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Originally Posted by Graham Jones
The Unsion shop stewards are never out of Peter Britcliffes office and always support Tory policies within the Council. Howver they have gone to far as many members are discussing privately their utter discontent with this latest Unison-Tory blast. Some have mentioned withdrawing their membership and it looks like Unison regional branch may get involved in carpeting this maverick branch in Scaitcliffe House.
PANOPTICONS: Still not happy!
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I forgot to add, the two Unison branch secretaries jobs are within the Area Councils team, the department Labour proopsed withdrawing funding from to pay for the 24 wardens. There's no magic money, especially now we are so deep in debt. Wardens will be funded out of other budgets. As far as Area Councils are concerned Councillors can get off their backsides and run area councils themselves just like residents run resident associations themselves. And Councillors get expenses, residents dont.
The next Tory 'story' will be the above [it went out in the form of an A4 leaflet in Rishton last week]. Labour get rid of Area Councils. Its not true. We like area councils. We introduced the forerunner, Area Committees. Information the Tories dont want people to know. The Tories developed them much further and formulated them into the Council structure and gave them budgets, about £10,000 per year [plus support staff].
However we have divided their cost by the number of people who turn up and it is costing the ratepayer approximately £150 per person who comes through door. Therefore public money os not being spent well. So we will as above keep area forums but cut the budget putting responsibilty onto Councillors.
Area Councils are complicated things [in Hydnburn now] because many areas outside Hyndburn dont have them and the govt in poor areas is suggesting 'resident power' through a more robust, outcome orientated framework known as Neighbourhood Management.
Where residents run their area through a NM board and tackle THEIR problems.
However, if we dont watch it here in Hyndburn we will have 2 schemes running similarly with the same people and the same issues. So where NM exists we will merge the two for simplicity. This is in the poor areas where the govt wants robust action [led by residents - discribded as a 'bottom up' process based on 'residents know best about their area']. So watch out for Peter not telling the truth. Bare in mind as well the funding for NM boards is 30 times that of Area Councils. So we need to manage the two and increase resident participation whilst cutting bureacracy and cost.
News not in the press yet is the progresss of NM. I know I am speaking close to the knuckle. ELEVATE has given the Council £600,000 approx for 2 years NM in West Accrington. Without any paperpwork or authority that money was given to Eavesbrook HA who did as they thought fit. Nigel Rix ran the show convincing a confused Leader of the Council who didnt understand what it was all about. In manipulating things his way Rix disliked the Labour Party because we were scrutinizing his department, his tricks, and warning the public where possible of any negative outcomes.
**Nigel Rix resigned last year not long after being removed as a Director of Globe Enterprises [and others] with generous perks. A Labour Party motion [to downgrade officers on outside boards from voting members to advisors] that was supported by Peter Britcliffe and some confused Tory Councillors.
Typically in West Acc. not one resident was ever been involved in NM [a bottom up process!] or knows or has seen any evidence as to what the £600,000 has been spent or has improved. Not one outcome was agreed [so we dont know whats going on] by the Tory council when it handed over the money without ANY contract or agreement. Eavesbrook have emplyed several staff on good wages and refurbished one of their properties.
As it stands now the residents are up in arms at what appears a gross waste of public money as little or no improvement has occurred. Its a scandal.
The residents with the help of Jean Battle keep trying to set up a residents board to oversee it but it keeps getting knocked back either by officers or the malaise/various factional interests within the Council and Eavesbrook themselves. The sticking point is the constitution of the Board. Its no surprise when you realise the Area Councils [yes that dept Labour wants to cut funduing from] team are helping co-ordinate the makup of the NM Board. in conjunction with Eavesbrook who seemingly want to exclude local [opposition] Councillors on the basis of officers are party political free and professional. The most powerful party at HBC has been the Officer Party [with their own empire builders]. The Tories just want to keep Labour out of power so you have this grossly egotistical inefficient system.
Long battered residents in West Accrington WANT Councillors on because a favourite tactic of officers [RIX] was to drip feed residents selective information in order to control all decisions favourably and to prevent any criticisms or questioning of decision making by officers
Haveing opposition Labour Cuncillors there however unhealty, guards against b****t.
WA residents have always supported oppostion councillors for that reason [and Jean Battle is a very hard working supportive ward councillor], having opposition and county councillors around keeps them much better informed.
12 months on 60++ meetings later and we are still at position A. NM is in total chaos here in Hyndburn and Max Steinberg, Chief Exec of ELEVATE is as equal to blame as the local Tories. More public money down the drain.
On wednesday the residents had a private meeting I believe as to what to next there. In Peel & Barnfield we are setting up a board in advance of next years funding so its done right, free of any intervention by those who couldnt run a soup kitchen.