18 February - What did they do?
My first source of news in the morning is
The Daily Telegraph on-line which for the £29 (†) they charged me for 2026 is an absolute bargain. The image on the left below is from this morning’s edition.
The second image is what Elon Musk’s Artificial Intelligence engine dug out of
official sources when asked why Restore Britain’s new Councillors in Kent were thrown out of Reform UK.
Few politicians are squeaky clean but hopefully not too many are prepared to
make accusations that saw six innocent people arrested for theft and another
accused of telling the truth. That is telling the police it was a lie when
official documents clearly showed it not to be.
Note. The website says £39 but I haggled.
17 February - Everybody’s reject
I
stole this comment from X yesterday. It is not exactly my view but it is reasonably close.
Loving Rupert Lowe is a bit strong for me but I am very suspicious of Nigel
Farage and most of his top supporters but on the other hand he probably does
represent the best and probably only route to get rid of Starmer. That must be
the absolutely top priority if the country is not to decline even further while freedoms disappear.
“Labour filth” is not the phrase I would use but it is not too wide of the mark.
Since Rupert Lowe said he has started a new party called Restore Britain I have read
several times that he is attracting some very dubious people including those with extreme views; and how can he
possibly claim 10% in a poll for a day old party? Most people have never heard of him.
Whilst the 10% may just possibly be true, I have no way of checking it, the
stories about attracting very dubious people are very clearly correct.
Thrown out of the Conservative Party, not re-elected as an Independent, not
elected in Bexley for Reform UK and then thrown out of that party for hiding an uncomfortable history
A past that includes making obviously false statements to the police about me
and equally false statements about employees and business associates which went to the High Court.
How long before Rupert spots a wrong ’un and history repeats itself?
My file remains available to doubters.
15 February (Part 2) - James Hunt. Do we have an honest politician?
I
spent yesterday evening reading all my correspondence with Councillor James Hunt
as far back as 2021 in the hope of rediscovering exactly what he was supposed to
have done to two untruthful women.
Along the way I was reminded of his opinion of various Councillors. One was evil
and another was vile (both former Councillors) and if I named them you would wholly agree. In the main we
were in agreement on everything although his choice of who would make the best
Conservative Leader after Boris Johnson ate a cake was very different to my own.
For some unknown reason we briefly discussed the Top Gun films and my rather
extravagant Atmos sound system and more recently and pertinently what we thought
about Reform UK’s prospects in Bexley.
What was good is that nothing he said was contradicted by the recent Court case.
When he protested his innocence to me I was of course very much aware that I was
hearing only his version of events and more than once asked myself if I was
right to accept his version 100%.
But James Hunt once shook my hand under the nose of some of his colleagues at a
time when every one of them hated me. He is a man who plays things straight,
maybe a bit of a rebel, but then so am I, and one doesn’t desert good people on
the back of ugly and unsubstantiated rumours.
Did I rediscover why the two women decided to take revenge on James? Err; yes, he told me why.
And did I discover exactly what he was supposed to have done and where? Yes again, in one case anyway.
But it’s not for me to drop hints on anything. Just be aware that James’ story
as relayed to me over the past three years was
exactly as Judge Corrin said
last week. We desperately need honest politicians and in JH we have one.
15 February (Part 1) - Talking Bexley down
I
am going to get references to pots and kettles but Daniel Francis MP appears to
be on a mission to discredit Bexley Council; which is of course my job. But I am
just a humble keyboard warrior with a small following and Daniel Francis is
supposed to be an elected representative trying to improve the lot of Bexley residents.
Reporting dozens of potholes
as he did last year is arguably of some benefit to
his electors although going further and arguing that the borough’s road repair
grant should be reduced was not.
Common sense and logic is a little beyond the Labour grasp but what possible good can it do to make a speech in Parliament aimed solely at
proving that Bexley Council lies constantly? It’s petty-minded stuff. OK
within these pages perhaps but not in the HoC.
Daniel Francis was a Councillor here quite long enough to know the truth of that as
will anyone who has read Bonkers over the past 16 years. Bonkers was created because
Bexley Council lied and I naively believed that it must be a one off.
The recent Conservative group claim that Bexley has the seventh best roads in the country was of
course the most extraordinary bunkum. Authorities had been rated Red, Amber or Green on four criteria. There was no published league table and even on the most
rudimentary examination one could see that 15 boroughs scored more Green ratings than Bexley.
Where the hell did seventh come from? Daniel Francis obtained Ministerial assurance that Bexley Conservatives lied
and is presumably very pleased with himself to have confirmation of what was
said here last month is correct.
Is calling out Bexley Council’s lies in Parliament the pinnacle of the MP’s achievements?
I fear it may be.
I have the uncomfortable feeling that Council lying is on an upward trend since David
Leaf took over the Leadership. I hope I am wrong.
For the record Bonkers has never been able to report a lie by a Labour
Councillor. Some of their supporters are the most abominable dregs of humanity
but Stefano Borella and his immediate gang has always appeared to be as clean as the
proverbial whistle. Where did that silly saying come from?
Watch the full video clip here.
14 February (Part 2) - Possibly better but not good enough
Earlier this week Bexley Conservatives‘ Twitter team (X) put out a message
(see below left) claiming that Bexley’s roads are in a better state that Greenwich’s;
which may be true, but not exactly difficult. I have given up driving to North London via Blackwall
in the rush hour since the dual carriageway from the Woolwich Ferry to Charlton was singled for long term road works.
And it saves Labour’s Tunnel Tax. So I have not driven in that borough (Knee Hill excepted) this year.
My Reform UK contacts have pointed out that Bexley Council is very good at
claiming that everything is hunkydory because thay are not as bad as some other
boroughs, and if you monitor such things you will find their criticism is justified.
The lower section of Knee Hill does however provide another contrast between the
two borough’s attitude to road repairs. The junction with Abbey Road became near impassable in 2024 and
Bexley Council did their bit (Photo 2) in the July of that year. Greenwich is
still sitting on its hands doing nothing. They did a little half-hearted
patching not so long ago and as you may see (Photo 4) they thought it was acceptable to cover a manhole.
Bromley is no better. On my near daily ‘commute’ I pass one of those tiny roundabouts, a white painted dome shaped
thing about four feet across which is absolutely impossible for a bus to avoid running over.
