The snap General Election announced by Theresa May this week has led to a few surprises so far, but the biggest surprise is the fact that Andrew Dismore AM will not be the Labour Party candidate for Hendon.
Our former MP made the announcement today that he would not be running for personal reasons. Mr Dismore was an outstanding MP for Hendon between 1997 and 2010 and even his detractors will admit that he has always been a diligent and hard-working MP and since 2012, the Barnet & Camden member of the London Assembly, taking over from the widely hated Brian Coleman.
There are in my own opinion, many talented and able people in Barnet Labour who will now be in the running for the Labour Candidacy. Ammar Naqvi, Adam Langleben, Sian John and Arjun Mittra amongst many others. All will prove to be good candidates if chosen.
For myself however, I do think Andrew Dismore's departure increases Alasdair Hill's chances of actually being elected as the next Hendon MP. The Liberal Democrats have been the only party that have been consistently against the Brexit madness convulsing the political class. On the doorsteps we are hearing that the Hard Brexit being pushed by Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn is not what people in Hendon want.
One thing is for sure, this contest is wide open and Matthew Offord may well be spending more time at his luxury thatched cottage in deepest Berkshire before long...
Thursday, 20 April 2017
Wednesday, 5 April 2017
Barnet Conservatives protect Capita and Re: (Again)
I was at the Barnet council meeting tonight, where I got a taste of the sheer contempt the Barnet Conservatives have for the public.
Labour councillor Adam Langleben proposed a motion for an emergency council meeting to ask the council to set up a cross party review of Barnet Planning which has been failing the public for some time. Cllr Langleben specifically mentioned Barnet's incompetence over the proposed Milespit Hill cemetery extension that many believe is a Trojan horse for a Mausoleum or even Crematorium project on the site.
In theory this motion should have had cross party support but the Conservatives submitted an amendment to the motion that kicked the investigation to the existing scrutiny committee that has allowed Capita and Re: to literally get away with astonishing levels of incompetence over the last few years.
In reply Cllr Cornelius the Conservative leader of the council stated that Barnet planning's problems were nothing to do with incompetence but rather the leglislation they were working under. No mention whatsoever of what happened in Mill Hill at all.
In reply Cllr Langleben asked the Monitoring Officer to exclude members of the Hendon Conservative Association from the vote as one of the planning schemes under debate was the demolition of the White Bear pub in Hendon. Before the General Election the pub was bought out by a developer who was a staunch Conservative supporter who erected large billboards supporting the Conservative candidate Matthew Offord. In addition there was a question as to whether individual councillors who are members of Hendon Conservative Association had received donations from the same developer. I was sitting in the public gallery but could not hear a response from the Interim Monitoring Officer David Tatlow but the vote went ahead anyway with the Hendon Association councillors. The motions went to vote (all Mill Hill councillors voted for it) and of course the Conservative amendment was adopted and the original motion lost.
So no scrutiny and Capita remain protected. Next time you see our Mill Hill councillors please ask them why they are blocking real scrutiny of Barnet Planning.
Labour councillor Adam Langleben proposed a motion for an emergency council meeting to ask the council to set up a cross party review of Barnet Planning which has been failing the public for some time. Cllr Langleben specifically mentioned Barnet's incompetence over the proposed Milespit Hill cemetery extension that many believe is a Trojan horse for a Mausoleum or even Crematorium project on the site.
In theory this motion should have had cross party support but the Conservatives submitted an amendment to the motion that kicked the investigation to the existing scrutiny committee that has allowed Capita and Re: to literally get away with astonishing levels of incompetence over the last few years.
In reply Cllr Cornelius the Conservative leader of the council stated that Barnet planning's problems were nothing to do with incompetence but rather the leglislation they were working under. No mention whatsoever of what happened in Mill Hill at all.
In reply Cllr Langleben asked the Monitoring Officer to exclude members of the Hendon Conservative Association from the vote as one of the planning schemes under debate was the demolition of the White Bear pub in Hendon. Before the General Election the pub was bought out by a developer who was a staunch Conservative supporter who erected large billboards supporting the Conservative candidate Matthew Offord. In addition there was a question as to whether individual councillors who are members of Hendon Conservative Association had received donations from the same developer. I was sitting in the public gallery but could not hear a response from the Interim Monitoring Officer David Tatlow but the vote went ahead anyway with the Hendon Association councillors. The motions went to vote (all Mill Hill councillors voted for it) and of course the Conservative amendment was adopted and the original motion lost.
So no scrutiny and Capita remain protected. Next time you see our Mill Hill councillors please ask them why they are blocking real scrutiny of Barnet Planning.
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