious retribution from the Council Leader for Maxine. Daniel Taylor was the partner of former Conservative
Councillor Chris Taylor who was defeated by Lynn Smith of UKIP in Blackfen.