It may be coincidence but since the SL3 went electric four or five months ago
it has collapsed entirely. It simply isn’t there any more. Instead we have a
hole which if it was in a back garden would make a nice little fish pond.
I have only seen it in the dark but when my wheel unavoidably had to drop slowly into it I
would guess it must be four inches deep. Been like it for several weeks and Bromley Council has done nothing about it.
In Bexley there are plenty of potholes but the Counci’s real expertise lies in road design.
Crazy road design. Last Thursday evening I was being driven up New Road in a
large tow truck (don’t ask) and passed the dangerous by design section
where the carriageway is only four feet wide and we came face to face with
a 301 bus hurtling around the blind bend. The wide angle photograph is
deceptive, the bend is much closer than it looks. The bus passengers must have got a nasty jolt.
At the top of the hill on Woolwich Road, westbound traffic is unable to see the
signpost or one of the traffic lights because of an overhanging tree. You can
imagine how much worse it is when it is in leaf. There is a filter on the left
hand traffic light so being able to see the right hand one is not a satisfactory alternative.
The tree will be privately owned but the responsibility for safety lies with the
Council. They were asked to do something about it last year but the request was ignored.
For how long has the Thames Innovation Centre been gone? Ten years?
14 February (Part 1) - James Hunt : The judge sums up
The simplest summary is that James is of “good character” and his accusers
provided evidence that was “wholly inconsistent”. They remained “friendly” with
James for around a year after the dates of the alleged offences. This “undermines”
their evidence. “The delay is material.”
“Their reluctance to involve the police is odd.“ “Their witness is a person
whose credibility I find to be in doubt.” One of the accusers changed her story,
she was initially unconcerned and was persuaded to change her stance.
James’ account was “compelling and robust over two hours of questioning”.
The following is District Judge Lucy Corrin’s summary.…
I am asked to decide on three charges, these related to 27 October 2023,
the first said to be a smack or slap to [name redacted] buttocks, on the same day
said to be a pinch to [name redacted] buttocks. 9 December, said a grabbing of
buttocks and sliding a hand into the groin. Said to be sexual assault
committed by James Hunt. I remind myself of the burden and standard, I must be
satisfied so that I am sure. James Hunt has no previous convictions or cautions. His
good character is not a defence, [but] counts in his favour in two ways – it
supports his credibility, which is something I should consider, and may mean
he is less likely to have committed the offences. I have decided what weight to give.
I note that these are serious allegations by a person said to be in position
of trust and responsibility, I have considered them carefully. I make the
following findings. [Name redacted] and [name redacted] evidence – I found
their evidence wholly inconsistent with the phone evidence, I place weight
on the phone evidence as it was accepted by them. I find it provided
reliable contemporaneous information about the status of the relationship.
It suggested relations were unchanged, remained cordial, warm even friendly.
This evidence undermined the credibility of their accounts in relation to 27
October. I can consider why this didn’t come to light sooner, there may be
good reasons to delay reporting sexual offences. The Court is mindful of
myths and stereotypes. This delay is material and should be considered.
First report was made in December 2024, 14 months after the alleged
incident, 12 months after the alleged incident with [name redacted]. The
Crown‘s case that the complainants awaited the outcome of the SA [Scout’s Association]
investigation, defence say that the delay is of concern, reason is that
complaint made to the SA, arose from a work dispute.
The police were contacted when the SA found no evidence of wrongdoing.
Prosecution witnesses testified under cross-examination, their reluctance to
involve police was odd. In light of the impact said to have been caused, I
note the timing of their complaints. After the SA concluded their
investigation, it is accepted that it was not a matter decided in their
favour. The delay is also inextricably linked to [name] involvement with the
two complainants, these were not spontaneous and independent reports. [Name]
report triggered by her [name] intervention, he is a person whose
credibility I find to be in doubt. The delay undermines the credibility of
the prosecution witness accounts. There are concerns around contamination of
evidence, [name] changed her account from the first witness statement to the
account given in oral evidence. That is material to this case and went to
the core. In her initial statement, she said that after chat with [name]
about what happened to [name], she was more concerned and did not think it
was an accident. That leaves open the possibility that up to that point she
was unconcerned. [Name] ruled out needing any help from JH. There is
evidence to the contrary including from husband.
I note in passing that there are no independent WS in this case. JH has the
benefit of good character, his interview account is lengthy, detailed, I
find it to be compelling. He was consistent in his oral evidence, he was
robustly tested, he gave evidence for almost 2 hours. There were no material
inconsistencies identified. [Defence witness] and [defence witness] were
consistent on the matters at the heart of these allegations. The nature of
their inconsistencies, I find to be in relation to minor matters which
perspective and memory would account for. I don’t deal with every piece of evidence.
13 February (Part 2) - James Hunt is innocent and always was
Councillor
James Hunt and his family have been through two years of hell after he was
falsely accused by two women of pinching their bottoms in October and December 2023
respectively. Because of them he has been unemployed and will have lost many a night’s sleep.
James was the second Councillor ever to contact me in the early days of Bonkers;
the first was Peter Caterall who retired in 2014, and we have exchanged emails and messages on and
off ever since. As such I was kept in the picture regarding the serious
accusations from the moment they were made. They were not reported here because
it always seemed to me that they were malicious and without foundation. I am
only too well aware of the pain of being on the end of a false accusation by vile and dishonest women, however my
situation was less serious.
Every Bonkers reader knew the accusations against me were false
because all the evidence was on the website and nothing was merely speculation.
Because of that I had no critics whatsoever but a
Councillor is always likely to attract know-alls and
political activists spewing vitriol. James was
on the receiving end of graffiti and death threats.
But now everyone knows what I have known throughout. James was
let down by the police and the CPS neither of whom looked at the defence witness
statements. He was totally innocent and has issued the following statement.…
Yesterday I was found NOT GUILTY of three cases of historic sexual assault.
In her decision the Judge found the complainants to be not truthful, their
statements were inconsistent and ultimately suggested collusion. It was
apparent this was about something else.
The charges resulted following complaints that were made about me by four
volunteers while I was Volunteer Chairman at Cudham Shaws Outdoor Centre.
They made claims I spent too much money on Christmas trees, gave volunteers
lavish meals and one person made a complaint I had pinched her bum. Another
volunteer claimed I had pinched his wife’s bum. Whatever their true motivation,
they waited four months and nearly two months to make a complaint to the Scouts
and then wrote to them all all on the same night.
