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.