10 November - Where did all the money go? asks a Bexley school teacher
I tinkered with the web form code on Sunday evening; it is right at the
extremities of my IT knowledge and I can too easily mess it up so it was a relief to see messages rolling in on Monday morning.
One of them was especially interesting in that it referred to the topical question of
making sure that needy children do not go hungry. Last week’s
Council meeting revealed that the issue is far from being as simple as Labour boroughs pay and Conservative ones don’t.
The new message came from a Bexley school teacher who was not unsupportive of Bexley Council's approach.
Like most people he welcomes the Government’s provision of free school meals but he is critical of Bexley Labour’s begging bowl.
“The
tactics they are using is very misleading”
“We put plans in place to support kids ages ago and no one contacted my school to offer support but Bexley Labour has been asking people to give money.”
“Did they contact Bexley Council or schools before setting up
their fundraising page to see whether we needed the money?”
And the answer in his case appears to be “No”. “What happened to the money?”, he asks.
He is not happy with the implication that Bexley Labour’s request for donations was an official London Borough of Bexley appeal, the bottom of the page implies
that it is fully authorised by them.
What Councillor Mabel Ogundayo did along with her five enthusiastic supporters was undoubtedly a good thing and £9,317 - the current total - is commendable and
impressive by any standard.
Gaining political advantage or masquerading as Bexley Council itself would not have
entered Mabel’s head. Nevertheless the teacher raises a number of good questions and
provides evidence that not all school teachers are rabid Socialists. Maybe Cabinet Member David Leaf
had some justification for returning to his favoured ranting mode. If so there
are two preconceptions I must watch out for in future.
Note: Enquiries reveal that every Bexley School was approached by the Labour Group.