15 October (Part 2) - Cabinet Member reports to Finance Scrutiny meeting

Councillor Leaf is waiting for Rachel Reeves budget and has “sent in a barrage of letters” to various Ministers. He said that Black History Month had been celebrated with speeches, food, singing, dancing and a quiz.

There is a Council Tax Reduction Scheme consultation active until 30th October. The Household Support funding has ended but he wasn’t sure how many had benefited. The removal of the Winter Fuel Allowance is the subject of “added focus” to see how the Council might be able to help.

Councillor Steven Hall asked how many Bexley residents were affected by the withdrawal of WFA and “how can we assist”? Councillor Leaf did not have a precise figure but had done some calculations. For last year it looked like the number eligible was in the region of 38,000 of which all but three to four thousand will lose out this year. He said that canvassing in Belvedere revealed not only the elderly worried about the cut but also younger people worried about their parents. The Council’s ability to help is “limited” and there is no easy way of identifying who have been only just caught by Labour’s cut and who may need assistance.

The £1·5 million household support grant was not intended to cover the loss of WFA but it may be of some help.

Councillor Stefano Borella (Labour Leader) said that withdrawal of the WFA was in the Conservative’s 2017 Manifesto and they had subsequently suggested that it should be means tested but he regretted its withdrawal.

He feared that Bexley Council will reduce the benefits provided by the Council Tax Reduction Scheme; why else would there be a consultation?

Cabinet Member Leaf with his encyclopedic knowledge of political trivia said that the 2017 Manifesto did not promise the withdrawal of WFA (but there was to be a new Social Care formula) and on the contrary, Labour’s 2015 Manifesto promised a cut for wealthier pensioners. A General Election in which Councillor Borella stood as a candidate.

 

15 October (Part 1) - Spot the difference

Another quick trip to Bexleyheath yesterday. Quick because there was just one thing to collect from HMV but also because I don’t want to be subjected to buskers delivering more than 95db of noise in an enclosed space. I have a sound pressure App on my phone - doesn’t everybody? - and it was the same last week. Who licences these ear splitting performances?

The workers had moved on to tinkering with the Highland Road roundabout (Photos 1 and 2) and Townley Road (Photo 3) was finished. I have no idea what has changed from Photo 4 taken on 30th September 2019. Presumably the new grass will soon die off like it did last time Bexley Council spent our money for no very obvious reason.

I have in my files a letter from the Chief Highways Manager which promises a resident who lives barely 100 yards away that he would definitely be restoring the bluebells that grew on the roundabouts before the 2017 reconstruction. Needless to say, he never did. Destroying bluebells is a criminal offence.

Roundabouts: Highland, Highland, new Townley, old Townley.

 

14 October (Part 3) - Bexley Council sets the management bar low

One of my few remaining Council contacts emailed to say that my suggestion that the new Human Resources Manager, Lorraine Barlow might be doing a good job was somewhat wide of the mark. Clearly he read the blog before the name was corrected but the points he made are not rendered entirely invalid although his message has to be tilted in a new direction.

He said that Ms. Barlow has been on the Bexley scene for 20 years working under the hapless - hopeless? - Nick Hollier and is now facing in a very different direction under Kate Bonham. He speculates on why she happily pursued his HR policies and is now seamlessly embarked on a totally new strategy. One might have thought that someone who worked with Nick for such a long time whilst harbouring doubts about the way HR was being managed would have found a more amenable employer.

However there have been lots of reports over the years that Mr. Hollier could be very persuasive and acquired a loyal following in certain quarters.

The latest informant says that £100 plus Long Service Awards were abandoned a long time ago when too many people were qualifying for payment. They were replaced with ‘Stars’. Stars is a name much favoured by Bexley Council. When BiB first started someone provided the link to a hidden staff website called Stars so that I could see what Council management was up to; but that also fell by the wayside.

Apparently former Chief Executive Gill Steward, she of Press Table removal fame, introduced a new Stars scheme which was basically nominate your mate for a lapel badge. It faded away as soon as she did. My correspondent wonders if there might have been no one left in post who was good enough to deserve a badge but I detect an element of facetiousness. None is apparent when he says that the luckiest of those awarded a badge were given a cup of tea and a sandwich too. (†)

As has been said here before, this is children rewarded for attending Sunday School stuff.

