ossieram Posted May 1, 2018 Share Posted May 1, 2018 1 hour ago, StivePesley said: Oh and of course you mention the rings - which was funded by ring-fenced arts grants. I guess we could have just not bothered and turned the money down. So you missed the part about where the council also had to stump up just under half a million of their (our) money to get the ring-fenced art grant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaspode Posted May 1, 2018 Share Posted May 1, 2018 It's quite clear that Banwait is running the council purely in order to do his bit for the Labour party fighting both austerity and the government - every single time something is closed or cancelled his message is that it's the government's fault for pushing austerity onto the council - yet they are able to find money for their own projects, or for consultants, or extra mangers, or to spend on Labour wards - there are also rumours that while they've been busy cutting services, they've also been increasing the council reserves - when you then add on the fact that Banwait has chosen to only work part-time as council leader (despite, I believe, still claiming his full allowances); that they've dragged their feet over every major decision (4 years for the Assembly Rooms!); that they've effectively prevented the opposition from having any say by changing the governance procedures; supported dodgy behaviour from Labour councillors; let down the school support staff; let down the special educational needs kids; had appalling reports from independent reviews which highlighted bad practice; etc; etc....I'm amazed anyone can question what Banwait has done wrong - unless of course the bribes/promises dished out in the past few months have brought on a bit of amnesia that has wiped out the previous few years that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van der MoodHoover Posted May 1, 2018 Share Posted May 1, 2018 1 hour ago, Gaspode said: It's quite clear that Banwait is running the council purely in order to do his bit for the Labour party fighting both austerity and the government - every single time something is closed or cancelled his message is that it's the government's fault for pushing austerity onto the council - yet they are able to find money for their own projects, or for consultants, or extra mangers, or to spend on Labour wards - there are also rumours that while they've been busy cutting services, they've also been increasing the council reserves - when you then add on the fact that Banwait has chosen to only work part-time as council leader (despite, I believe, still claiming his full allowances); that they've dragged their feet over every major decision (4 years for the Assembly Rooms!); that they've effectively prevented the opposition from having any say by changing the governance procedures; supported dodgy behaviour from Labour councillors; let down the school support staff; let down the special educational needs kids; had appalling reports from independent reviews which highlighted bad practice; etc; etc....I'm amazed anyone can question what Banwait has done wrong - unless of course the bribes/promises dished out in the past few months have brought on a bit of amnesia that has wiped out the previous few years that is. not seen him in Private Eyes "Rotton Boroughs" yet - which shines a light on the breathtaking corruption, incompetence, kleptocratic councils up and down the country. Or did I miss that edition? none of the list above should surprise - a lot of councils (of all political hues) are run as local fiefdoms by people who seem little better than gangsters. Crude KPIs (such as employee headcount) are managed to by "outsourcing", regardless of cost. Hidden charges are added for some services. Councillors supposedly abide by a "code of conduct" which seems to be set somewhere lower than the law of the land. massive payoffs signed off without scrutiny or due process....... It's all out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stive Pesley Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 11 hours ago, HantsRam said: not seen him in Private Eyes "Rotton Boroughs" yet - which shines a light on the breathtaking corruption, incompetence, kleptocratic councils up and down the country. Or did I miss that edition? none of the list above should surprise - a lot of councils (of all political hues) are run as local fiefdoms by people who seem little better than gangsters. Crude KPIs (such as employee headcount) are managed to by "outsourcing", regardless of cost. Hidden charges are added for some services. Councillors supposedly abide by a "code of conduct" which seems to be set somewhere lower than the law of the land. massive payoffs signed off without scrutiny or due process....... It's all out there. Indeed - Northampton Council recently declared itself bankrupt - and that's a Tory council. There are multiple councils around the country teetering on the edge of bankruptcy the whole time, yet meanwhile our council are getting criticised for increasing their reserves. Go figure Thanks for all your thoughts on Banwait anyway - at least it confirms my theory that it's all personal and not really political. Maybe he is incompetent, I don't really follow the witch hunt that carefully as it all comes across as unfounded rumours, repeated until they become true. Some people just aren't very bright. Be careful what you wish for. I know the leader of the Tory council and he's a complete plum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaspode Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 1 minute ago, StivePesley said: Indeed - Northampton Council recently declared itself bankrupt - and that's a Tory council. There are multiple councils around the country teetering on the edge of bankruptcy the whole time, yet meanwhile our council are getting criticised for increasing their reserves. Go figure Thanks for all your thoughts on Banwait anyway - at least it confirms my theory that it's all personal and not really political. Maybe he is incompetent, I don't really follow the witch hunt that carefully as it all comes across as unfounded rumours, repeated until they become true. Some people just aren't very bright. Be careful what you wish for. I know the leader of the Tory council and he's a complete plum. There are none so blind as those who will not see..