24 February - The last financial knockings
I have been reviewing the final few minutes of
the recent Finance Scrutiny
meeting. There is very little more to report.
Microsoft’s IT licences (†) are costing far too much. “Crippling.” Some of the assets (buildings) are crumbling, BexleyCo is “being given £157 million” according to a Councillor.
Cabinet Member David Leaf suggested it is far more complicated than that “and we get more out than we put in”.
Councillor Leaf managed to dig up a further bit of information about what he
clearly regards as a thoroughly disreputable Government. They have reduced the
Household Support Fund nationally by 13·5% and no one has bothered to inform
Councils of their individual share. Bexley’s share may go down or pigs may fly.
David rashly looked back on the previous day being the 50th anniversary of
Mrs. Thatcher’s day succession to the leadership of the Conservative party, thus provoking a very brief disagreement with the local Labour party leader.
It was the “excellent” Ms. Holland’s (Interim Director for Finance and Corporate Services) last appearance before the
Committee and a new man is due to take over on 24th February.
† The computer on which BiB is produced is very nearly eight years old and I have been looking at making a replacement.
The component costs for something similar have more than doubled. Nearer two and
a half times actually.