How many poor managers are there in Bexley? The Chief Executive himself has a questionable history in Barnet and the oneSource partnership and the Finance Director followed a similar path. How many things has the Highways Manager got wrong? Crossings next to roundabouts, roads narrowed resulting in accidents and roundabouts from Welling to Ruxley via Albion Road which buses cannot get around. And then there is the Director of Children’s Services who has attracted criticism from the LGO to Bexley almost countless times and defends his staff no matter how wrong they are. No wonder the LGO has had a field day.

But now I have to eat humble pie again. Having seen some good in what Ms. Bonham is trying to do, @tonyofsidcup reminds me that it was she, just two months after arriving in Bexley, who decided that making too many FOI requests was vexatious. A decision contrary to law as belatedly confirmed by the Information Commissioner.

One can only conclude that even the better managers at Bexley Council are really not very good at all. I recall that while attending my first Bexley Council meetings I was struck by how poor the managers were compared to those I encountered while working for BT. Their inadequacies will have cost taxpayers a great deal of money. As has been said several times recently, nothing is done right first time.

Kate Bonham declares @tonyofsidcup vexatious.

† Towards the end of my time with BT an awards scheme was introduced. It offered a generous £1,000 but no pin badge. I was on the receiving end in its first year of operation for uncovering a £12,000,000 accounting fraud which no one else had noticed. The scheme soon fell foul of corruption as bosses nominated their mates. (£12 million was the official estimate of the losses. I doubted it was that high but at the most senior level, managers never seem to know anything.)

 

14 October (Part 2) - Panel beating

This extract from the Conservative’s latest by-election leaflet attracted the attention of a long term Police Panel Member. He says that the Panels already exist in every ward and asks why Christine Bishop doesn’t know.

The Panels work alongside the separate Neighbourhood Watch organisation to help the police determine what their priorities should be.

The quarterly meeting sets three objectives, one chosen by the police and two more from Panel Members.

Why didn’t Christine Bishop know that Panels are an existing thing or is it a simple promise easily fulfilled? A bit like Bexley Tories claiming to have fulfilled every Manifesto promise since 2006.

Unfortunately a search of the Belvedere ward police website does not reveal anything interesting. Maybe the Belvedere Panel has gone AWOL and there is a job for Christine to do after all?

 

14 October (Part 1) - Oh B! I got that wrong

A fairly major clanger was dropped within yesterday’s Finance Scrutiny meeting report. I was working from an audio only copy of the webcast and was unsure of who Chairman Dourmoush was addressing. Ms something beginning with B.

Ever since I stopped attending Scrutiny meetings I have tended not to refer to Council Officers by name. Being there makes one familiar with their names and faces and the webcast makes them comparative strangers. Safer to not identify them by name. However since I was about to issue rare praise naming the speaker was appropriate and fair so I went to the Agenda to see who had written the People Strategy report. It said that the Contact Officer was Lorraine Barlow Head of Corporate HR. Ah, something beginning with B as the Chairman was saying. It must be her.

Wrong. Having checked the webcast again I discovered that the lady speaking on HR matters at the meeting was Kate Bonham, Deputy Director of HR. Yesterdayְ’s report has been amended.

 

13 October (Part 3) - Reform UK delivers their by-election leaflet

Returning downstairs after writing Part 2 I found Reform’s by-election leaflet folded through the letter box.

Three of the four promises are exactly the same as those the Conservatives promised yesterday. Cleaner streets, better policing and better transport. Reform gets top marks for actually saying what many people think. The police have been politicised which is undoubtedly true as is Reform’s criticism of unnecessary 20 m.p.h. zones. Are there any in Belvedere?

Maybe Nuxley Road is restricted - it is not a place I visit - but when can you do more than 20 there anyway? I am not aware of being held up by 20s anywhere in Belvedere unlike the nonsense of 20s in Greenwich on dual carriageways that are without adjacent residential properties. Nothing but Socialist spite in action.

Whilst I wouldn’t lose any sleep if the Conservative Party was wiped out nationally as retribution for filling its ranks with liberal wets, locally one only has to look at neighbouring Socialist boroughs to see the pitfalls that Conservative Bexley has managed to avoid.

