My thanks to Michael Child (www.thanetonline.blogspot.com) for a quick easy link to TDC's webcast of last Thursday's Council meeting.
It's pretty heavy going and I have had to stop this evening at 78 minutes in, but will look at the next hour tomorrow night. Two things struck me in the first 78 minutes.
Firstly, the amazing admission by The Chief Executive, that despite the £millions of Govt funded grants to TDC into areas of deprivation like Cliiftonville West, a Conservative run Council for the past 7 years has failed to improve the situation. Now forgive a simple chap like me for being confused but presumably a Labour Central Government has provided the funds and it was up to the Ezekielites to spend it wisely and effectively? So an admission of 'failure' by The Chief Ezecutive' is a damning indictment of the Ezekiel administration's failure in a key area of Margate.
Secondly, I was fascinated to follow a request (via an amendment) by Cllr Johnston, that the disabled facilities budget of £400,000 be ring fenced despite it having been reduced by £200,000 for the past year or so. Now, as Ind Cllr Tom King put so eloquently, in trying to get TDC in Full Council to support this idea of 'guarrantteeing' support to Thanet's disabled, the money is usually spent on a whole range of often small improvements that nevertheless make a massive difference to improve the struggle of disabled people in Thanet to live reasonable lives. (Compare an Independent Cllrs thinking with the Ezekielite Cllrs below.)
I found it obscene, yes OBSCENE, that Our Leader 'Mauwice', of two standard's raps and 'two hats' ignominy, together with Cllr Martin Wise, make a link to this funding with Asset Disposals. The proposition they made is quite simply that any opposition to Asset Disposals is thus opposition to funding 'disabled facilities spending' in Thanet.
So HOOTS, Dumpton Park 'Village Greeners' and WASPs, you will all be pleased to know that your arrogant Ezekielite Cllrs consider YOU are responsible for any shortage in funding for the disabled in Thanet; not them.
Why isn't asset disposal income linked to Cllr's Allowances, Cabinet 'Blackberries', subsidised car loans, pay-rises of 0% (actually nearer £15,000) for senior officers or to Council Offices Improvements? The argument is equally valid, is it not?
What is thoroughly disgusting, is that 'Ezekielite' Cllrs voted down this very sensible amendment and thus accepted the spurious and nasty assertions of their Leader, that opposition to Asset Disposals is 'de facto' hurting Thanet's disabled.
Did any Conservative Cllrs have a mind of their own on this issue and were they prepared to stand up against one of the nastiest slurs on TDC's electorate that has been perpetrated by this disgraced and self-confessed incompetent Ezekielite administration? Be warned, Ezekielite Cllrs, that there are many Conservatives around Thanet who will remember this in 2011. You were led by a disgraced Leader into a disgraceful position through 'the whip' on this amendment and should perhaps redeem yourselves by getting rid of your 'Leader' and the sooner the better.
19 comments:
what is shocking is that the officers led by the Ch Exec who are supposed to spend the money and improve things, and the only things that show improvements are the directors pay and the council offices, rather than the services supplied to the people of thanet.
Indeed the leader and the CE are now exposed and both should resign.
TDC should also come clean on using disabled money for their office windows!!
Perhaps one of the Labour Cllrs would like to come on to Strife and explain the window money!!!
A now ex Tory voter
This is utterly appalling! There is no way whatsoever that a Disabled Facilities Grant can be linked to asset disposal. The Grant should be ring fenced. It is there to enable people with disabilities to adapt their home to enable them to live and work.
How dare this council suggest that people with disabilities should carry the consequences of the budget deficit. TDC goes from bad to worse and has become a laughing stock. Do these people actually understand what they are voting on. Can they comprehend the consequences of what they do, or, only having one brain cell shared between them, make it all up as they go along. As long as their pockets keep being filled they couldn't care less about the rest of Thanet.
Wonderful broadcast to expose the petty party politics which plaque Thanet.
No comment from the "leader" on spending tax payer's money employing barristers to fight the same tax payers of HOOT.
Whilst installing better microphones a secret electronic voting button system should be installed also, to allow freedom of choice for ward councillors not party "sheep".
Expect "technical problems" which will prevent more of these exposing broadcasts taking place.
It seems integrity is sadly lacking in TDC did some of the rebels within the party not support Iris if not i am shocked and didnt realise how rotten the party had become! time for the usual rallying cry - more independant conservatives to think about standing for election next time around.
The story seems to change to suit Ezekiel's convenience, i thought by opposing asset disposal we were doing the population out of a new swimming pool now it is the disabled who are to suffer, how low can they sink?