The Scout Association ran two investigations, one of which was after the
complaints were sent to the police, who asked the Scouts to investigate. Both
investigations cleared me, with no further action.
Unhappy with this decision tow of the complaints decided to then report it again to the police.
During this time my family and I were subject to online attacks and threats, we
had graffiti spray painted on property associated wth us, and I was eveb stalked
with people taking photos of me while hiding in bushes.
Sadly, I feel let down badly by the Met. Police based in Bromley, who failed to
speak to defence witnesses, did not look into the previous investigations and
left me feeling they had no interest in supporting the truth. Likewise, the CPS
rubber stamped the charges, with no defence investigation. I believe the CPS is
a broken entity and like the Met Police in Bromley need a serious overhaul.
From day one I have been clear, this was an orchestrated campaign to just hurt
and damage my family and me, and that was the outcome of the case.
We will circulated the parts of the Judges determination that we can, when they
are available and you can see for yourself her words.
I have had so much support it has been amazing and we know who our tue friends
really are. Meta have also been very helpful in dealing with online anonymous
posts, and we will be dealing with the slander and defamation at a later date.
I am now going to spend time rebuilding the damage this has caused, starting
with my family and my residents, both groups of people I hold very dear to me. I
am a Blackfen lad and always will be.
People have tried to hurt me and my family and they have been caught out.
I will be back out tomorrow like I am every day, in my community helping out. If
you see me come for a chat.
News Shopper Report.
The Judge’s comments are here.
13 February (Part 1) - Screwed over by the Left
Before
the 1983 General Election I won the office sweepstake with the nearest forecast of Mrs. Thatcher’s
majority and went on to repeat the trick in 1987 when I was widely regarded as mad to bet that she would win with a a three digit majority. it turned out to be 102.
Since then my political predictions have been less than perfect but in 2024 I
stuck my neck out by saying that if Starmer was elected he would be brought down by the left wing
of his party in only eighteen months.
I was almost right. In nineteen months he has become a dead man walking by being
so incompetent and apparently corrupt that he has had to appease his left wing
in order to limp on for a few months.
Imagine an old Trotskyist brought down by colleagues so much further to the
left. Off the scale levels of stupidity.
Rayner and Miliband pulling the strings; God help us!
Yesterday I bumped into an old acquaintance on a train and the conversation strayed into politics.
“I am 68 and I have been working for 51 years, never a day out of work and as I
approach retirement I find this country is utterly fucked.” A young fellow,
black, not that that matters, joined in and said we had been lucky. His life was on hold due to the
cost of living crisis. He cannot buy a house or even have a holiday because Labour has screwed him over.
And now it is sure to get worse. In just the last day or two we have seen votes for 16
year olds brought forward to repay the left and the Minister for Women is proud to announce that she
will ignore the Supreme Court’s ruling on women only spaces.
I do believe they are certifiably mad.
12 February (Part 2) - Councillor James Hunt
The case brought
against James Hunt for sexual misconduct was never reported
here. I didn’t believe a word of it. He had kept me informed of what was going
on long before the police charged him and nothing made sense.
I am pleased to report the judge found him not guilty yesterday and as I
understand it made derogatory remarks about his accusers. Something to the effect
they were unreliable liars.
12 February (Part 1) - Credit where it is due
Bexley
Council fixed a Brampton Road pothole only two days after it was
reported here on 25th January.
Now they have come up trumps again! The one shown here was
featured on Wednesday 4th February
and the following Monday it was repaired.
I have only seen it from a passing bus but it looked to be a pretty good job.
My regular trips to Bromley and back show one thing very clearly. While both
boroughs are less than brilliant for potholes, in Bexley it is possible to find smooth roads
because there is a programme for resurfacing but in Bromley I see none. The roads
I use are nothing but a patchwork of lumps and bumps everywhere.
Perry Street just South of the A20 is in a dreadful state, a little worse than
Bexley’s Danson Underpass where the potholes are avoidable once you know where
they are. Despite that, Bexley plans to resurface the Underpass next month while
Bromley is content to continue shredding tyres.
Bonkers. Better than FixMyStreet!
Bexley roads due to be resurfaced imminently are…
Alsike Road, Thamesmead
Appledore Avenue
Avenue Road, Erith
Bellegrove Road (295 to Welling Way)
Belmont Road
Bexley Road, Erith
Birchwood Avenue
Blendon Road
Bourne Road
Brampton Road
Brixham Road
Bryon Dive
Burcharbro Road
Colyers Lane
Coote Road
Cowper Road
Crook Log
Dale Road
Danson Crescent
Danson Underpass (both sides)
Elmstead Crescent
Elsa Road
Fairford Avenue
Gravel Hill Roundabout
Halfway Street
Hartslock Drive
Heath Road
Highstead Crescent
Highview Road
Lesney Park Road
Lewis Road
Lincoln Road
Manor Road, Sidcup
Martens Avenue
Mount Culver Avenue
New Road
Northdown Road
Onslow Drive
Park Crescent
Parsonage Lane
Picardy Manorway
Priestlands Park Road
Rochester Drive
St. Michael’s Road
Station Approach, Bexleyheath
Selwyn Crescent
Thames Road
Thanet Road
Warwick Road, Sidcup
Welling Way (72-94)
Woodside
Crescent
Wrotham Road
A further 59 roads have been resurfaced in recent months. Beat that Bromley!
11 February - Finance concluded
There are a few things from the recent Finance meeting that are not yet reported. Two Cabinet Members chose to speak and Resources boss David Leaf went first beginning with the almost mandatory self-deprecating remarks about the length of his speeches. This being the last of the Finance Scrutiny meetings in this civic year, he said, It might be the last opportunity for him to speak before the election. (He may be disappointed to note that there will be another meeting on 25th March.)
• Councillor Leaf said he had not only lobbied government about
the unfair funding formula but also the failure to properly fund Adults’ Social Care.
Oh! That was a let down, that is all the Council Leader
had to say but the Cabinet Member for Education and Corporate Services did her best to flesh out their reports
• Yet another Monitoring Officer is to be recruited. (None of them last long, one
must wonder why.)
• The Contact Centre is now improved to the point it answers 90% of incoming calls.
• Call volumes have dropped by 10% over the past four years.
• All staff will have new laptops by March.
• All analogue phone lines will shortly be retired.