After the old lady died in East Ham aged 100 I have not visited Socialist Newham very often. It was a dump when I did and it is a near bankrupt crime-ridden dump now. Bexley has not quite gone down that route although some might argue that its Chief Executive had a hand in setting Newham on its downward path.

Fortunately Bexley escaped from its partnership with Newham in the nick of time.

Labour promises better transport and cleaner streets too but is stronger on housing issues and has been trying to counter its disastrous first 100 days of government with a list of 14 achievements. They may appeal to its hard-core supporters but only five of them appeal to me. For the remainder I am at best indifferent but mainly against.

I will vote Conservative next Thursday because I don’t think any of the opposition parties can have an impact on the direction Bexley Council is taking us and whilst far from perfect that direction is quite obviously not as bad as in several Councils not very far away.

Reform UK is handicapped as far as I am concerned by the ultimatum that I must pay its Old Bexley candidate £4,800 because of my obscure reference - but respecting the sensitivities; not a link - to a Council web page which their candidate wishes did not exist. As if BiB is big enough these days to influence an election!

The deadline for payment passed ten weeks ago. Meanwhile I will not be voting Reform at local elections.

 

13 October (Part 2) - HR STAR Quality

Running side by side with the Customer Service Experience through recent Finance meetings is the People Strategy.

Councillor Borella (Labour, Slade Green & Northend) opened the batting with what he termed a “pedantic” complaint that the Strategy did not get unanimous support from the Cabinet on 16th April, there was no vote and only Councillor Leaf obviously did so. (Confirmed by the BiB report. The Council minutes will be clarified.)

He said that Council capacity had been reduced dramatically across the board and “if the Community is to get stronger there must be a bit more focus on how we build capacity in this organisation in the areas where we are going to need it”.

The response confirmed that HR staff numbers have been increased and that staff generally are being celebrated and appreciated more than was reported last March. Ignored, bullied, harassed etc.

Bexley Council has created a Leadership Academy to endeavour to improve the occasionally abysmal performance of its senior managers. The current Corporate Services Manager, Kate Bonham, has given the impression at this and past meetings that she knows what needs to be done. There is plenty of scope for improvement. What was the previous Manager, Nick Hollier doing for the past 15 years apart from blaming complainants for his failings? (He told me that complaints about staff who lie to the public were not acceptable. Fortunately the police took a different view and sent a Misconduct in Public Office file to the CPS.)

The full response reveals that Hollier objected to the single use of the word ‘lie’.

Councillor Chris Ball (Labour, Erith) said he was going to venture carefully into extending the Council’s Obesity Strategy to the Council’s own workforce and then didn’t actually mention the subject referring instead to the abuse, sometimes of a racist nature, that the Housing staff in particular suffer from residents. The latter problem is regarded as a Health & Safety issue. The recording of which residents might pose a threat to Council staff is not comprehensive. “In some areas only and not shared.”

There were no more questions.

Note. An earlier version of this blog referred to Lorraine Barlow, the writer of the People Strategy Report. The meeting speaker was in fact Kate Bonham.

 

13 October (Part 1) - Labour isn’t working

I have no idea what Belvedere people think about having a Labour Government because I have spoken about it to literally no one with a vote next Thursday. I know what some in Dartford, Greenwich, Thamesmead, North London and Hampshire think and if the same views are reflected locally the Conservatives may be in with a chance. The Conservatives evidently think so too and yesterday a third leaflet was delivered to me. Still nothing from Labour or Reform UK.

Click image to see the whole leaflet.

Lib Dem leaflet here.

 

11 October - The Customer Service Experience in Bexley. It needs to improve

It’s three months since the last Finance Scrutiny meeting and Chairman Ahmet Dourmoush began this week’s one with “We have no Members of the Public so that helps” which from a usually friendly Chairman must have been no more that an off-the-cuff remark but one must wonder how it helps, if indeed it does, However he soon got the meeting underway in his usual efficient manner.

The first discussion was on the Customer Service Experience which had been previously noted as not being very good and Councillor Chris Ball (Labour, Erith) had some questions. He was concerned that a lot of money was being spent with Price Waterhouse Coopers (now known as PwC) on the project and more generally, with catering for the hard of hearing, elderly and disabled. Were the reducing number of complaints due to it being made so difficulty to make them? (To which I might add answering them in a dishonest way and causing complaints to be abandoned as being hopeless in the face of managers prepared to say black is white.)