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stive Pesley Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 6 minutes ago, Gaspode said: There are none so blind as those who will not see..... It's a local election. My local ward councillor is excellent. I will vote for her. What's not to see? The online obsession with demonising the council leader will probably have it's victory. I shall enjoy the irony if Banwait loses his seat to the tory candidate ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaspode Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 26 minutes ago, StivePesley said: Thanks for all your thoughts on Banwait anyway - at least it confirms my theory that it's all personal and not really politic The 'not seeing' point is that you're trying to claim that it's just a personal problem rather than related to what the council has done (or not done) under Banwait's stewardship. Pretty much the same approach you take when people criticise comrade Corbyn - oh it's all personal rather than to do with his policies - well a bit of news for you, it is both personal and political - it would be impossible to be one without the other.... If you think your councillor is great for local issues, then of course you should vote for her - that's the essence of democracy - but don't blame other people for looking at the wider picture and wanting something better for the city than has been served up by the current administration..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stive Pesley Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 41 minutes ago, Gaspode said: If you think your councillor is great for local issues, then of course you should vote for her - that's the essence of democracy - but don't blame other people for looking at the wider picture and wanting something better for the city than has been served up by the current administration..... I don't blame them for wanting something better for the city - I want that too, but I question whether people are really looking at the wider picture. It seems for all the world to me that a lot of people want to look for a whipping boy to take out their dissatisfaction on. Looking at the wider picture is something I encourage! Having personal demons is a much easier trait for human beings to deal with though. I don't think Banwait's perfect, but I also think that none of those who blame him for every little thing have the first idea of what running a city council entails. I know I don't. It's just so easy to snipe at him from the sidelines. Blaming one guy for everything is surely the definition of a narrow mindset - rather than seeing a wider picture? Best result for me in the City would for Labour to retain control, but Banwait gets ousted. Then we can have a fresh start and people will be happy that the big bad wolf is dead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaspode Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 53 minutes ago, StivePesley said: Best result for me in the City would for Labour to retain control, but Banwait gets ousted. Then we can have a fresh start and people will be happy that the big bad wolf is dead Banwait wanted the role of leader (ousting Bayliss) and wants (or wanted) to be the centre of attention (I suspect at one time he had grand plans to stand for Westminster) - though it's noticeable that he nowadays only tends to appear if there's a big 'positive' announcement (or a jolly) - whenever the media want to speak to him about library closures or SEN plans or when some other bad news story breaks, he's 'unavailable' and he sends his inept deputy Rawson to cover - I'm afraid someone who put himself forward as the face of the council has to accept the criticism when things aren't going well - so yes he may be the big bad wolf in people's eyes, but that's down to his own self-publicist streak - remember before he was leader when he had a reputation for appearing in the Telegraph almost every day - any chance for a photo opportunity and there he was... The crux of the matter for the elections tomorrow is that he couldn't have done it on his own - he's only been able to push through his agenda due to the support of every one of the other Labour councillors - I'm afraid in my eyes (and I suspect a lot of other voters), that makes them all as guilty of putting party before city - that is unforgivable (it's something May is rightly criticised for when decisions are made that seem to be to the benefit of the Tory party rather than the country). We need a new start if there is to be any hope for the city to genuinely grow and make people proud to live here - now I don't necessarily think there are sufficient quality politicians in any of the parties for that to happen quickly, but I'm hopeful that people will put aside their party-political 'always vote Labour' attitude and vote for a change of council rather than simply more of the same.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ossieram Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 5 hours ago, StivePesley said: Thanks for all your thoughts on Banwait anyway - at least it confirms my theory that it's all personal and not really political. Maybe he is incompetent, I don't really follow the witch hunt that carefully as it all comes across as unfounded rumours, repeated until they become true. Some people just aren't very bright. Be careful what you wish for. I know the leader of the Tory council and he's a complete plum. So it's wrong for us to vote against Labour because of our feelings about Banwait, yet I get the feeling you don't want us to vote Tory because their leader is a "complete plum" For what it's worth, my local councillor is also Labour and he is an arrogant prat who tried to intimidate others through his position and many think he is corupt and has benefitted personally through a lot of his so called council work, I can't say whether on not this is true, but I have my suspicions. Just to let you know, my vote will not help put the "complete plum" into a position of power either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe. Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 3 hours ago, Gaspode said: now I don't necessarily think there are sufficient quality politicians in any of the parties for that to happen quickly, but I'm hopeful that people will put aside their party-political 'always vote Labour' attitude and vote for a change of council rather than simply more of the same.... I always wonder why in Englands local elections a lot of people seem take that view, I can understand if a bit more in the general election, but surely in the local elections your voting on the actual councillor and what they want to do rather than the party? In our local ones (in Wales) independent candidates make up something like quarter of the vote. I wonder why that doesn't happen in england Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McRamFan Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 None of the above option is needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaspode Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 4 minutes ago, Joe. said: I always wonder why in Englands local elections a lot of people seem take that view, I can understand if a bit more in the general election, but surely in the local elections your voting on the actual councillor and what they want to do rather than the party? In our local ones (in Wales) independent candidates make up something like quarter of the vote. I wonder why that doesn't happen in england Not in Derby - local councillors who are not part of the ruling Labour group have virtually no influence over what happens in the city - all major decisions taken by the council are made by committees made up entirely of Labour councillors so they tow the party line and vote through what they're told to. Effective opposition (even effective debate) has become a thing of the past.... Not only that, but we used to have local area panels that were awarded a certain amount of money to spend on local issues - that way, the local councillor could actually make a difference - the ruling group scrapped that and instead split the money between the areas that had Labour councillors....they claimed it was in order to address issues of hardship in their wards (typically the poorer parts of the city) - which people may have agreed with if one of the wards hadn't then used the extra money to pay towards a cricket pavilion - which wasn't even located within the city boundary.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe. Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 10 minutes ago, Gaspode said: Ah thanks I expect that explains why you don't get so many independent votes anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stive Pesley Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 21 minutes ago, Gaspode said: Not in Derby - local councillors who are not part of the ruling Labour group have virtually no influence over what happens in the city - all major decisions taken by the council are made by committees made up entirely of Labour councillors so they tow the party line and vote through what they're told to. Effective opposition (even effective debate) has become a thing of the past.... Not only that, but we used to have local area panels that were awarded a certain amount of money to spend on local issues - that way, the local councillor could actually make a difference - the ruling group scrapped that and instead split the money between the areas that had Labour councillors....they claimed it was in order to address issues of hardship in their wards (typically the poorer parts of the city) - which people may have agreed with if one of the wards hadn't then used the extra money to pay towards a cricket pavilion - which wasn't even located within the city boundary.... You certainly know a lot about the machinations of the city council. Are you involved? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stive Pesley Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 1 hour ago, ossieram said: So it's wrong for us to vote against Labour because of our feelings about Banwait, yet I get the feeling you don't want us to vote Tory because their leader is a "complete plum" It's not wrong Ossie - we all just have to go with our gut and our direct experiences. I'm not telling anyone who to vote for, and I only mention the leader of the Tory council in as much as I know he will be no better, but he will probably get an easier ride from the middle classes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaspode Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 12 minutes ago, StivePesley said: You certainly know a lot about the machinations of the city council. Are you involved? Not at all - but I was born in the city and have been proud to call it my home. It frustrates me greatly to see the city simply being 'used' by people who have no civic pride but appear to be' in it' just as a way to meet their own personal political aims, or to create a 'legacy' or even just for the prestige of being a councillor. The good of the city seems to come a long way down their list of priorities. Consequently I try to keep up with what they're up to - and I consider a lot of the things that have happened over recent years to be a disgrace... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mafiabob Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Whose voted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boycie Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 I didn’t register the card thingy, I assume I’m banned from voting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sage Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 18 minutes ago, Boycie said: I didn’t register the card thingy, I assume I’m banned from voting? No go and vote If you voted recently they will have you on the list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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