9 October - Do they know what they are doing?
It’s seven weeks since
Eric Pickles said
he wanted to see councils get themselves up to date with modern media and be more welcoming to
residents at council meetings, four weeks since most of his ideas were made law and very nearly
five since I asked Bexley council if I could make Mr. Pickles happy by taking a photograph
or two at a council or cabinet meeting.
In the intervening weeks Bexley council has made it very clear that they see no need to
change their secretive ways in the light of the Communities Secretary’s wishes…
Personally I think this is a very good thing. I’m not terribly interested in
photographing our bunch of ne’er do wells, liars, failed businessmen and would be petty criminals.
There is far more fun to be had when Bexley council casts aside commonsense and
presents on a silver platter yet another topic with which to drag their
reputation deeper into the mire. But not everyone takes the same view and
possibly my wish to see them make asses of themselves will be dashed.
While
reinforcing their ban on photography at meetings Bexley council came up with the following
statement. “I note from your email that you may wish to take photographs before
proceedings begin in order to set the scene. This is permissible
in accordance with the Council protocol and the Regulations.” (My emphasis.)
Well what a surprise because in the Civic Centre foyer there is (I last
looked fewer than two weeks ago) a copy of the notice shown to the left. “No photography
inside the building”. Exactly what one would expect of a council paranoid about its activities
becoming any more widely known than absolutely necessary which now looks as
though it may have no ‘legal’ justification whatsoever.
I shall stick with my original request to restrict photography to
before the occasional cabinet
and council meeting but others think the “protocol and regulations” should be used
sooner and more widely. Mr. Bryant has asked to be able to use his camera before
this evening’s Public Realm meeting and photograph me, notebook in hand. So you may
soon see me embarrassed in a way I have promised not to inflict on councillors. Or
maybe I’ll be reporting on Elwyn being led away in handcuffs by Bexley council’s
obedient servants. One must never trust the word of anyone at Bexley council.
It is unlikely that a report on this evening’s Public Realm meeting will appear
until Thursday for, as Teresa O’Neill might say, “Personal Reasons”. Instead a
Blue Peter blog will appear, one that I made earlier.