There was an acceptance that the response rate (664) was “disappointing” but not entirely unexpected, but PwC has “huge expertise” and the “skills and talent” is not available within the Council. They give “value for money”.

Whilst Children’s Services complaints are relatively few in number a high proportion go through to Stage 3 which presumably confirms the uselessness of the management so frequently reported to BiB by dissatisfied parents.

Labour Leader Stefano Borella was unhappy that the Front Door to the Contact Centre was not very accessible or visible and in similar vein the number of abandoned telephone calls is far too high and getting worse.

Residents become “unnecessarily annoyed” because their complaints are not handled in a timely manner. “The statistics are poor. The target is 95% answered on time and the actual score is zero.” The Chairman had some sympathy with Stefano’s concerns.

The responsible officer said the abandoned calls statistic is in fact improving and the dashboard figure that Stefano referenced was some sort of statistical freak and the 25% abandoned figure was actually under 10. (Should poor management be mentioned again?)

Average telephone answering times were down to about 90 seconds. (As I have said before, the first GPO telephone exchange I managed had a target of five seconds to answer and missing it meant big trouble.)

There are plans to improve access to the Contact Centre by next March and make it more welcoming and the number of staff chasing complaints will increase from three to five.

Deputy Leader Councillor David Leaf reminded his colleagues that he is always ready to help them with complaint cases if they feel it would be beneficial to residents.

Councillor Howard Jackson (Conservative, Barnehurst) said residents were often unhappy with the way Fix-my-Street works. The Council officer said he was aware of the problems with the interface to Council systems and they have been addressed and ready to be switched on. Tests will be held jointly with residents within the next couple of months to ensure that everyone is happy with the changes.

There is currently a lot of investment being made in new technology including Microsoft CoPilot, Microsoft Dynamics, new mobile devices, i-pads and Ask Bexley. Additionally trials are being undertaken to produce meeting Minutes via Artificial Intelligence but Bexley Council will watch a handful of other LAs go first as there are potential difficulties.

Missed bin reports which currently cause 150 to 200 phone calls a day might well be handled by AI before too long.

 

10 October - Bexley Council. Wrong again

This comment has its origins with the man from New Road who asked why Bexley Council never gets anything right the first time. He was referring to the third phase of the fence post renewal around Lesnes Abbey Park.

Next day Bexley confirmed his view by saying that it was going to replace all four Albion Road roundabouts because the ones they installed in 2017 were not safe.

Belatedly I took a look today travelling in on an SL3 bus which was once again badly held up outside Bexleyheath station. Blue Badge users on double yellow lines again.

In Bexleyheath the bus did not stop outside the Library as Bexley Council said it would but instead carried on to Highland Road where it doubled back to Townley Road stopping pretty much where shown in the photograph. No big deal.

However returning to the Library half an hour later the Library stop said an SL3 was due and the bus stop appeared to be in use, indeed an Arriva bus driver confirmed it to me but the scheduled SL3 turned left from Townley Road into Albion Road and was never seen again. (Photograph taken at 15:10 today.)

So Bexley Council’s notice below is not accurate. Maybe TfL led them up the garden path. (Second thoughts: the cones completely prevent any vehicle getting from Townley Road to the Library. So it is Bexley Council’s mistake. I should have known better.)

Fortunately the reconstruction job should be finished tomorrow but if the site remains empty I would not like to guarantee it. What have they done anyway; nothing is obvious yet?

Original 2018 Albion Road publicity leaflet.
Letter to nearby residents.
Admission that the 2017 roundabout construction was not done correctly. (May 2018.)

 

9 October - Selective leafleting

I was sitting in my neighbour’s house when his letter box rattled and the long awaited Labour by-election leaflet arrived. I asked if I could borrow it in case the Labour lot had been too lazy or too stupid to deliver one to me and he said I could have it anyway. Like many people he is not an enthusiast for our new Government and he read not one word of the leaflet.

My own quick verdict was that It seemed to be a reasonable effort in need of a better proof reader and my mind drifted towards putting a positive spin on it. Am I much bothered by who is elected in Belvedere? Not really but to see Keir Starmer humiliated again is never unwelcome.