The Chairman asked if any of those changes will result in cost savings or service efficiency improvements
but the Cabinet Member dodged the question. A Council Officer attempted to save
the day. He hoped that something between £700,000 and a million pounds might be
saved over the next three years.
Councillor Stefano Borella (Labour Leader) said that the recruitment of Monitoring Officers is always
challenging and just before an election when the colour of the Council might
change is a particularly difficult time. On the subject of the Contact Centre he
noted that the website included email addresses none of which were ever
monitored. Had all email addresses been withdrawn now? Cabinet Member didn’t
provide a definitive answer but shared Councillor Borella’s concerns. This is
what one might expect from someone who has a permanent excuse responder attached
to her own email address. “I am currently experiencing some technical difficulties and
may not be able to respond quickly to your message.”
Council Leader David Leaf assured us that Councillors will
continue to have
email addresses which can be found on the Council website.
Councillor Chris Ball (Labour, Erith) asked about email response times and was
told they were below target. However Councillor Ball was more interested in
Councillor responses but was told they are not monitored. Maybe I can help; my last
email to a Councillor (as opposed to responding to him/her) was sent on 28th
October last year and I am still awaiting an acknowledgment.
The Leader didn’t think it would be possible to monitor response times as replies
might be made by phone call, letter or personal visit.
Councillor Ball said he acknowledged the difficulties but the fact remains that
he is “absolutely aware that there are Members of the current Council who are not
responding to their emails or in any other way”.
10 February - The blocked bridleway, the bashed BMW and the boy from Bexleyheath
Ye Olde Leather Bottle
Four
days ago Bonkers wondered what had happened
to Footpath 11 and its sign which I have not photographed since 2018.
From the Cabinet Member via an intermediary came news that the developer who has
constantly raised two fingers to the local population is now being pursued
through the Courts by Bexley Council. The ultimatum contained within
the
Community Protection Order expired last September.
Knowing how long legal cases that do not involve hurty words usually take it may
be some time before there is more news.
Harrow Manorway
If you have ever waited
for a bus for more than a few minutes
outside Abbey Wood station you are sure to have seen an idiot weaving through
the traffic far too fast determined to get to Knee Hil before anyone else or to
get through the pedestrian lights before they go red again. They react to a
button press in 35 seconds.
Yesterday morning there were two probably unrelated incidents to be seen. A
pedestrian controlled traffic light was smashed to the ground along with one of
Bexley Councilְ’s new litter bins, split open. Vandalism or trafficc accident is impossible to say.
Eighty metres to the North were two police cars and a van surrounding a BMW that
had been involved in a smash with the air bags deployed.
While taking a look I photographed the blocked pavement opposite the station in
Felixstowe Road. It has been like that since
the new station opened on 17th
October 2017. Will Bexley Council take itself to Court for blocking a footpath
for even longer than its favourite developer on Heron Hill?
Delusional
Yesterday three related things happened. I received a tax bill for nearly £200
for doing what the Government asked me to do. Save the planet by buying an
electric car in 2018. EVs were until Labour created its massive black hole exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty. Later in the day I watched the electrician’s YouTube
channel eFixx which told me that the government planned to tax me on the income
from selling electricity back to the grid under the Feed in Tariff guarantees
made to me in 2011 when I did what the government asked of me. That is install
solar panels which cost an astonishing £12,000 back then. (I already knew that they were going to reduce the promised
link to inflation.) Labour is synonymous with lying and cheating and always has been.
So just like diesel car owners in the past a shameful government is going to
steal a large chunk of my income for doing what it asked me to do.
Then to cap it all the shameless Labour MP for Bexleyheath put out a statement at the behest of the whips to the effect that victims of Jeffery Epstein must be given justice as a matter of priority
but no mention of the much more numerous victims of Pakistani Rape Gangs who were at first ignored and now have nothing but a series of unfulfilled promises.
How can he possibly say that a priority is the cost of living crisis and restoring the country’s reputation on the world stage?
Daniel Francis must surely be certifiably mad,
Earlier this week I received an email from my Labour Councillor Jeremy Fosten who had read one of my blogs and offered some additional information. It made me think about what
I have wondered about before. Does a decent young chap like Jeremy really believe
that his party is doing anything to help the people of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
How can they? I have personally assembled a list of 260 things that this Government has done in
only 19 painful months all of which are easily argued to be detrimental to the
wellbeing of this country and its citizens.
My hatred for Keir Starmer and his Cabinet knows no bounds. I am against the
death penalty mainly because the police and judiciary are occasionally corrupt
but come the revolution I may have to change my mind.
9 February - One narrow passageway and a bus every two minutes
My reference to not having a camera to hand when I saw
a car slam into
the front of a B11 on New Road,SE2, was picked up by someone who lives there.
The collision I witnessed dates from when only four buses an hour climbed New
Road but now we have up to 20 in each direction. We also have the
Elizabeth line attracting far more cars too. Not just cars passing through but
cars parking most of the day and all weekend because there is nothing to
stop them. Far from it, they are encouraged to do so by a Council that
charges £15 a day to use its car parks.
A recipe for chaos created by Bexley Council, as far too many of them are.
The New Road resident says that buses are frequently held up and in the worst
cases get physically hooked up on each other.
He has raised the issue with Councillors and Jeremy Fosten (Labour, Belvedere)
has promised to ask the Cabinet Member a question at the next Full Council
meeting on 4th March but I don’t think the retiring Cabinet Member ever had much
interest in fixing traffic problems and certainly not only a month before he retires.
New Road will remain a problem until someone grasps the nettle and widens and
straightens Knee Hill; the main route into Thamesmead. It is hard to drive up or
down it without mounting the low kerb at one point or another. The Cabinet
Member buried his head in the sand and was adamant that it would never be touched. Bexley needs reform
As
I said on 16th December, Bexley’s traffic problems would largely disappear if
parking on bus routes was severely restricted.
As can be seen in the photograph below, Abbey Wood station is no more than five
minutes walk away, closer than any of the tall buildings in the background.
8 February (Part 2) - Blog withdrawn
it took less than an hour from making the changes for two
readers to ask why recent blogs had been allocated new dates and one had
disappeared altogether so I suppose an explanation is due.
