28 January (Part 2) - Bexley residents’ budget ideas
As I was half expecting, the Unite protestors
entirely obliterated large chunks of my audio recording and all of Paul Thorogood’s report is just as inaudible on
the ‘tape’ as it was for me alone in the public gallery. I shall check to see if
the webcast microphones being much closer to the speaker fared any better.
While Paul was speaking I passed the time by reading through the comments made by
members of the public in response to the recent budget consultation. An
interesting insight into the minds of those less well informed than Bonkers’ readers.
About 135 people submitted ideas not all of which had any obvious relevance to the budget…
• Council tax should be increased to the level of wage inflation over the past 20 years. (I think we are going
to get a refund. Band D was £750·18 in 1999 and £1678·88 in 2019.
RPI has been 70% over that period and wage inflation nearer 80%.)
• Parking enforcement should be stepped up a notch “to make more money”.
• You ask for comment on Planning but people “don’t have a say”.
• Restrict school children in Broadway. (At least twice.)
• Stop stealing children and wasting money on court cases. (Several times!)
• We shouldn’t be selling off green spaces.
• Cut Council upper management posts.
• 23 London boroughs have lower Council tax than Bexley. “Why are we so high?” (I thought it was 24 but point understood.)
• Remove all Councillor allowances. (More than once.)
• Reduce agency staff.
• Significantly increase parking charges. (Yep, that should drive away the last remaining shoppers - but conversely…)
• The failing high street is because of the high parking charges.
• Increase parking fines.
• How much did freezing tax to buy votes before elections cost?
• Library charges are far too high.
• Your decisions should be made to benefit residents not to keep the Conservatives in power.
• Charges for fitness classes are far too high. (Fitness classes? Where?)
• Parking charges should be lower for electric cars. (Wasn’t me, honest!)
• Residents are cash cows.
• BexleyCo is not good for the area. (More than once.)
• No more house and flat building. (Lots of times.)
• End the pointless redevelopment work, e.g. Sidcup High Street.
• Get rid of the 301 bus. (More than once.)
• No more cycle lanes. (At least twice.)
• Install CCTV everywhere.
• Charge for recycling breaches. (Most would be illegal.)
• Too many services outsourced.
• Increase Council Tax for high earners. (I thought that was income tax.)
• No more speed bumps.
• Give the Lesnes Abbey cafe back to the successful operator instead of
keeping it shut. (No recognition of Bexley Council’s spitefulness.)
• Opt out of the Greater London Authority. (Good idea, dump Khan.)
• Use sheep to keep the grass short. (We already have quite a lot serving as Tory Councillors so why not?)
Drowned out by Unite union hooligans.