As expected no leaflet had dropped on to my own doormat which caused the idea of a positive spin to take something of a back seat.

A Labour Councillor having the support of the local Labour MP is not really much of an “honour”; it is to be expected. Belvedere still needing a “strong [Labour[ voice” could be construed as a criticism of the 30 man years of Labour support that has brought Belvedere to its present position. Did the Labour candidate really mean to say that the Thameslink trains are polluting Belvedere? Despite living only 50 feet or so from the railway line I was unaware that the trains are noisy although triple glazing may help.

He rightly says that there is a local housing problem but where isn’t there? An ordinary house like my own rents for £2,300 a month or more. That is plain silly but I was unaware that Belvedere was blighted by fly tipping. To be fair it must be a year or more since I last walked around the Nuxley Road area.

It is not a big problem in the vicinity of Lesnes Abbey. Maybe that is a credit to its Labour Councillors.

 

8 October - One of us? Who knows?

I returned home to see a flash of red and the word Labour sticking through my letter box but I was disappointed to discover it was not the Labour candidate seeking election in the Belvedere by-election; it was an unfortunately folded Conservative leaflet again. Without hearing anything directly I must assume that the Labour candidate is in favour of freezing his grandmother possibly to death and giving things away to Communist aligned states. Exactly what will he be able to claim or promise for Belvedere residents? Maybe I will never know given his reluctance to let us know.

If I had to pick holes in the Conservative leaflet I might point out that none of Belvedere Beach, Lesnes Abbey Park or the refurbished Tennis Courts were actually funded by Bexley Council although they must have lobbied for and secured the money.

The last time Christine Bishop owned up to living in the borough her address was in Welling, same as the Labour candidate, and it is perhaps gilding the lily to say that pensioners are going to lose “hundreds of pounds” under Labour. It is £200 for most and £300 for some. But whatever the case, Labour deserve all the opprobrium that can be mustered, if not because of the money but for the political naivety which will be remembered for many years to come.

Their people are not really so wicked as to risk killing pensioners are they? Dunno; but they voted for it on the back of a financial black hole, that if it exists at all, they created.

 

6 October - The lull before the meetings storm

“Why so quiet when there is so much to report?” was the gist of a recent message and I was unsure whether the writer was being sarcastic or not. Is there something important going on locally that has escaped notice? Nationally there is a lot that could be said but anyone who wants to read about UK politics can choose from a plethora of websites and YouTube videos which expertly condemn the Starmer regime almost hourly. Everything from serious analysis of the disaster that threatens to overwhelm the UK to Spitting Image type mockery. BiB’s feeble effort may be read here.

Fortunately there are some Council meetings imminent and with the local Press having largely given up on politics BiB should probably continue to keep an eye on what Councillors are up to. After sitting on their hands for two months there are suddenly four Scrutiny meetings in the space of two weeks and a Public Cabinet meeting the week afterwards.

Belvedere by-election
Despite having a handful of contacts looking out for election leaflets I still only have the Conservative and Liberal Democrat’s to add to the Archive. Who would be a Labour candidate right now when the Party is losing seats across the country to Conservatives, Reform and even the SNP? There is no way I will vote for a Party that is happy to field an extortionist as a candidate and who in their right mind still backs a Party that pays to give away sovereign territory and votes in favour of killing Grannies as both my Councillor and my MP have done? I stop short of saying they are personally in favour of killing the elderly but spinelessness is not an attractive quality either.

I will vote Conservative but only because experience suggests that it is the only way to give Belvedere a voice in Council. Not that 2010-2014 inspires a great deal of confidence.

Poor management again?
I can’t remember where I first saw it, probably the Telegraph or Mail on-line although it may have been Twitter, but I read about a Child Psychologist who was going on strike in support of Local Authority Children’s Services which she sees as inadequate. Everyone who follows such things, either here or elsewhere, will know that Children’s Services soak up a ridiculous amount of money with figures like £16,000 a week per child being bandied around.

The LA (Local Authority) reference could well be to Bexley.

For some reason the Psychologist’s name rang a bell and eventually I tracked down why. When the SEND parents were with the help of the Local Government Ombudsman being compensated by Bexley Council’s Children’s Services one of my correspondents complained that the striking Psychologist assessed the children and reported them “in a vague manner which was completely useless driving me into the hands of private practitioners” which is exactly what the striker is now complaining about and what Bexley SEND parents had to do.