Most readers will be aware of @tonyofsidcup who one might say has taken the
place of the late Mick Barnbrook by keeping Bexley Council on its toes with
innumerable FOIs and a succession of less formal questions. Somebody has to do
it because without such people Bexley Council can ride roughshod over everyone
and even fewer residents would know what they are up to.
Bexley Council tried to ban @tony from asking questions and won the support of the
Information Commissioner with the aid of a few fibs. Fortunately a judge saw
through it all and decided that @tony was performing a public service and that
his use of this website was very much a positive in that regard. I had no idea
that @tony had taken that line but raised no subsequent objections.
One of @tony’s stories was not anti-Bexley Council, in fact on the periphery
they helped him, was how the police were reluctant to investigate the hammer which
flew though his front window nineteen months ago.
There have been more than a dozen mentions of the incident since then and last Tuesday he sent me a copy of
the correspondence which told him that the Crown Prosecution didn’t think there
was enough evidence to prompt them to get off their backsides.
Obviously, readers who had followed the saga needed to be told that there was no justice in Bexley so a blog was prepared.
Rather than simply make that brief announcement, Bonkers ran a pictorial reminder
of what had gone before. No comment, just five images @tony had previously sent for
publication which were used here at least once and some several times.
The blog did not mention Bexley or @tony or hint at his home address. In some ways I
felt it was inadequate because it would make no sense to new readers.
Nevertheless @tony objected to it and demanded its removal. I reminded him that
it contained nothing that was not already in the public domain, apart from last
week’s decision by the CPS not to proceed and leave Bexley residents unprotected. As such I saw no reason to remove it. @tony
disagreed and there is every reason to suppose his arm is being twisted. Four
emails later I caved in. I am not here to create unnecessary disputes.
The blog took a little time to prepare, the words were few but hunting down the
old pictures and cropping them for the new layout took an hour or so. Time which
is now wasted. I don’t propose to do that again and so for
the foreseeable future you will not be seeing anything new from @tonyofsidcup on Bonkers.
This should come as a big relief to
the
would-be Councillors for Sidcup who sent @atony a
less than helpful two week late reply to a simple enquiry.
8 February (Part 1) - Government grant. “Nirvana never arrived”
There was a Finance Scrutiny meeting last Wednesday and like all the recent
Scrutiny meetings it was commendably short. Is this the Council running things
down before their possible demise in May? Regular Chairman Andy Dourmoush was
absent and said to be recovering after a stay in hospital. I am sure all readers
will wish him well. His place was taken by Councillor Howard Jackson. (Barnehurst.)
As one might expect from a Finance meeting the first Agenda item was the
draft 2026/27 budget.To ask a question the sole purpose of which is to allow a
Cabinet Member to pontificateIt is the sort if thing usually reserved for tame lapdogs
at Full Council meetings, but the substitute Chairman did exactly that. Presumably by
prior arrangement with the Cabinet Member for Resources. “What
will the new local Government funding settlement do for Bexley and if Bexley was
funded at the London average how would it affect how much money we got.”
This is fairly pathetic schoolboy stuff but the Council Leader was ready
to deliver the appropriate well rehearsed speech.
“It is a very bad settlement for Bexley, the Government has let our borough
down. We are down over the medium term and our share of the national pot is
reduced and the Revenue Support Grant is cut. Well over a million pounds down,
more if inflation is factored in. There is an increase across Local Government
[nationally] but Bexley is not getting any of it. Per capita we currently get about £401
[from Government] with a London average of £642 and this will move to £396 and
£694.” He went on to say that Bexley is being short-changed by about £77 million over the grant period.
Councillor June Slaughter (Conservative, Sidcup) said that the MP for
Bexleyheath and Crayford has been claiming that the borough is getting about £43
million more. She said she was reluctant to call it a lie (but it looks like
one). The Leader David Leaf said he was shocked by the MP’s claim. It is concocted
by a comparison of the situation two years ago with that in three year’s time. An obvious
deceptive spin. In any case £38 million of it will come from Council Taxpayers
and some of the rest is the additional funding offered to cover some of the
National Insurance Contribution increases. In other words the £43 million is
pretty much a headline grabbing lie. “It demonstrates the financial illiteracy
of Labour politicians. The £4 billion Social Care grant [promised by the
Government] was dropped from the final settlement.”
Labour Leader Stefano Borella said that the three year settlement was better
than the Conservatives’ one year settlements because it provided “certainty” and
the grant system has been “simplified”. “I would argue that the Labour
Government has provided an uplift because at least we know where we are.”
Councillor David Leaf said that simplification did not provide additional funds
and even where there are small transitional increases in funding it is not enough to cover inflation.
Councillor Leaf said he had lobbied the Secretary of State for fairer funding for
Bexley and asked the Labour Leader to do the same. He declined the invitation.
Councillor Cheryl Bacon (Conservative, Sidcup) covered much the same ground as the Leader. Whatever the
Labour spin [“dishonesty” according to David Leaf] it doesn’t produce more money and despite the promises, “Nirvana never arrived”.
The MP for Bexleyheath and Crayford is ְ“woeful” and David Leaf reminded us that
he actually “campaigned to have money taken away from Bexley”.
7 February - Potholes everywhere. It’s a disaster
Before Bexley’s Highways Department laughs too much about
Greenwich’s major road reconstruction collapsing
after only two months they should perhaps look closer to home. The number and depth of serious potholes increases daily.
Goodness knows how our road surfaces can ever be put right. After a bone shaking 301 journey to Bexleyheath
this morning I saw yet another
water filled hole as I crossed Arnsberg Way when the bus once again
dropped me short of the town centre. But that is just
one of thousands of dangerous and inescapable hazards that may be found across Bexley.
Arnsberg Way was
reconstructed in 2013 but Harrow Manorway in Abbey Wood is much more recent.
It was rebuilt, some might say wrecked, as part of the Elizabeth line infrastructure
improvements. (The link will take you to hundreds of construction photos. One example at the foot of this page.)
Unfortunately everything is collapsing already. Some readers may point out that
the road belongs to Greenwich or maybe even TfL, but the construction project
was managed by Bexley Council. It would be interesting if Greenwich or
maybe TfL sought compensation from Bexley for allowing an inadequate job.
Photographed 7th February 2026.
Photographed 23rd June 2018. Same site as immediately above.
