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News and Comment March 2024

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11 March (Part 2) - Well that told ’em

As I was saying, the Conservative Councillor for East Wickham was next to speak in the budget debate. Would Caroline Newton provide some much needed gravitas? She immediately made her position clear. She was going to vote down more money for BexleyCo. Labour Councillors Borella, Amaning and Asunramu had all made “critical disparaging comments of the work this Council has done in relation to education. While we work with partners we have seen nothing but negativity in their Press Releases and Social Media posts from Labour and their acolytes enabling others to be abusive towards those trying to make things better.”

There have been Joint Scrutiny meetings held to address the SEND problems and for Labour to suggest that nothing has happened is “remarkable. The spin, inaccuracies and completely incorrect statements are disgraceful.” The Chairman had to interject to quell the Labour interruptions.

“You might think my email and phone would be red hot with opposition contact but there has been nothing.” Since becoming a Cabinet Member Councillor Perfect (Labour) has brought two items of case work to Caroline’s attention but she was already working on them. There’s been no other contact.

“Their Press Release (PDF) is a work of fiction and thanks to that release a journalist summarised the comments as their Group has consistently raised parents’ concerns but these were ignored with Cabinet Members claiming the issue was fine and not a problem’ suggesting schools, parents and carers had got it wrong.”

“It suggests that I as the incumbent Cabinet Member am of that view. If the Leader of the Opposition attended Scrutiny or his colleagues accurately reported it [he would know] that’s far from my opinion. The spin does not deliver any solution and neither does this Amendment. Political posturing does not a solution make. No solution to managing more than three thousand [inaudible but probably EHC] cases, no solutions to their increasing complexity, no solutions to increased placement costs, no solutions to increased transport demands, no solutions to increased transport costs. That is disgraceful given the sermon we had earlier.”

I think Caroline may have fallen short of gravitas (and me with bad puns) but she was clearly annoyed and justifiably so. My favourite piece is her reference to acolytes. I think I know who she means and they really are the most obnoxious and unscrupulous characters that you would ever hope never to meet. A well known Councillor provided me with another example of their dirty tricks over the weekend. “Nasty” was the word used. How very restrained!

Who’ְs next? Oh it is Councillor Leaf. I had better leave that one until tomorrow in case he didn’t know when to stop.

 

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