Forum Topic

Next Year's mayor/deputy mayor

As the Tories/ICG/Liberals, who constitute a majority on Hounslow Council, are nominating Andrew Morgan-Watts(senior)for Mayor and Caroline Andrews (Mrs) for Deputy Mayor, readers of this forum can consider that they are among the first to know who will be replacing this year's incumbents at the Council AGM on 22nd May.

John Connelly ● 6607d33 Comments

With the greatest of respect to all concerned the proposed appointment of a Lib Dem mayor by a Conservative/ICG administration is neither a masterstroke nor a sinister plot of any kind.I'm amazed that the simple keeping of an election promise could trigger such a sense of disbelief or suspicion.  I guess this must be a consequence of the good people of Hounslow having been ruled by the Dark Side for 35 years.

Phil Andrews ● 6605d

Masterstroke? - shum exagerration shurely, as Private Eye would say.

Vanessa Smith ● 6605d

Yes I remember that John, although I disagreed at the time - I do feel that in the light of some recent incumbents the position has become somewhat tarnished and undervalued. Many years ago whilst still at school we always had an annual Mayoral visit and got half day off, those were the days when the position carried great respect.

Vanessa Smith ● 6605d

see Alan Avoids the question AGAIN about the "Flat"

Simon Anderson ● 6605d

Many will have wondered who the next candidates for Mayor and Deputy Mayor would be...looking at the team the two were to be picked from.  The news on this thread is most heartening and most welcome. What a masterstroke!What an accolade..to be appointed to such a front line job!Far from abolishing the positions, the current Mayor Cllr Felicity Barwood seems to have had a very creditable year in office..working her socks off.  I'm actually proud of her!The number of visits she has made, the hundreds of people she has met has been most impressive.  She certainly works the room and makes a point of circulating around to meet allcomers.  By comparision, one recent Labour Mayor was an embarrassment in my view. And how could the Labour Party have voted some of these unsuitable people into this "Chairmanship of Council Meetings Office" in preference to to someone like Cllr Paul Lynch from Chiswick for example!So, good news in my book..and lets hope the pair get the majority vote.

Jim Lawes ● 6605d

QED.

Phil Andrews ● 6605d

Hi PhilIt is interesting to see how you are trying to avoid the issue, do you feel a litle uncomfortable discussing it?The MP's allowances were well rehearsed at the last general elections, the verdict of the electorate was clear Ann Keen was elected and you lost. I have no idea what the intentions were of the last Labour administration in relation to allowances, it is of no relevence now. You are now in charge with the Tories and will determine the level of allowances for the future. Can you tell us about any informal discussions on the issues you amy have had with your new partners or other political parties?

Alan Sheerins ● 6605d

AlanYes I can confirm that there have been no discussions between us and any other party or group, other than the one which Ruth attended.Now, about these other matters.  Are you going to confirm or deny that provision was made for councillor allowance increases by the last administration?Would you condemn a Labour council which increased its Executive payscales to the levels proposed by London Councils?And are you, finally, going to give us an explanation for, or even your views on, the £35k p.a. allowance which the Keens claim for a second home when their first one is only nine miles from their place of work?Please don't insult the intelligence of our forum users again by answering my question with more questions.  If you are going to continue avoiding the subject, please at least have the decency to do what you did last time and butt out completely.

Phil Andrews ● 6606d

"On the issue of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, you have obviously done a deal with the ICG/Tory coalition outside of the debating chamber, so much for your listening to the merits etc........"AlanI'm sorry but you are judging the rest of us by your own party's standards and, as you must know by now, we do not operate to your party's standards.Both the ICG and the Conservatives promised prior to the election that we would share the post of Mayor with other parties and groups and not make it the sole property of the ruling party/ies, and we have stuck with that.  I can understand why this does not compute with you, but we have a different mindset to yourselves.Only a member of New Labour would automatically presume that  an ICG/Conservative administration appointing a Lib Dem Mayor must inevitably be the product of some shady, behind-the-scenes deal.  You will get it in the end - our way is different.