6 February - Goodbye to Footpath 11 and the Green Chain Walk
Bexley’s favoured property developer has this week completed, pretty much, the
clearance of Ye Olde Leather Bottle site which should have been completed last
September but as yet there is no indication that Footpath 11 (Photo 4) is to be
restored. Far from it; the sign and its pole is no longer to be seen. I think it
went circa 2018; more than enough time for Bexley Council to notice its property has been stolen.
How long before Bexley Council enforces its restoration?
Index to related blogs.
5 February - Children’s Scrutiny Meeting. Teachers replaced by robots
Just a few highlights to report…
• Whilst the new Family Hubs were said to be “Amazing
and Wonderful” by both Conservative and Labour Councillors, Councillor Fosten
(Labour, Belvedere) thought they might be even more popular if it was not so
obvious that they were Council organised facilities. “Residents may be turned
off by that.” The Cabinet Member Chris Taylor thought that being associated with Social Services might represent a stigma.
• The Children’s Services Transformation programme attempting to improve the placement of children in
foster care or residential accommodation was said to lack the expertise to
manage costs effectively. (Previous reports have said that some children cost the Council
many thousands of pounds per week to accommodate.) “So how can we be
confident that £1·98 million can be saved this year?” was the Chairman’s question “Fairly confident” was the answer.
• The Cabinet Member said that some providers are “price gouging” accommodation costs.
• The Council Leader said that the Government promised to provide funding for SEND deficits etc. and continue with the Statutory Over-ride
beyond 2028. It is now very nearly a year overdue.
• Some young
people are disabled to the extent they cannot get out of bed in the morning and
a few simply refuse to do so. Either way the Council is
compelled to incur home tuition fees. Bexley Council is experimenting with robotic
teachers and currently “has ten in the basement”. They are “very cute” and the
ten cost less than £50,000 including their management. They will allow bed bound
children tuition in a wider range of subjects than could ever be provided by
traditional teachers.
4 February (Part 2) - Money is King. Road safety a poor relation
It
was quite impressive that Bexley Council patched the pothole in Brampton Road two days after it was
reported here on 25th January.
As you can see, it is a rough and ready job (Photo 1) and probably won’t survive
the ten or twelve buses an hour that pass over it. A pity that the Council did nothing
about the surface immediately opposite (Photo 2) which is rapidly deteriorating. A stitch in time and all that.
A
little to the North is the section of Brampton Road which Greenwich Council
closed for four weeks last November and caused widespread traffic chaos with
buses diverted as far away as Nuxley Road, Belvedere. It remained nice and smooth until the New Year.
By mid-January the surface was showing signs of wear and now we have a bloody great hole.
What sort of workmanship is tolerated by Greenwich Council? Surely they knew
that it is the major route into Thamesmead and serves around 15 buses an hour.
More than half of them with heavy batteries on board.
I tend not to use Knee Hill any more. In an upwards direction it is plagued by
one of Bexley’s oversized Yellow Money Boxes and down suffers a long queue to
get to Abbey Wood station. The alternative New Road is more ‘interesting’.
Bexley’s parking arrangements require buses to travel up the hill on the wrong
side of the road but I don't mind waiting for them. The drivers have a difficult
job and invariably give a friendly flash as they go by.
It is however potentially dangerous and Bexley Council is once again not
helpful. As one rounds the blind bend at the bottom of the hill (Photo 3 below) one is often
confronted by a bus forced into the middle of the road by the aptly named Andrew Bashford. The carriageway is about three feet wide.
It would appear that Bexley Council rates selling road space above the potential for serious injury. I once saw a car slam into the front of a B11
at that very spot but it was before I owned a smartphone.
New Road handles something between 30 and 36 buses an hour.
Note: Photos taken yesterday. I sent the Brampton Road pothole photo to my driving instructor friend. She says it is worse this morning.
4 February (Part 1) - What will it take for you to get checked?
There was only one item on Monday’s Adults & Social Care Scrutiny Meeting
Agenda that looked as though it might be interesting; the discussion on Health
in the North of the Borough. Geographically I live there but not in a particularly
deprived part. Nevertheless the health of people living nearby is of interest
because I see some aspects of it almost daily. One would not, for example, believe that fewer than 12% of Britons
smoke if you saw the crowds descending on Abbey Wood Station. Many of those who
arrive trailing smoke are young and black as if they are oblivious of the risks
they are running. Few of my age will not have seen someone succumb to lung cancer.
The passengers arriving on buses that start in Thamesmead are predominantly black and Bexley
Council has reported before how they do not look after themselves properly. For example, far worse outcomes in pregnancy and cancers.
Readers who are unfamiliar with the area may have no clue as to how black
it is. Not a particularly new phenomenon; a very long time ago my daughter, a journalist, produced a
documentary on Thamesmead which she wanted to call ‘Lagos on Thames’. The lawyers wouldn’t let her.
A month ago when I was waiting for a bus at the station
with an out-of-town friend a 229 arrived full. Don’t worry I said, it will empty
here and you may be surprised to see that every single one of the passengers
will be black. I was wrong. The bus emptied but there was one white woman among them. Maybe
only black people in Thamesmead go to work.
It was much the same when I repeated my informal census soon after nine yesterday morning.
Only three white faces.
There
may be some who will say that counting faces is racist and if so I do not care.
The word racist has lost all meaning and when
local politicians call me a racist It
serves only to display their aversion to facts. I have had Nigerian neighbours
for all of the past 20 years and never considered moving house.
However, racism or not, the fact remains that health issues in the North of the
Borough are a serious problem and it is related to ethnicity.
For reasons unknown, the Committee did not debate the issue, important though it
undoubtedly is, but the Agenda was quite interesting.
• 71% of the North of the borough is more deprived than the England Median.
• Significant lower cancer screening. Breast, bowel and cervical.
• Incidence of lung cancer and prostate cancer significantly above the English average.
For the record, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006. No symptoms, I
simply asked my GP for a blood test. The cancer was treated and I lived for 19 years with no adverse impact on life whatsoever. Last year, when there were signs of a
recurrent problem it was treated again. The blood tests are clear once more although
the after-effects linger. But is is better than being dead.
Get the bloody thing checked. One in twelve black men dies from prostate cancer.
Note: The foregoing was written yesterday afternoon. Total coincidence but the Nigerian lady who rented the house next door until August 2024 called me during the evening to enquire after my health. She is doing very well for herself. Since moving to Lincolnshire she passed her driving test first time and bought her own house.
