TBF's Local Council Is On Fire

Obviously we are unaware yet of the real reasons or motive, but the attack on South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) based in Crowmarsh near Wallingford, Oxfordshire bears the hallmarks of a grudge.

In the early hours of the morning where there is likely to be no-one about bar possibly a couple of security guards, a man has apparently driven a car ladened with gas canisters into the Council building with devastating effects. It seems to reflect a determination to do the job properly.

The man's motives will undoubtedly become clear as the days pass, but given that on a daily basis I take Mrs TBF to work via Wallingford I can confirm that their usual Thursday bin collections have been unaffected - continuing as normal - with bin lorries which have £250 personalised "SODC" number plates attached on each lorry.

The Tree, The Council and The Street Lamp

Regular readers may remember a blog post from late 2011 regarding a street lamp outside my house and a tree that has grown to such an extent it was blocking light and maintenance access. The council at the time, citing the Highways Act 1980, gave me 14 days to complete the work or they would do it themselves and seek to recover the costs.

One small problem the tree and the lamp post is on land which is not mine, so I’m not liable. This was pointed out to them at the time which had a confirmation reply that my response was noted and recorded.

2 ½ years later the tree remains untouched. Funnily enough when they thought it grew on my land it was urgent yet when it turns out to be their problem it was less urgent.

And so the lack of pruning of the tree has resulted in another letter to me from my local council, virtually identical in wording to the original, that as a result of a maintenance inspection (nice to know they happen on such a regular occasion) I need to carry out the work in 14 days “or else”. My original email been lost then?

Just to "help me on my way" I have been given a sheet of illustrations that demonstrate the "council requirements for trimming trees around S/L columns - scanned below (click to enlarge):

Apparently they require that:

Clearance to be sufficient to be effective for at least 12 months but preferably as a long term solution

I'm not sure how they would know it was effective for at least 12 months given inspections seemingly happen only every 2 ½ years. Clearly then what apparently applies to me does not apply to the Council (the tree is on Highway Agency property). They admit themselves the current situation is contrary to the Highways Act so that then applies to them as well.

One is now having mischievous thoughts...

Tories And Democracy

Readers may recall that I stood in May as a UKIP paper candidate where the Tory incumbent lost the seat to an independent by fewer than 100 votes (I got 167). The Tory incumbent took the view I cost him the seat and lost his temper at the count. Such arrogance from the Tory party over UKIP has long ceased to be a surprise.

And 4 months later it would seem he still hasn't come to terms with his defeat. This morning he contacted, as a customer, Mrs TBF at work. During an initially friendly conversation it emerged that he was the Town councillor for where we live. When Mrs TBF mentioned the May elections, his tone changed from one of being friendly to one of indignance;

"Yes, I lost my seat to some independent".

The arrogance of office (or lack of) shines through. My seat? Try the term "the electorate's seat". As for "some independent" well he has a name, a name that Bill Service is fully aware of given he works with him on the Town Council.

Mrs TBF then revealed, rather mischievously I think, that her husband had stood against him in May as a UKIP candidate. The response?

"So it was your husband that cost me my votes"

My seat? My votes? In some ways the exchange was rather amusing - that he's still smarting many months after the election. However it does highlight the failings in a supposed system of democracy which allows an incumbent to remain in place long enough in order to take it for granted, to the extent that any kind of accountability takes him by surprise.

"Democracy Is A Minority Issue"

Both Autonomous Mind and Richard North have superb pieces on the arrogance of local councils, specifically Brighton and Hove, and their refusual to hold a referendum on any proposed council tax increase:

The referendum rule is mad. It’s not really workable and would cost about £300,000 to run.

As AM notes:

There you have it.  A sitting councillor who no doubt prattles on about ‘democracy’ and the ‘wishes of the people’ when trying to get elected, declaring that having to seek our democratic consent for a raid on our personal wealth, is unworkable.  In other words, the council should be allowed to demand what it likes and to hell with what residents think.

Quite. Though I guess there is one positive outcome - it is clear validation of at least one of the Harrogate Demands of "no taxes or spending without consent". Local councils would not be so vigorously against the idea of referendums if they did not work.

Arrogance and a sense of entitlement. Recently an acquaintance of mine has had a similar experience courtesy of Oxfordshire County Council via email albeit on a rather more modest issue than one of spending our own money.

As I noted in May the recent local elections saw the Conservatives lose control of Oxfordshire County Council which lead to one of the incumbent Tory councillors losing his temper at the count. Four Independents were elected but after the election three of the four opted to form a “Conservative – Independent Alliance” (Lynda Atkins for Wallingford, Mark Grey for Benson and Cholsey and former Labour Councillor Les Sibley for Bicester West), thus ensuing that the Conservatives would retain effective control of the council after a deal had been struck:

The alliance means the independents will support the election of Tory leader Ian Hudspeth on Tuesday and add their weight to the party’s budgets for the next four years, but they will not sit in the cabinet. 