Phil Andrews ● 6606d

Alan,I attended a meeting between the group leaders of the Council 2 or 3 months ago to discuss the issue of Cllr allowances but no decisions were made that evening.Perhaps you could confirm this with your Labour Colleague Cllr Cadbury? as she also attended so it was about as open and non secretive as you could get!!Now how about you confirming that Labour when in power actually budgeted for an increase for 2007-2008,or is this something you have also been left in the dark about?

Paul Fisher ● 6606d

Hi Phil and PaulYou will have to do better than that. I am not put off the scent so easily.You promised us an open and inclusive administration, can you please confirm if discussions have been held between the Tories and ICG (or LIb Dems)on the level of councillors allowances and what the outcome of those discussion was?

Alan Sheerins ● 6606d

Hi Phil and PaulYou will have to do better than that. I am not put off the scent so easily.You promised us an open and inclusive administration, can you please confirm if discussions have been held between the Tories and ICG (or LIb Dems)on the level of councillors allowances and what the outcome of those discussion was?

Alan Sheerins ● 6606d

Hi AndrewI cannot agree at all with you. You voted with them on all of the important stuff that the Toreis wanted to get through the Council. Most notable were the cuts to front line services. Youe wont easily be forgiven in Brentford for the loss of the Community Teacher. You even backed down on your first attempt to have environmental issues addressed. Bet you the Tories have done little on this since, i heard lots of promises from Barbara Reid, what has been achieved ot date?. On the issue of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, you have obviously done a deal with the ICG/Tory coalition outside of the debating chamber, so much for your listening to the merits etc........

Alan Sheerins ● 6606d

Hi AndrewI cannot agree at all with you. You voted with them on all of the important stuff that the Toreis wanted to get through the Council. Most notable were the cuts to front line services. Youe wont easily be forgiven in Brentford for the loss of the Community Teacher. You even backed down on your first attempt to have environmental issues addressed. Bet you the Tories have done little on this since, i heard lots of promises from Barbara Reid, what has been achieved ot date?. On the issue of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, you have obviously done a deal with the ICG/Tory coalition outside of the debating chamber, so much for your listening to the merits etc........

Alan Sheerins ● 6606d

Surely you didn't mean me John! I am flattered!

Account suspended ● 6606d

I don't recall that John although I'm happy to take your word for it.  I do remember you being Mayor.  FWIW you were one of the best we've had during my time at the council.I agree with you entirely about AMW.  For the benefit of others (including Alan, who with his political experience ought to know this already) the Deputy Mayor is chosen by the Mayor.  Caroline was not chosen by the Executive nor foisted upon Andrew in any way.  I was as suprised as anybody when he offered her the post, subject of course to him being elected by Borough Council. To save any unpleasantness a month after the event, does anybody know whether our nomination meets with the Keens' approval?

Phil Andrews ● 6606d

This is a bit of an add on, and slightly off topic - but excuse me, please (note, an ordinary 'please').You may remember in the previous forum discussions about MPs expenses that I was slightly perturbed about the stamp bill expended by one MP (not ours and not local) - well, did I read that this loophole is about to closed and that in advance of the closure MPs were reported to be stuffing the prepaid envelopes in items of their underwear, in order to (it was being suggested) purloin additional supplies?

Sarah Felstead ● 6606d

My posting was informative only. Those who remember the past will be aware that a number of Labour members, myself included, tried to abolish the position of Mayor to save around £20,000 (at the time). We were told that this was not possible.For what it's worth, I have no problem with Andrew being Mayor as he is now a long serving member with a good  record of attendance.

John Connelly ● 6606d

No, that was a time for disappearance if I recall correctly. However I was referring to the £35k p.a. claim for a second home, which Ann and her followers smirked and gloated about at the election count while her husband promised us an explanation which we still await.

Phil Andrews ● 6606d

Ah of course,the mystery case of Labour leaflets getting "mixed up" along with the HM Magazine delivery service if I recall?Did Alan ever explain that or was it one of the times when he disappeared for a while again till he thought the fuss had died down?

