Forum Topic

Is it time for the Community Goup to leave the coalition

Below is part of a message posted by Cllr Andrews on this website. It seems  that the staff at LBH are undermining the IG group. Is  this with the backing of the Tories?Would it be better for the group to withdraw support and push the Tories into trying to run the Council without a majority?"It is worth noting that Paul, myself and other members of the Community Group within the coalition are being very seriously undermined at the present by the Chief Executive and other chief officers at the London Borough of Hounslow and we are in the process of trying to set up a meeting with the Leader of the Council at which these matters can hopefully be resolved for once and for all.  In the meantime, please bear in mind that we are, institutionally and instinctively, on the side of the residents."

Neil Chippendale ● 5971d14 Comments

Myself, I couldn't possibly comment.  I try to keep out of politics. ; )

Stella Hawkins ● 5960d

Same applies.

Vanessa Smith ● 5960d

Did I say who was strong and who was weak?  Don't go jumping to conclusions now. ; )

Stella Hawkins ● 5960d

Only one problem with that - the Tories haven't got a conscience......................

Vanessa Smith ● 5961d

Yes it is time.  Coalitions never work. I speak from experience, there's always a stronger partner, or twin, if you like, and the strong one always takes over, either absorbing and subverting its sibling, or killing and eating it. Not meaning to scaremonger. This is just the stone truth. As I say, I've been there, both as the stronger and the weaker twin.  Strong one, get out for the sake of your conscience. Weak one, get out for the sake of your life.

Stella Hawkins ● 5961d

"Time for Gilks to go out to grass"Thats all he has been doing for the last few years!

Steve Taylor ● 5963d

Time for Gilks to go out to grass

Ian Speed ● 5963d

''And, as I've also said before, in 10 years of working in the public sector I can't say I personally encountered any Officers who were in any way deliberately obstructive to Members of one particular political party (and I would have noticed), but clearly it does happen (and it shouldn't).  '' @ Adam Beamish - Langstaff at Hounslow definitely was to Phil Andrews back when P was a single councillor . He ( Langstaff)  also spared a Labour member's daughter from a purge of all temps.

Ian Speed ● 5963d

"Maybe it’s about time that the Tory leader listens to public opinion and really leans on the Chief Executive Officer (Mark Gilks) to have a word with the officers under his control."Thats the problem. This Tory 'Leader' can't lead and he refuses to even talk to the community, let alone listen to public opinion. But thats the Tories  for you. Too far up their own A%*£s. Time for a strong leadership! 

Steve Taylor ● 5968d

As I've said before the issue of funding/revenue has to be at the forefront of local government thinking at the moment, e.g. the recently announced changes to NI contributions mean that Councils will now have to find money they hadn't budgeted for to cover the difference.To some extent therefore I can't help but think the 'residents-first' ideology of any Community Group/Residents Association is inevitably going to come a cropper when it comes to issues of finance/revenue - maybe therefore any 'conflict' is more, as Neil mooted, between the Tories and the ICG than between the ICG and Officers.Ironically enough the thing I miss most about working in the public sector is dealing with Members on a daily basis.  And, as I've also said before, in 10 years of working in the public sector I can't say I personally encountered any Officers who were in any way deliberately obstructive to Members of one particular political party (and I would have noticed), but clearly it does happen (and it shouldn't).  Equally, on occasion I was asked by Members to help out a specific resident etc. on the basis that "they are a major financial contributor to our party" which also shouldn't happen.Council officers don't usually post on these forums, CCF is the exception.  When I was a Council Officer I did initially, until I was subsequently 'banned' from doing so, a decision which in hindsight I totally agree with - whilst trying to be informative and helpful it is easy to lose professional perspective when posting on the internet and the public at large might struggle to distinguish between Joe Bloggs posting as the Council Officer and the same Joe Bloggs posting as a resident (CCF is very good at maintaining professional perspective).  So that's why you won't usually hear anything from Council Officers.

Adam Beamish ● 5969d

To my knowledge this is the first time he has named names.I cannot find where he has named names in his post

Ian Roberts ● 5970d

The allegation made by Councillor Andrews on a public forum is very serious.  To my knowledge this is the first time he has named names.  Maybe he is a hothead who fires off first without thinking carefully about what he is saying?  After all he is not a trained politician and doubtless lacks the acumen that the party representatives have.Presumably the Chief Executive will challenge this allegation and report it to the appropriate body.  If that happens there will, I imagine, have to be some kind of public scrutiny of the events that inspired him to make it so that appropriate measures can be taken against him if it proves to be unfounded.I can't think of any reason why the Chief Executive would want to remain silent on this.

Andrew Penty ● 5970d

Maybe it’s about time that the Tory leader listens to public opinion and really leans on the Chief Executive Officer (Mark Gilks) to have a word with the officers under his control.This subject has just proved to me what I have been thinking for years, it doesn’t matter what party gets elected to run the council for fours years, because it’s the Chief Executive and the officers who really run it.I have started to vote for a Councillor with a good track record for the work they do within their community rather than by party. Going with what I have observed so far, there are a few Tory councillors that won’t get my vote next time around     

Ian Roberts ● 5970d

Welcome to the real world, it was certainly not unknown for officers to try and thwart councillors if they didn't agree with the direction they wanted to take on some issues. I seem to remember that when I and some other councillors said we had not been kept informed of specific things going on locally that ICG members would poo-pooh this, but it was quite true.There are some officers who for some reason do not want to understand the line between members and officers and if they get a bee in their personal bonnet they can be a real pain in the a**e when you as a representatvie of the electorate are trying to get something resolved. I only wonder that this Chief Exec. has lasted as long as he has, and if he is not prepared to rein officers in then it is up to the Leader to sort it out in no uncertain terms, that's always supposing he wants to.

Vanessa Smith ● 5970d