3 February (Part 2) - Nightmare on Elm Road
The Labour Group has made its concerns about the losses incurred by Bexley's
foolhardy move into film shows the subject of its latest Press Release. Experienced operators are finding the
cinema business difficult but some sort of collective arrogance made Bexley Tories think they could do better.
There is not a lot that can be added to Labour’s observations except that the losses were
well over £100,000 with another £105,000 of refurbishment loan which may or may
not be paid back. Incidentally the auditoriums and their equipment were not
refurbished although some parts of the building may have beem.
This Press Release is also available via the
Index to Labour Press Releases.
BEXLEY LABOUR GROUP PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2026
SIDCUP STORYTELLER CINEMA
Bexley Labour Group has serious concerns about this Conservative Council’s
lack of due diligence and ongoing monitoring of the previous contract for
the cinema in Sidcup.
Despite concerns raised in 2024 about the previous operator’s financial
viability, there was a lack of urgency from the Council in addressing the
company’s history and the emerging failure of the contract. We were
repeatedly assured that the Council was in dialogue with the operator and
that the situation was being actively managed.
In early January 2025 it was confirmed that the Really Local Group (RLG) had
gone into liquidation. On 21 January 2025, we were advised that “the Council
will now move quickly to appoint a new operator for the longer term and will
update further as soon as possible”.
At the point of liquidation in January 2025, RLG owed £55,294 in unpaid
rent, covering the period from May 2024 to January 2025. No further rental
charges were levied during the additional period they continued to operate
from January to July 2025.
In July 2025, the Council announced that the premises would close for
refurbishment, with a planned reopening in September.
At Public Cabinet in November 2025, the Cabinet Member for Place Shaping
wildly attempted to apportion some of the
blame for this whole debacle on
the Hollywood actors strike that had occurred in 2023.
The venue eventually reopened fully on 2 January 2026 under the new tenure
of Castle Cinema, following a soft launch in December.
Cllr Anna Day, Shadow Cabinet member for Places said:
“Despite voicing our concerns about the sustainability of the contract in
2024 when it became evident that there was a problem, we were assured that
the Council was in dialogue with the Really Local Group and managing the
contract effectively.
This Conservative council’s failure to manage this contract properly from
the outset, followed by a year-long delay in installing a new service
provider, has cost the Bexley council taxpayers thousands of pounds in lost rental income.”
Cllr Stefano Borella, Leader of Bexley Labour Group said:
“This disaster is embarrassing for Bexley Conservatives who have been
promoting their pet project saying that this has been such a success, when
the reality is quite different, in addition their failure to not build any
affordable housing by the council’s own development arm Bexley Co on the old
Sidcup library site on Hadlow Road, which is a disgrace.
Due to a lack of due diligence in the selection of the previous operator,
the Council has lost more than £100,000 in revenue, in addition to
significant officer time - money that could have been used to mitigate the
decision to reduce council tax support for the most vulnerable residents in Bexley.”
In October we were advised that a thorough due diligence process had been
carried out for the new provider. We welcome the re-opening of the cinema on
2 January 2025 under the new tenure of Castle Cinema and wish the team every success
Film times and ticket booking are available at www.castlesidcup.com
and Castle Sidcup opening times are from 9:30 am – 11 pm
3 February (Part 1) - Planning changes
Various planning law changes aimed at improving the housing situation are
being introduced by the current government and were briefly discussed at the recent Places Scrutiny Committee.
Notable changes (and likely changes) are - with Councillor comments where appropriate-…
• Mayor Khan has given up on his plan to build 35% social houses in London.
The target is now 20%.
• There are proposals to remove the Community Infrastructure Levy which Bexley regards as a “very dangerous” move.
• The Secretary of State has made “alarming” proposals to over-ride local plans.
• Local authorities should use a “pattern book” of standard designs. A “very frightening” proposal.
• Planning Committees must be modernised which includes appointing national delegations. “Chilling.”
• New home densities must be increased with no distinction between inner city and suburban areas. "Very regrettable."
• Upward extensions are to be encouraged. “Unlovely results.”
Weirdly, Councillor Mabel Ogundayo (Labour, Thamesmead East) said there was no building going on in
London. In particular she said there were no cranes in London any more and
blamed Brexit for it. “No one is building anything.” This is a ridiculous
assertion. When I occasionally drive home via the A12, A13 or A2, in other words
looking towards the central London skyline, the horizon is a sea of red lights. I hadn’t noticed that the Reeves woman has
totally killed the economy yet despite her best efforts. Even more weird from a party political standpoint, the Councillor thought that
after 20 years of Tory rule Bexley was “a great and wonderful borough”.
Next on the Safety Partnership discussion was the new CCTV system which Bexley Council
would rather you did not know about.
Councillor Slaughter (Conservative, Sidcup), quoting from the Agenda, said that only two fixed cameras are
devoted to car parks but was nevertheless optimistic about the new and much diminished
in size system. So optimistic in fact that she requested a six monthly report on its
effectiveness. The two fixed cameras are in Felixstowe Road and Gayton Road car parks
(both next door to Abbey Wood station) and are not there to serve the best
interests of local residents but because the Elizabeth line creates major national
security concerns. By chance both car parks suffer more vehicle crime than any other in the borough.
One
must wonder if Councillor Slaughter is dutifully toeing the party line at
the superficial level while seeking to undermine it by requiring updates on its
effectiveness. There are after all, notes in circulation that suggest that Bexley
Conservatives are paranoid about the extent of the CCTV cuts becoming well known and
the possible impact on their electoral chances in three months time. More than
two thirds of the cameras have gone and the unmanned observation centre (see image. The premises are still on
Bexley’s Asset Register) totally abandoned.
Will the new system ever be as effective as the old one which could track suspects in real time and relay
the information directly to the police? It looks to be doubtful.
The
police representatives who had not gone away said they deployed their cameras to
tackle anti-social behaviour and it was really important that residents reported
ASB by every means available and not simply put up with it. The police do not go out
of their way to hide cameras. Spying on drug dealers may be an exception.
Councillor Day (Labour, Slade Green) asked when Councillors would be advised of the presence of
cameras in their wards but Ginny Hyland, the responsible Council Officer, said
there were no plans to do so, certainly not a list. She said she would consider
verbal requests via the Partnership but asked Councillors to not put anything in writing and not just yet
please because a new member of staff has not yet started work. Video connections would mainly
be by secure fibre with no links to the world outside of Council and Police premises. Unlike many other
cameras in London, there would be no way for the public to access them.
