22 April - The Leader’s report. Fabulous!
Council
Leader Teresa O’Neill is very fond of the F word, everything her Council does is Fantastic.
In her most recent report to Council she began by saying that the Council is fortunate to have so many Fantastic
volunteers which make it a great place to live #doitforbexley and paid tribute
to the three former Councillors who had died since the last Council meeting. Mike Slaughter, Helen Fuller and Aileen Beckwith.
She was “delighted” by The Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission Report and the
provision of £4·85 million for the Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet viability study. “It
was a major step forward and a Fantastic result for Bexley.”
“It is Fantastic that Bexley is to get two Special Free Schools. It is
absolutely Fantastic and it keeps young people in local schools and ensures they will get a good education.”
“It is absolutely Fantastic that Sidcup will see a new Library and Picture
House. It will drive up footfall and that will be Fantastic.”
Unfortunately the Post Office in Sidcup is likely to close and following the
successful scheme in Crayford the Council is considering whether it will be
possible to offer the Post Office accommodation in the new Sidcup library too.
“Councillor Craske has sent out pictures today of the Fantastic proposals for
Hall Place.” She had already been there for the start of the Alcock & Brown
centenary celebrations and “it is an absolutely Fantastic venue, the site really is absolutely Fantastic”.
“Some Fantastic work has been done by Graham Ward to bring about Digital
Infrastructure.” (The free town centre wi-fi that has been promised.) “David Bryce
has been absolutely Fantastic with his work with BT Openreach It will mean we
are the best connected borough in London. Isn’t that Fantasic?”
“The new bins will be rolled out later this year as a result of us listening to
residents; they said the boxes were a pain and really Fantastic that is.
The Bexley Housing Strategy is “costing us money but we have to do things better.”
Getting the cancer and dialysis unit into Queen Mary’s Hospital was “absolutely
Fantastic. You get a better service in there than you would in a private
hospital”. (I’m pleased to hear that, I am just back from Newham University
Hospital, least said about that the better!)
“It really is a Fantastic service.”
Not fantastic is the police Basic Command Unit. “We weren’t in favour, we had a
certain amount of concern about it and we have had a lot of teething troubles to
start off with. We have less time with the BCU Commander and the Deputy Mayor of
London promised a meeting which hasn’t happened”.
“The Safer Neighbourhood Panel meetings have been downgraded because the police
see them as a waste of their time. The tasking teams are going to be disbanded.”
There are as you can see, a lot of good things going on at present so maybe
there is some justification for the frequent use of the F word, and it’s
contagious. Both Councillors John Fuller and Daniel Francis used the same word
while making comments, Daniel more than once. Not so fantastic was his
revelation that the Labour spokesman on Education was “disinvited” from a
Ministerial meeting with the Council. “Who did that?” he wanted to know. Council
Leader O’Neill didn’t know how Councillor Perfect came to be invited and disinvited, it was
never her intention that she should be there.