28 November - How did we get here? Who should be blamed?
This
is not a time for gloating, libraries and children’s centres across the borough are likely to be
closed and 304 staff may be heading for the Job Centre but one cannot help wondering
who guided us to this sorry state. For me this picture summarises everything
that is wrong with the way Bexley is managed.
Ten years ago we had a Council that hadn’t spoken about Crossrail. The Abbey Wood branch was arguably
saved only by the efforts of the Labour MP for Erith & Thamesmead.
You can still view
her speech to Parliament here. Go to six minutes and 24 seconds. Business
opportunities were impeded by inadequate transport infrastructure in Bexley. They still are.
Council Leader Teresa O’Neill failed to recognise that. One of her earliest
campaigns as Leader saw notices exhibited across her Brampton Ward asking for Ken
Livingstone’s Gallion’s Reach bridge to be cancelled.
When her good friend Boris Johnson was elected Mayor she saw her chance
and Boris complied. I have a letter from the Mayor’s
Office saying that Teresa O’Neill was his most favoured politician in London.
My view was that an isolationist Bexley deprived of cross river access could not
prosper. The world of commerce would not rush to build in Bexley and with ever
slower trains to London, working there would be far less attractive than a local job
and thanks to Teresa they would be too few.
Bexley Council for far too long failed to recognise that simple fact and ignored the wishes of residents who had
voted decisively in favour of a river crossing in TfL consultations.
The Murky Depths has been telling us of the consequences of Bexley֦’s historical
failure. Greenwich has received £11·9 million this year from the New Homes
Bonus, Dartford was given £5·2 million and Bexley? A measly £744,000.
Bexley
set up BexleyCo to make a profit on housing deals in 2017 since when it has
gone through a pile of cash quicker than new bosses.
If you
go to Companies House and are familiar with Bexley Council names you will
see that of the ten appointed officers at least four are obviously former or current Bexley Council staff.
So far they have achieved nothing for Bexley residents unless you take your
pleasure from seeing their planning applications rejected.
Housing has been a major failure in Bexley. On average the Council allows 12 affordable
homes a year (© Murky Depths) and as a result has spent millions (it
reached sixty million 18 months ago) on temporary accommodation.
The incestuous recruitment relationships between Senior Council
staff must contribute to failure;
their main motivation is to climb the greasy pole. Bexley’s Chief Executives
have come from Croydon, West Sussex, Cornwall, Newham and Lambeth, maybe more,
it would take too long to check it all out again.
You don’t have to be a success in those jobs to get one in Bexley, you can even
fail to see large frauds more than once and still Bexley will be willing to take
a chance and the pay offs as they flit from one sinecure to another can be massive.
£170,000 pay off from Newham Council. How in Hell can that be justified?
Maybe last week’s budget statement will be of some help to Bexley. I think I
heard Rishi Sunak say something about milking the Council Taxpayer and every 1%
increase raises another million for Bexley. Depending on what they spend it and
the old Social Care precept on, it could shorten the dole queue somewhat. Or they
could splash out on more Newham style Golden Goodbyes.
Maybe Bexley should be looking to say goodbye to whoever failed in their due
diligence on this one. Rockfire Capital went bust. How much will that cost?
Bexley won’t be the only Council in trouble;
Peterborough is going down the financial plug hole too.