Paul Fisher ● 6606d

PhilWanna bet!

Account suspended ● 6606d

PaulIf Alan wishes to discuss allowances and expenses let's not be knocking it.  After all, he spent the whole of the 2005 general election campaign avoiding this very subject.

Phil Andrews ● 6606d

Alan,I honestly have no idea or not if Cllr allowances are to be increased in the Borough or not,though I do know that the last Labour administration budgeted for an increase for 2007-2008.Perhaps you would care to confirm this and explain?

Paul Fisher ● 6606d

AndrewNew Labour could of course nominate their own candidate for Mayor, as I've already suggested.They could also, of course, vote to approve Andrew Morgan-Watts as Mayor and then publicly call for his resignation a month later on the grounds that they had always thought him to be unsuitable.  But they wouldn't do anything so humiliatingly unprofessional and ridiculous as that, shurely?

Phil Andrews ● 6606d

Alan I find it hard to see how we could be accused of being "loyal".  Constructive we may be, but often also very critical.  What we will not be is mindlessly attacking.  We go into all the council debates, listen to the merits of arguments on all sides of the chamber - consider our party policies - and then vote, sometimes with the administration, sometimes with Labour and occassionally we sit on our hands when neither side seem to have a coherent approach.  On these occassions, wherever we have the resources, we put forward alternative proposals.A few examples of our constructive opposition:Hounslow Tories fail to move fast enough on Climate Changehttp://www.hounslowlibdems.org.uk/news/000247.htmlReform Locata Housing Lotteryhttp://www.hounslowlibdems.org.uk/news/000234.htmlAs for the Mayor, I am pleased to see the adminstration take the balanced approach followed by so many other boroughs where the Mayor does not have to come from the ruling party(s).  It is a real shame that this did not happen under the last administration.  I am sure both of this year's candidates will be great ambassadors for the whole council inside and outside the borough.Andrew

Andrew Dakers ● 6606d

AlanI'm afraid you are not making any sense my friend.  The current administration is a Conservative/ICG coalition.  It won't surprise too many people that the ICG should be loyal to such a coalition, surely?I guess what is bothering you is the fact that both the Conservatives and the ICG have been true to their pre-election promises to share the Mayoralty with other groups and parties rather than nominate solely from the ruling party as the control freaks of New Labour did for 35 years without cessation?  This despite the fact that the position of Mayor is supposed to be ceremonial and not political.  Will you be nominating a Labour candidate for the job?  Surely you'll not allow the good, if undeserving people of Hounslow to be denied the honour of being served by one of The Great Ones once again?I don't know what the situation is as regards councillor allowances, but users of this forum will be reassured by what would appear to be your promise that any increases, were they to happen, would be reversed by a future Labour administration.  Or do you adhere to the David Hughes view that only Labour councillors should receive an allowance?

Phil Andrews ● 6606d

Hi PhilYou have changed your tune a few times in the past, still with the lib dems waiting in the wings you can't afford to be disloyal to the Tories. What pay deal have you negotiated, will we see your allownces double, treble or go up by even more?

Alan Sheerins ● 6606d

"This is probably payback for the ICG and lib dems loyalty to the new coalition"AlanWhy should we not be loyal to the new coalition?  We are a part of it!Silly person.

Phil Andrews ● 6607d

What would you prefer to see, John?Someone nominated from the Independent Alliance perhaps?You know the selection was always "above board" when New Labour held power.

Account suspended ● 6607d

This is probably payback for the ICG and lib dems loyalty to the new coalition. I suspect that they will further reward themselves with massive increases in allowances, paid for by all of us.

Alan Sheerins ● 6607d

Great Choices they have my Vote!!

Simon Anderson ● 6607d

... hasn't it always worked this way?  in which case - is this a call for a different approach?  What is unfair or unreasonable about this particular approach?  What would you prefer to see, John?

Sarah Felstead ● 6607d

I'll try and contain my excitement.

Vanessa Smith ● 6607d