It is interesting to compare the draconian restrictions on CCTV information now
with the Code of Practice published when cameras were first introduced by the
Safety Partnership. That documentation specifically refers to the need to deter
vehicle crime in public car parks; there are now none installed for that
purpose. The code says cameras must not be installed in a covert manner; today
Bexley considers them to be akin to a state secret. In days gone by, residents could access the recorded data
under supervision following a Subject Access Request; today even police officers
are not allowed to know anything about the system. Camera locations were
available to anyone on request and a list was available for inspection in libraries. Bexley’s
Contracts Manager, Richard Kay, now says that locations are subject to a law
which restricts disclosure of information which might prejudice the detection of
crime. The old Code of Practice
may be downloaded here. (PDF.) Maybe @tonyofsidcup will ask for the latest
one to discover how our Tory Council is Making Bexley Even Better.
Councillor Hinkley (Labour, Belvedere) asked if additional mobile cameras would be forthcoming if
the four available proved to be successful. “Can we afford it?” Possibly was the answer, maybe an additional two next year.
The meeting Chairman asked how police officers would know if the cameras might
be of use to them if they did not know where they were located. The Chief
Inspector said he knew where they were. Let’s hope that he is not overwhelmed by
enquiries from police officers trying to do their jobs with one hand tied behind their backs.
The plan is to charge insurance companies to access footage.
Bexley seems to be determined to maintain its reputation as a secretive and deeply sinister organisation with
an aversion to total honesty. Until May at least.
2 February (Part 1) - The Safety Partnership
Not a big shift in subject matter from
the Police reporting
to the Places Scrutiny Committee to their following discussion on Safety; Domestic
Abuse being the big topic and definitely the biggest topic in the bad lands of northern Bexley. Councillor Anna Day (Labour,
Slade Green & North End) asked what was being done about repeat offenders. She
was told that the statistics suggested things were within levels which are
judged to be tolerable nationally. Education of young people is a priority.
Councillor Philip Read (Conservative, West Heath) said that Page 24 of the report said that Bexley’s
position on Domestic Abuse had moved from 15th and 13th place in London to 9th
but the number of reports had increased. Does 9th on the London list really show
things are “improved”? He was told it does. Councillor June Slaughter was
similarly confused. It seems to mean that in Bexley, improved means getting
worse but not as badly as in some other places. Domestic Abuse is under reported
especially among certain communities.
Fear of crime is greater among young people than old.
1 February - At last, The Metropolitan Police Show
The Places
webcast was belatedly restored and
my copy appears to be missing only the Chairman’s opening remarks; as such it
opened with a presentation from the Metropolitan Police, The Police had broken
with tradition and sent someone who appeared to be on top of his brief in the
shape of Chief Inspector James Hendrick.
He reported that his priorities were shoplifting, theft of and from motor
vehicles, violence, particularly against females, and
anti-social behaviour. Shoplifting offences rose sharply at the beginning
of last year and retailers are encouraged to report them. Reports have
subsequently reduced by about 20% following a number of new initiatives but the
Inspector is not confident that all offences are reported. “We are not there yet.” The initiatives
include being able to download shop video directly. Major retailers only at present.
Vehicle thefts are down by 26%. Things were very bad last year and foreign based
criminal groups have been targeted by a team of specialists.
Violence with injury is down by only 2·5% but hides a 19% reduction in knife
crime. Convictions are up. There have been about 2,500 Stop & Searches in Bexley
in the current financial year of which 846 were positive as of the middle of January.
The majority was drugs related with weapons and stolen property being some way behind.
Drug dealers and users were being targeted and a lot of work goes on around
Transport Hubs. Dogs. arches and behavioural specialists have been placed
at stations etc. especially in the North of the borough.
Plain clothes officers have been placed in robbery hotspots and Bexleyheath’s
nightlife has been visibly policed to make people feel safe there.
Councillor Sally Hinkley (Labour, Belvedere) as is so often the case was first to ask a question. It
was about facial recognition. The police officer said it has been used on
Broadway and a notable success was picking up a woman who had been on the run
from prison for eight years. Councillor John Davey (Conservative, West Wickham) said that the team who used
to patrol the school children who too often make a nuisance of themselves in
Broadway had been disbanded and officers moved to Safer Neighbourhood Teams. His
ward had missed out on any benefits. He moved on to traffic offences, speeding
etc. about which his residents make many complaints,
It was confirmed that the Safer Transport Team had moved to Safer Neighbourhoods
and may be deployed more widely. Twelve officers previously based in schools
have been relocated, four each to Thamesmead, Bexleyheath and Sidcup to tackle
troublesome children there and nearby whenever necessary.
Traffic offences are monitored, more so in Bexley and its Borough Command Unit,
than anywhere else in London. There are five officers for Bexley but North
Greenwich is the busiest traffic area and warrants more and may occasionally ‘borrow’ Bexley officers.
3,154 Bexley residents are signed up for Met Engage which is 14th highest in London.
Councillor Mabel Ogundayo (Labour, Thamesmead East) said there are very few
shops in her ward but shoplifting always takes up a lot of time at Ward Panel
Meetings. “What has caused the reduction?”
Sending small time offenders to Court is not very rewarding so
prolific offenders have their crimes bundled together and maybe given Criminal
Behaviour Orders which together might persuade a Court to take more effective
action. When “certain people are in prison” shoplifting reduces noticeably.
Councillor June Slaughter (Conservative, Sidcup) asked if speed checks are
carried out where residents or Councillors report them. It was admitted that
speed traps were few. Some on the A2 but not many. Probably it is the only road
in the borough where speeding is a real possibility.
Chairman Cameron Smith asked about Dangerous Driving. There had been four
fatalities in five years in Bexley Village. It was not felt that it was not
an area that would benefit from speed guns but number plate recognition
might deter criminals going there for its nightlife.
Councillor Rags Sandhu (Conservative, Bexleyheath) asked about shoplifting
numbers in the Broadway specifically, which was perhaps pushing his luck somewhat.
Unlike most visitors at meetings, Chief Inspector Hendrick had most numbers at his
fingertips and did not constantly resort to “I will get back to you later” - and
the public never gets to know - but this one had him stumped.