Click image to read the Psychologist’s complaint against Local Authorities.

The Psychologist complains that Councils’ lack of resources forces them out of the profession while parents complain that the Psychologists are “useless”. One might have hoped that conscientious professionals would try to improve things from the inside rather than seeking riches in private practice.

Right Royal rip off
I paid my £1·50 fine to Royal Mail on 28th September but if I had not been able to do so on-line they would have demanded I paid for a stamp to return the card to Dartford thereby doubling the size of the fine. The useless bunch said they could not deliver the missing package until Tuesday 1st October. They failed to do so and on Wednesday the postman walked straight by my house.

I took a walk to where he had parked his van and waited for his return. When I explained the situation he was very sympathetic and rummaged among the loose stuff lying on the van floor. He found my insufficiently stamped letter and five more items - one of which was not junk mail. None of it would have been delivered if I had not chased after him.

Royal Mail has become an absolute disgrace.

Note: It was not my regular postman who is on leave.

Hammergate
It’s not over yet but it is probably unwise to go into any detail at present.

 

3 October - Maybe the multi-skilled Mayor needs a better Abacus

After featuring the Mayor of Bexley on these pages twice in a week someone suggested I look at the Erith North Heath News Facebook page to see what was being said about her there. As is the norm with Facebook there were some intelligent questions followed by silly answers. Some commentators didn’t know the difference between (mainly) Ceremonial Mayors in the London boroughs and the political Mayor of London. Boris Johnson was criticised for closing fire stations and police stations when the facts are that Boris reduced fire cover when the incidence of fires was falling; fewer smokers and fire retardant furniture etc, and Sadiq Khan closed police stations while the crime rate was rising.

Someone complained that (NOT) Johnson’s closures saw the police Custody Suite moved from Bexleyheath to Plumstead when the truth is very different. The Bexleyheath Suite was refurbished and reopened in 2020. Plumstead was just a temporary measure while the builders were busy.

Perhaps the most interesting thing was the Mayor’s own contribution to the thread. For those sceptical of the need for a Mayor it is worth a read

The role of Mayor is a historic one - all London boroughs have one as do all Districts in Kent and this is mirrored across the country.
The Mayor is the first citizen In Bexley after the King. Only locally elected Cllrs (I have represented Bexleyheath Ward for eight years) can become Mayor and they are appointed by their Group annually.
I have lived in Bexley for 40 years and my children/grandson were born and still live and work here. During that time, amongst other roles, I’ve been a charity Trustee of local groups, school governor, have worked for both BVSC and Bexley Council, a volunteer Magistrate for over 25 years and received an MBE in 2009 for voluntary services to disabled children and young people in Bexley, so have local links with and genuinely relate to residents. My eldest son was disabled so I am particularly supportive of carers and parents of children with SEN.
I’m also a qualified teacher and work in Public Health supporting the mental health agenda.
The Mayor has four distinct roles: to represent the borough i.e. at Remembrance, Citizenship and other Civic events, to chair annual Council meetings, to support the local community and to fundraiser for charity.
The Mayor only visits organisations on invitation and this week there are twelve engagements over six days ranging from school presentations to WI coffee mornings, care homes, churches, voluntary groups, and businesses - so about 36 hours.
In terms of remuneration the Mayors allowance is set every May at Annual Council so a matter of public record. This year it’s £15,970. I receive approximately £225 a week (after tax so about £6·25 an hour) - no expenses are claimed and any events I attend (including my own fundraisers) I pay for myself.
A car is used to enable the Mayor to travel between engagements safely quickly and reliably particularly when wearing robes and the chain. This is standard practice. across the country.
I came into this role in May and it’s an absolute honour to have the opportunity to meet and support our residents and the wider community - both young and old really do value the Mayoralty. If they didn’t, there would be no invitations! I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed every event I’ve attended and have been made very welcome at all of them.
The Mayor of Bexley facebook page details all the events I attend and the variety of people I meet.
My charity this year is Counselling Matters Bexley so I’m hosting a variety of events to raise money for them as they support both adults and children locally who need support
with their mental health and often can’t access this.
I hope this information is helpful.

