10 March (Part 2) - Cheering on inflation busting tax rises
A balanced budget when a Labour Government is doing its best to wreck the economy with extra taxes
on residents and more of them unemployed due to tax policies may have been
difficult but not something to be applauded by Conservative Councillors; but they did. A balanced budget is a legal
requirement but clapping loudly at the prospect of residents facing an increase
of more than twice the
rate of inflation must surely be the very pinnacle of poor taste. Maybe MPs
attending a dance event rather than a debate on the Middle East war runs it close.
Do we have a serious Council ready to root out the underlying problems or is it tired of life?.
After rejecting the Labour Amendment to the budget - changing BexleyCo’s focus,
spend £11 million on roads, create a Community Vision, improve Scrutiny
procedures, raise about three grand by charging Councillors and the most senior
executives for parking and
welcoming recent Government initiatives like breakfast clubs and reducing
electricity charges to rather more than they were in July 2024 - the Council
moved on to debating its proposal to raise Council Tax by as much as is legally permitted.
There were several
derogatory references during this second half of the meeting to
members of the public who had drifted away early but when the clock heads towards
11 p.m. it is not particularly surprising. Listening
to self
congratulation by Tories seeking Brownie Points from their Leader is not the
most inspiring of spectacles.
Councillor O’Hare (Conservative, Blendon & Penhil) spoke first. His chosen
subject was parks and open spaces. “A vital infrastructure where families
breathe and children play. Once they are gone they are gone for good. [West
Street anyone?] This budget puts money into parks and playgrounds.”
After a long list of benefits lost by the gradual erosion of green spaces
through planning applications; all good stuff, he was applauded somewhat
unenthusiastically by his colleagues.
Cabinet Member Cafer Munur reiterated the legal obligation to set a balanced
budget and was pleased that there were “no excessive Council Tax rises while
keeping front line services stable”.
“Unlike other Councils which are effectively bankrupt
Bexley has prudent management and a relentless focus on value for money. Look at
Kent County Council, bold claims made about efficiencies but governing proved very different.”
More Conservative applause.
Councillor Lisa Moore (Conservative, Longlands) listed the achievements in Children’s Services, fostering, Education
etc. all of which are probably true. She hoped that the Government would
eventually come up with the money they had promised to fund it all. Loud applause.
Councillor John Davey (Conservative, West Heath) said he didn’t think much of
the Labour Budget Amendment and he thought it likely that they would be
annihilated in the forthcoming election. Polling suggests that the Green Party
will wipe them out except possibly in their Thamesmead East stronghold. ”Labour
put up Council Tax by nearly 45% following which the Conservatives froze it for
six years. Khan increases his precept every year while Boris put it down. Bexley
keeps taxes as low as we can. On one side, the Greens will take over Greenwich
and on the other Reform splits in Kent and joins splinter parties.”
“Both of our Labour MPs do nothing at all to help; one has disappeared and the other prattles
around with pot holes.” Lots of applause and shout of Well Done.
Labour Leader Stefano Borella was allowed to get a word in. He said that Daniel
Francis MP fights for the people of Bexley while in Bexley the statistics are
skewed to come up with the 7th best claim. “16 boroughs scored more Green ratings
than Bexley. Bexley residents do not believe the nonsense being spouted.”
Councillor Davey had referred to the Chancellor as “young Rachel” which had
provoked indecipherable abuse from the opposition. Stefano doubted that John
would say that about a male Chancellor and his chosen adjective was “disgraceful and absolutely appalling”.
(John Davey is 82 years old, just a few months younger than me, and probably
regards everyone under the age of 65 as young. I know I do.)
“He should be proud of her” opined Stefano.
He
rightly ridiculed Councillor O’Hare for his comments on parks after selling Old
Farm Park, West Street and Wilde Road. It is disgraceful that Councillors get
free parking in nearby car parks while staff do not. “The budget shunts problems
forward to a future administration” which is exactly what Reform UK has been
saying.
Councillor Rags Sandhu (Conservative, Bexleyheath) spoke about highway maintenance. He related how one
of his residents was pleased that Bexley Council had resurfaced his road and had
written to his MP to thank him. An MP who argued for less money for Bexley.
[Labour jeering.] (I am still inclined to think that voting rights should be proportional to IQ levels.)