Like you I watched some of this meeting and was concerned at the lack of debate from the Tory side. All 'whipped' to follow the party line?
The phrase 'paint drying'came to mind, I fear.
Re. the asset sell-off, didn't Dr. Moores try to tell us it was to balance the books but when he was challenged on this he never came back? The government said assets that were under-used could be offered to the community or done up and rented out.
Why, therefore, is Cllr. Ezekiel trying to link asset sell-off with the DDA when the two are not linked at all?
I seem to recall him accusing the Montefiore councillors of stopping Ramsgate getting a new pool by trying to keep the tennis courts in public ownership so it seems he's moved the goal posts or should that be tennis nets, again.
So much for the transparency their national party leader claims to want.
get a life what else do u expect a little coterie of officers swanning round the country doing bug all for thanet or the people of thanet,as long as the ch exec and directors gets their days away from the office, which nobody keeps a record of all is rosy in the pig pen
Surely spending money on a barrister fighting its own residents at a public enquiry is more likely where the money has gone. Has anyone found out under the FOI how much they spent? Several thousands I would guess.
Do not forget people with disabilities enjoy open spaces too.
TDC spent £1.2 million in the last financial year on disabled facilities grants, so the £400,000 is a political Red Herring
Were you frightened by an Ezekeil in the womb bertie? sounds like you are obsessed! get a life
My apologies for delay in putting postings up.
09:46, could I remind you that such is my schizophrenic nature that I use my 'nom de guerre'on Strife and therefore will edit your comment:
Anonymous said...
You conveniently ignore facts Bertie. Without asset sales there is no money for DFGs. Your socialist prediliction to borrow to cover shortfalls is what got us into this mess in the first place.
2 March 2010 09:46
So, 09:46, other Councils up and down the land, link what they spend on DFGs to whether they make any money on asset sales? I am perfectly aware of the necessity for wise spending and economies that might require cuts in services but I find it unacceptable that the disabled should suffer as a result of such a link made by TDC. Could you direct me to the Govt requirement that states this link. If I understood, South Thanet MP's item in IOTG last Friday, TDC has long made inaccurate, eccentric and specious reasons for its Asset sales; Northdown House being the prime example and Albion House now joining it as a travesty of interpretation of Govt Policy applied by a local authority. What beggars belief is that so many Conservative Cllrs go along with what their Leadership tells them when it is quite blatantly inaccurate.
Cllr. Ezekiel stated at the full council meeting that without the opposition's opposition to TDC selling off Northdown House, the council would be better off by
£2m. As it isn't theirs to sellanyawyraise £2m anyway, how can he say that? How can he say that would be the sale figure when virtually everything they've tried to sell-off hasn't even got a buyer?
The objections to the sell-off didn't just come from Labour councillors as I think he'll find the descendant of the donor, not a Labour member, was pretty active in raising awareness of what TDC planned.
Locals in Cllr. Ezkiel's own ward were irate at the proposal as many felt 'their' park was under threat from developers. There's no way many of them would call themselves Labour supporters, at least they weren't. Who's to say what revenge the good voters of Cliftonville East might do in the elections of 2011?
The more they get found out, the more desperate and insulting to the electorate they get.
They are low life.
Perhaps someone will explain where the £1.2m went and was it ring-fenced for the disabled? This is a government grant so from our national not local taxes. Is there a councillor around who will say where the money went?
Pleasurama was supposed to pay for Ramsgates new swimming pool as well....not!!! All we got was a lousy painted cliff.
TDC job adverts, can you lie to the public [yes] Can you deceive the public [yes] you have the job.
At the Council budget meeting Housing Cabinet Member Cllr Wiltshire seemed to be under the impression that part of the DFG funding had been spent on paying the gas and electricity bills!
I find it appalling that TDC have employed a barrister to fight residents trying to save the Montefiore tennis courts. This must be costing the council tax payers thousands of pounds!
I was horrified to see elderly residents being interrogated on the witness stand by the barrister about whether the fence, alongside the tennis courts, was ‘intact’ twenty years ago. The council argued that the fence had been stolen on a number of occasions but could not produce any records.
The land was purchased by Ramsgate Borough Council in 1948 to provide recreational facilities and was inherited by TDC in 1974, during Local Government reorganisation. With the re-establishment of Ramsgate Town Council it should now be returned to the people of Ramsgate.
Come on Cllr Ezekiel do the honourable thing before you resign and allow the residents to keep their tennis courts……………
Yes, I couldn't believe it when I saw Zita Wiltshire justifying the lack of spending on the disabled saying they'd needed the money to pay the utilities bills. Really? Is this how TDC conducts its housekeeping?
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