Cobblers of course. The Mayor chairs five Council meetings a year and both Newham and Tower Hamlets have Mayors elected by public vote. What’s more I could have sworn that Sue Gower was first elected as a Councillor in 2018. (Yes, just checked my emails. I sent her a congratulatory message when the Leader came to her senses and approved Sue’s selection!)

Note: The link to the Mayor’s Facebook and Charity pages taken from her own FB contribution appear to be broken.

 

1 October (Part 2) - Oh no. Not again!

It’s only a couple of days since my New Road correspondent was complaining that Bexley Council is constantly wasting our money by rarely getting anything right at the first attempt.

But his fence posts are relatively small beer.

This morning Bexley Council announced that all the Albion Road roundabouts are to be remodelled because they are not safe. It is only seven years since they were installed with a fanfare of positive publicity. (PDF)

The redesign was widely criticised at the time and the cycling representative at the Transport Users Sub-Committee has criticised them ever since. Too many cyclists in hospital apparently.

Without a hint of humble pie the Council has announced that work will start to try to fix the problems next Monday.

To minimise disruption the work to upgrade safety features will be carried out in phases however road closures and diversions will need to be in place.
Phase one starts on Monday 7 October and lasts until Friday 11 October at Townley Road roundabout. Traffic travelling east/west along Albion Road will be unaffected. Traffic needing to turn and travel down Townley Road will be diverted and will need to go either to the Oaklands car park roundabout or the Highland Road roundabout and make an about-turn at these.
Phase two will begin on Monday 14 October at Highland Road roundabout – Traffic travelling east / west will be unaffected but turns into Highland Road will be via Townley roundabout and the Gravel Hill roundabout.
Phase three will begin on Monday 21 October southbound on Gravel Hill. Gravel Hill will be shut southbound between the Broadway roundabout and the Albion Road roundabout. Diversions will be signposted.
Phase four will begin on Monday 28 October at the Albion Road and Broadway roundabouts. Albion Road eastbound from the Albion Road car park, Gravel Hill between Albion Road and Broadway and westbound into Broadway from the roundabout will be closed. Diversions will be signposted.
Phase five will begin on 4 November at the Albion Road and Broadway roundabouts. Further details will follow on any diversions needed once known.
No bus stops will need to be closed during any of these safety improvement works. TfL buses will follow the main diversion routes and journey times may be longer.

Road designs in Bexley were once described by the Chairman of the European Union’s Transport Committee as recipes for head on collisions. Will they get things right this time?

 

1 October (Part 1) - Charity begins at…

When I went to the Paul Holloway Show last Wednesday the Mayor was there as the support act and she allowed him to dress her with all the chains and wotnot. Seems like an interesting job this year Paul, better than some in recent history that I can think of.

Mayor Sue Gower took the opportunity to plug her chosen charity and left some leaflets which had all been taken by the time I left. I messaged the Mayor to ask if I could have a copy and you may read it all here.

Not technically perfect at the time of writing but I will see if that can be improved over time. But for now everything apart from the QR code and the Pledge Form are probably good enough.

As the image here says - it may be more easily read if you click on it - Sue is supporting Counselling Matters Bexley which I had never heard of but it offers low cost or free mental health assistance.

You may have gathered that Sue has been kindly disposed towards BiB during occasionally difficult times and I shall have to work out to what extent I should return her generosity.

Sue Gower and her Court Jester Paul are hosting a special event at Danson House next Saturday at a cost of £28. Probably not my scene if for no other reason than Canapes sounds like gluten to me and in any case I have an engagement elsewhere but Paul is going to repeat his presentation which will definitely be worth hearing.

When there were six of us running BiB, all but one of the gang contributed £10 a month towards a legal defence fund should any one of us be attacked for truth telling and of course the F lady duly obliged.

When we were particularly unpopular in certain quarters we decided to send a decent sum - a hundred quid if I remember - to the then Mayor’s chosen charity. It was as you might guess a mischievous act more than a charitable one and we were rewarded with exactly what you might expect. Total silence.

I contributed to Rob Leitch’s Sidcup Garden project too but that was on condition of anonymity which was respected. Rob was Deputy Council Leader at the time.

Who is going to help Sue ‘make a difference’?