Councillor Andrew Curtois (Conservative, Falconwood & Welling) said that the
Labour Government has landed us in a financial mess while Reform UK is a protest
party. At this point he made an unwarranted reference to the Reform UK people in
the public gallery. Bexley Conservatives on the other hand drive sensible
efficiencies, balancing budgets and living within our means. Bexley achieves the
second lowest of any Council in its spending on local services. It was presented
as a plus point but opinions may differ. Prolonged applause.
Councillor Howard Jackson (Conservative, Barnehurst) was next to his feet. Roads
was one of his chosen subjects and “the impressive £9·167 million investment on 354 miles
of roads”. Investment in Libraries were in for similar praise.
Councillor Janice Ward-Wilson (Conservative, Crook Log)
trotted out the sort of figures we have heard too often before. Bexley gets £46
a head from Government (down again) for public health which is only half the London average. More applause.
Labour Councillor Zainab Asunramu (Thamesmead East) said that the Labour
Amendment would have strengthened the budget and “took umbrage” at the
inaccuracies in the responses by Councillors Newton, O’Neill and Seymour who had
dodged or otherwise misinterpreted Labour’s questions and comments, Standard practice surely?
Councillor Bola Carew (Conservative, Bexleyheath) said her residents tell her that they
enjoy living in Bexleyheath, “It is a nice place to be” and the [much reduced in
number but updated]
CCTV coverage makes them feel safe. I am going to assume you don’t want to hear
any more of this despite the loud applause given.
Councillor Brian Bishop (Conservative, Barnehurst) whose appointment to Cabinet
was described to me as “barrel scraping” by one of his colleagues was mainly
concerned with deriding the Reform UK supporters in the audience some of whom
had left at the half time stage. Reduced grants, more money for libraries and
the reduced CCTV coverage all got a mention as did the word Reform a creditable seven
times, not including the alleged early departure. Is he worried or something?
Councillor Steven Hall (Conservative, East Wickham) managed a joke or two and
said the Conservative budget was responsible, stable and puts resources where
they are needed most. As a tail and speaker it must be hard to come up with
something original so it was the usual stuff on pot holes, social care,
recycling, green spaces and a defence of a £1,855 Band D charge. Bexley Council part only.
Cameron Smith (Conservative, St. Mary’s and St. James) said that replacing the
outdated CCTV is very helpful to the police and additionally covered his pet
subject, road maintenance and the little
known fact that Councils pay for the Freedom Pass. He said
that balancing the need for road maintenance and the constant utility works was
highly complex and the Highways team was really impressive. Applause obviously
but maybe more deserving of it than some.
Given the length of this blog, extreme brevity is now required.
(The Chairman Mayor asked for the same thing!)
Councillor Caroline Newton (Conservative, East Wickham) said that
she and her team had done “pretty well”.
Councillor Nicola Taylor (Labour, Erith) said that Margaret Thatcher sold off
water “and look how well that has turned out”. No one will disagree. An easy
target was the selling off of green spaces, When “they are gone they are gone”.
She took the pee out of Bexley Tories and their green policies in a way that
only Nicola could; and she was absolutely right.
Councillor Jeremy Fosten (Labour, Belvedere) took the mick out of the Council
blaming unfair funding for their predicament when for 14 of their 20 years it
was a Conservative Government in charge. Right again. He asserted that, the budget may be balanced
but residents will not see any improvements. FixMyStreet reports of fly tipping
go six months and more without action.
Councillor Chris Ball (Labour, Erith) thought the Highways team was
“exemplary” suggesting that he does not talk to his MP, Daniel Francis.
Mrs.
Thatcher was “an extraordinary leader” but “demeaning Rachel Reeves by calling
her “a young girl is not acceptable”. The budget is balanced but only by robbing
the reserves. (Councillor Ball once told me to my face that he didn’t think
Bexley’s Chief Executive was paid enough. Maybe he is not a real Socialist.)
Like me he has no real problem with flag flying but they have become “tatty” which is
not good and “it is time they came down”.
I
said the same three months ago. Maybe I am a Socialist!
Lastly Councillor Baroness O’Neill (Crook Log) said nothing you would not
expect. Bexley under the Conservatives has been fantastic etc. and pot holes are
fixed in a timely manner.
Council Leader David Leaf corrected some of Labour’s statistics from his
encyclopedia of facts and ridiculed the £2,500 improvement to the budget that
would come from charging Councillors for parking. He said the Conservatives
speeches were “excellent” while Labour will shortly vote against things that they want.
Once again the only Independent present voted for the Conservative budget.
Note: For the record, this blog took three hours and 40
minutes to write - before I go looking for typos and ungrammatical nonsense. Another 30 minutes.