Occurring as it did after the election had taken place meant the deal had no reference to the electorate's wishes and certainly had no mandate on which the independents were elected (interestingly the only independent who has remained so and upheld his promises is the one that represents me - but then I know where he lives).

The leader of this independent grouping (if that is not an oxymoron) is Lynda Atkins (from Wallingford) and she has publicly stated, in what is an attempt at some sort of a defence, the following (my emphasis):

It’s not an administration, it’s not a coalition, we’re calling it an alliance. We’re not joining the Tories. This is something which fits the current circumstances, something that will work right here and right now.

We believe that what we have done is very much in the best interests of our constituents and all the other residents of Oxfordshire. I think we always have to go back to our voters and explain our decisions, and this will be no exception.

A crucial element in explaining to voters decisions that have been made is to have the voting records of local councillors made as a matter of public record. I'm not sure how well known this is but there is no statutory requirement for councillors to record their votes. Conversely it is a matter of public record just how our MPs vote in Parliament (and indeed the EU Parliament as well) but there is apparently no such equivalent requirement for county councillors to demonstrate transparency to their electorates.

There is the option at county council for someone to publicly wish for their vote to be recorded in the minutes but crucially it is not compulsory - for most votes only the overall result is recorded. However, any councillor can ask for the way they voted to be added to the minutes. Similarly, if there's sufficient support among the councillors at a meeting, the votes of each member can be recorded.

As Oxfordshire County Council do not keep records of councillor voting records, not unreasonably due to the "deal" done, an enquiry was made via email to Lynda Atkins of which the following is an extract:

That in the interests of open, honest and transparent governance, you agreeing to the publication of your voting records is the only manner in which your electorates can have faith in your promises to hold the conservative minority administration to account.

After a delay in response and further promoting for a reply, Lynda Atkins eventually responded in a revealing manner (I publish her replies without permission in respect of her views of explaining decisions to the voters):

I prioritise emails and deal with non-urgent ones such as this when time allows, and am happy to take 3 or 4 days if that means I can focus on more urgent matters earlier.

The way in which County Council votes are taken is entirely different from that in Parliament, and recording who votes how is very cumbersome and time-consuming.  Yours is the only request I have ever come across (in 5 years on the County Council) for votes to be routinely recorded, so there does not seem to be a broad wish among residents for that to happen.  Given the problems of introducing a routine system of recording votes, I would not support it.

Intriguingly Atkins lets us know what she thinks are urgent issues as per the first paragraph, then makes assumptions on the "broad wishes" of residents (who actually may be unaware that votes are not recorded and would welcome them if informed that was the case), then with a flourish she decides that such a process would be "very cumbersome and time-consuming". Atkins presents no specific evidence of that of course and nor can she since she has no experience given Oxfordshire County Council do not implement such a system.

It's unacceptable that we have no public record of how councillors vote - using the excuse of cost to hide the workings of the council is simply arrogant, particularly in a public organisation with a budget of nearly £600 million. Ensuring transparency and accountability via voting records can be done relatively simply - for example recording such things in the minutes or by a method that the use of a piece of paper, pen and a pair of scissors cannot solve. The Ventnor Blog - Isle of Wight's local site - showed a possible low cost way in 2011:

We thought it would be helpful for you to know how your local councillor voted, so have built a system to let you know. We’ll endeavour to update it live as the votes are being taken.

Atkin's concerns therefore look suspiciously more like concealing her decision-making than a concern for public savings. Further reiterated by a subsequent email in response to one that pressed her on the above points:

All I can do is to repeat what I said previously, that you are the only person who has mentioned this as an issue.  I was not 'surprised' at your request, but I do believe that it is very, very much a minority view. 

Thus in the words of an "elected" councillor a moderate request for democracy becomes "very, very much a minority view".

Here we have a small number of councillors (three), holding the balance of power in Oxfordshire County Council who then refuse to let their electorates see just how they intend to support this failing council. Lynda Atkins' statement about “explaining decisions” is entirely worthless if she, and the rest, refuse to let the public know how they voted.

Anger And Apathy

Smile at us, pay us, pass us; but do not quite forget, 
For we are the people of England, that never has spoken yet. G.K. Chesterton

I attended the local election count yesterday as a UKIP candidate. Standing as a paper candidate I never expected to win and I didn't... coming 4th with 167 votes. However in my ward the Independent won against the long standing Tory incumbent with a victory of fewer than 100 votes. If the view is that UKIP take away Tory votes then it could be argued I cost him the seat, and overall Tory control of the Council, which they lost...by one seat. It's amazing what a paper candidate can do.

This was certainly his view; his taking defeat badly meant I was left in no doubt of his opinion. He apparently subsequently acted in a manner to fellow UKIP members that was described by one as "graceless and ill mannered", his actions clearly an embarrassment to his fellow Tory colleagues.

