28 July (Part 1) - ‘Challenging budget outlook’. Challenging consultation
Bexley council is fond of consultations, it is also pretty good at getting
the answers it hopes for too.
This website was started in part because a consultation about my
nearest main road, the B213, went to people living some way away but not to
those living alongside it. It happens too often to be a mistake and when
the response rate is well under 1% - typically 600 people across the borough, it
is taken as an endorsement if the council wants something - like cuts - but as a
statistical anomaly if a bigger vote goes for a Gallions Reach bridge. If two pesky
pensioners rustle up more than 2,000 signatures in a petition, it’s panic until
Kevin Fox invents a new lie to justify not even looking at it!
I’ve heard local Labour councillors refer to Bexley’s democratic deficit several
times recently, I’m not sure exactly what they have in mind but it is all around us.
Page 7 of the Bexley magazine (Summer 2014) carries news of yet another consultation and
a few readers
BiB have taken a look.
None were impressed and one put it down to his lack of skill with a computer.
I had a look too and was confronted by this…
Mind boggling isn’t it? I’m not totally stupid when it comes to computers and
I can see what the general idea is but do I feel inclined to use it? No. And do
I have the time? Absolutely not, and I never have been any good at computer
games if that is what it is.
Things like this are disenfranchising half the population. Over in Newham they
do everything on the web too. How’s my 94 year old maiden aunt living alone with
no council help whatsoever supposed to cope?
It’s all very well them issuing free residents’ visitor parking permits to those
who don’t own a car but when she walked to the Town Hall to get some she was
told she couldn’t do that any more. “Go upstairs to use the free computer”. What?
Three floors with no lift at age 94! Thank you Sir Robin Bloody Wales.
Ok, so I have impersonated her on the web and set up a Newham account but it’s
not really acceptable. I’m half a mind to get their Social Services to spend
some of their saving on looking after an old lady instead of me adding to the pollution
at Blackwall Tunnel every few days.
If it wasn’t for Teresa O’Neill and her ’we are in favour of more crossings but we got
Boris to cancel the only one on offer’ my aunt would only be three and a half
miles away. A bridge to Rainham isn’t going to be much good.
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