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News and Comment June 2023

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1 June (Part 1) - Dave Putsoff further Cost of Living meetings

Former Belvedere Councillor Dave Putson’s Cost of Living Crisis meetings have been held on the last Wednesday of every month since last September but by yesterday they had reached the end of the road. I had originally envisaged them offering advice on how the less well off might save money but except for last month when the conversation drifted in that direction my expectations were entirely wrong. There was information on how one could protest at our unbelievably incompetent and destructive Government (my words not Dave’s) but beyond distributing helpful leaflets there is little a small group can do other than hand out bundles of cash at supermarket checkouts and without wealthy sponsors that is a non-starter.

Despite not achieving as much as one might have hoped it was always interesting to hear the views of the fairly moderate Left. There was no support for Putin or for Shadow Cabinets that do not know what a woman is.

It has been said here before that Dave Putson was always the most friendly of Councillors and happy to talk to anyone, even lapsed Conservatives like me. I am not absolutely clear on why he was thrown out of the Bexley Labour Group and I only have his version of events but I saw how Danny Hackett was thrown out so I am inclined to go along with believing that Dave was undeserving of his fate.

Similarly I am prepared to believe that he was the only Councillor to show up at a consultation in 2019 when Planning Officers were formulating their ideas for what became the Bexley Plan. It was much the same story that Cabinet Member David Leaf trots out regularly. His door is always open but Labour Councillors fail to take advantage of it.

By evesdropping this conversation I gathered that Dave left Planning in no doubt about his concerns for ‘Belvedere New Town’ and ‘Nuxley Village’. High rise “monstrosities” forming “a concrete chasm” alongside the railway is not his idea of a welcoming environment but he is hopeful that his suggestion of improved GP facilities will come to fruition even if someone else claims the credit if it does.

He remains proud of his 2018 agreement with Councillor Nicola Taylor (Erith) that they should both go in hard on the Social Housing issue at every opportunity and of course Nicola continues with that fine tradition but according to Dave is let down by the Leadership who donְ’t really believe in it.

I will miss his monthly meetings, there will be no more for the foreseeable future.

Note: Normally BiB wouldn’t report overheard conversations but Dave is well aware that I collect Council tittle-tattle and I have in any case tipped him off about today’s plan to pass on what I heard him say. Like me he believes that anything said at a public meeting becomes public property.

 

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