His behaviour gave me reason to be highly amused. He deserved it. In a safe ward, he took it for granted - I never once in 10 years seen him nor been canvassed by him prior to this election, unlike the independent candidate. Yet they were worried, deeply worried and had good reason to be, so in the last few weeks I've been canvassed twice, had copious leaflets pushed through my door, and even had the local Tory MP canvassing. In other nearby areas the Tories were literally busing party members in from other parts of the country to help. Illustrating beautifully what the threat of losing power does to concentrate the minds.

Thus UKIP has good reason to be cheerful this weekend, despite being labeled as "fruitcakes", "clowns" and "goodness knows what else" they are now being taken seriously as a political force. With that though will undoubtedly be more scrutiny particularly by an establishment, which UKIP is a challenge to, that consists of a largely hostile media.

Embarrassing behaviour (true or otherwise) of some elected UKIP councillors will be published in the coming weeks and months. It is inevitable in large part because UKIP has arrived at this position mainly by circumstance rather than competence. Its voter capacity is outstripping its ability to administer it effectively. I mean that as no slur on the many capable hard working members, but as a reflection of Nigel Farage's admission that UKIP has no structures in place - no due process - to vet candidates. For a party that wishes to run town and county councils, particularly budgets, that's not good enough.

Yet in many ways to scrutinise UKIP in this way is to miss the point - a common trait amongst the establishment. What is clear is, as Autonomous Mind argues, the public anger is deep. After all who are going to take lessons from an establishment who cover up for pedophiles, hack dead teenage mobile phone messages, steal taxpayer's money to build property portfolios and much more besides.

Instead the message is clear that voting mostly for a bunch of amateurs (and I include myself in that), led by a leader likes to be photographed getting inebriated is a better option than the current lot. It is also a warning of behalf of the biggest party in Britain - none of the above. As Richard North notes, the real message is the voters, via very low turnouts, are continuing to retreat from the political process altogether. UKIP therefore acts as a warning beacon albeit a flawed one.

The English have historically been slow to anger in terms of major public disobedience but when they do, look out.

Cameron et al are on notice...

Voting For Clowns

In the lead up to the local elections tomorrow we now have the alleged "right-wing" and "eurosceptic" Daily Mail belatedly joining the anti-UKIP campaign; prominently displaying on its website disparaging - now old - stories of the party. It illustrates yet again that if a referendum was called on our membership of the EU the Daily Mail would not be on our side.

Interestingly faced with the Ukip threat, the Tories particularly but by no means the only party, seem to believe that insulting the electorate is an effective way of garnishing votes. A tactic adopted by Gordon Brown to such dramatically successful conclusions.

Voting Ukip apparently is voting for clowns:

Senior Tories have issued increasingly fierce attacks on Ukip in recent days, including the Cabinet minister Ken Clarke, who branded the party a bunch of “clowns”. 

Cameron of course is trying to distance himself from such remarks while undoubtedly approving of them privately. But it begs the question though if the electorate is willing to vote for a bunch of clowns, as the Tories suggest, isn't it a rather damning indictment of the current lot?

The Streisand Effect (Part x)

Martha Payne - an articulate and intelligent 9 year old girl - has a blog (pictured above) which documents her views on her school dinners, with photos. Her blog clearly demonstrates an enthusiasm to try to improve an area she feels strongly about. Yet the local council - Argyll and Bute Council - feel different (Dave Payne's emphasis):

This morning in maths I got taken out of class by my head teacher and taken to her office. I was told that I could not take any more photos of my school dinners because of a headline in a newspaper today.

I only write my blog not newspapers and I am sad I am no longer allowed to take photos. I will miss sharing and rating my school dinners and I’ll miss seeing the dinners you send me too. I don’t think I will be able to finish raising enough money for a kitchen for Mary’s Meals either.

Goodbye,
VEG

Hi,
Veg’s Dad, Dave, here. I felt it’s important to add a few bits of info to the blog tonight. Martha’s school have been brilliant and supportive from the beginning and I’d like to thank them all. I contacted Argyll and Bute Council when Martha told me what happened at school today and they told me it was their decision to ban Martha’s photography.

It is a shame that a blog that today went through 2 million hits, which has inspired debates at home and abroad and raised nearly £2000 for charity is forced to end.

Dave Payne

One wonders who the hell the local council think they are? More so given that many of the reviews on the blog are actually rather positive. Needless to say the story has gone viral and despite initial and robust reluctance from the Council they have now backed down:

Argyll and Bute council performed the astonishing U-turn just hours after issuing a rambling, and defiant statment, defending its decision while attacking the nine year-old for her critical blog.

What an epitomising example of how local councils have fundamentally lost touch with those who they are suppose to serve. Rather than take on board fair and reasonable comments from a 'consumer', they resort to draconian banning -  in effect bullying a 9 year old girl has become fair game.

Thank god for the 'Streisand Effect'