Other stuff at Cabinet

As is always the case apart from at budget time, Cabinet is where all the interesting and important stuff is decided: though, of course, nothing is really decided there, it's just a run-through in public of decisions already made. It does, though, give the opposition parties the chance to air their views and hopefully get some publicity for ourselves and also for members of the public to address senior councillors and officers.

These opportunities were well illustrated at Tuesday's Cabinet.

First up on the agenda was a petition from residents of Albert Hill calling on the Council to do something to stop the opening of a residential half-way home for psychiatric patients in their street. Unfortunately, since under planning law there was no change of building use involved, the operators of this home did not have to apply for change of use planning permission so there were no grounds on which the Council could object to these plans.

Two women from the area addressed the Cabinet, a process which one of them admitted was daunting. Nevertheless, they both spoke eloquently and passionately - without notes - and argued their case extremely well. The Leader of the Council and Chief Executive both listened sympathetically and responded accordingly. In the end, though, to their obvious disappointment - "So you're not going to do anything to help us, then?" - the women had to accept that the Council was unable to help.

Cllr Nick Wallis tried to sooth their anger by suggesting that the Council might propose something next year as part of the Sustainable Communities Act process which would call for legislation to increase local authorities' rights to intervene in this sort of proposal. Unfortunately for the Labour Group, much of the women's anger was directed at their Labour ward councillors who, they said, had done nothing at all to support or help their residents.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of this particular case, I do believe it is unacceptable that the only recourse which local people have in a case like this is the gathering of a petition. There should be legislation which guarantees local people's rights to be consulted when changes like this are proposed in local communities.

The value of speaking in Cabinet for the opposition parties was well illustrated by the massive local press coverage my call for Cllr Williams to resign over the Pedestrian Heart scandal received.

During the meeting I also spoke about plans for the Council to make land available at Blackwell Meadows for Darlington College to build two new sports pitches to replace those which would be swallowed up by the new Central Park University buildings. I pointed out that the town was short of playing pitches and that more was needed than just a like-for-like replacement. I also asked that the Council use its best endeavours to ensure that the College's football pitches were made available for wider community use.

I also spoke in support of changes to the Council's cycling strategy which should finally see the completion of the cycle route running from the town centre right up to Harrowgate Hill. I welcomed the imminent completion of the John Street link, not least because it will make my rides up to North Road ward both safer and more enjoyable. I also welcomed the proposal to introduce forward stopping lines for cyclists at some junctions, though I pointed out that this should have been done already at the Greenbank Road/Woodland Road junction when that was re-designed last year. I asked that the Darlington Cycling Campiagn be consulted about which junctions should be selected for these improvements.

There was also discussion about the Food Festival, which I might blog about separately!

Leader rejects my resignation call

Darlington Borough Council's Cabinet met on Tuesday evening. As reported by Lauren Pyrah in the Echo yesterday, Councillor Williams rejected my call on him to resign in the face of the damning consultant solicitors' report into the Pedestrian Heart fiasco which was leaked to the press last week.

The Pedestrian Heart scheme went £780,000 over budget. Then the Council spent a further £40,000 on a secret report which told them they had no grounds to seek any compensation for this overspend.

The Council drew up a wholly inappropriate contract with Birse which meant the Council was responsible for 90% of any overspend and which gave Birse no incentive to work efficiently.

There is no trace of any contract ever having been agreed with Gillespies, the architects and project managers.

Most of the relevant paperwork was never kept or has conveniently disappeared.

Officers rejected advice from professional experts during the course of the project on several occasions. Anecdotal evidence is available that junior officers put pressure on the lead officer (now "retired" from the Council) to accept this advice, but were angrily sent packing.

The Council misled the public by claiming that the overspend was directly attributable to the discovery of a gas main running across the site: a claim that, disgracefully, was repeated again at Cabinet. The consultant's report says on this point: "The account which we have been given, principally by Gillespies, does not confirm the accuracy of the above assumption and suggests that in many respects the actual incident is a red herring of limited financial significance".

The Council then tried to keep the solicitors' report secret and away from public scrutiny.

So, a multi-million pound project using tax payers' money became a comedy of errors in which the Council was revealed to be an amateurish shambles.

Now, either senior councillors were unaware of what officers were up to, in which case why do they get paid so handsomely for ther extra responsibilities; or they were complicit in what officers were doing, or they were directing what officers were doing.

Whichever of these is the case, it is simply unacceptable that no political head has rolled. The Leader/Cabinet model allows for clear decision-making, but also for responsibility to be identified. There has been a catalogue of cock-ups over the past few years: The Pedestrian Heart, The Eastern Transport Corridor, Tesco, Hurworth School...the list goes on.

Yet no elected member has ever accepted responsibility for any of these fiascos. It's simply not good enough. On Tuesday night I accused senior councillors of having been in power for so long so that they believed that only they knew best. The arrogance of power had led directly to these mistakes and someone had to pay the price.

I called on John Williams to resign as Leader of the Council.

His response was, ''I will gladly resign as leader of this council when the majority of councillors in this council have no confidence in me. I don’t understand that to be the case." Sadly, this just shows how out of touch Labour Councillors are with the sentiments of the town's population.

Council spoil Food Festival

This is just the second year we have held a food festival in the town, but trust Darlington's Labour Council to cause considerable anger amongst the stall-holders and traders, who themselves paid very high prices for their stalls, by adding a £3 entry fee at the gate. Many people have simply turned away. Why pay £3 to just look at food stalls? And with cookery programmes on every channel every day, why would people want to pay this money to see a "celebrity" chef I haven't heard of make some food on a gas burner?





Last year it was fun, exciting and had a real buzz as people packed in. This year the bean counters have taken over and spoilt the show. Don't expect any criticism to appear in the Town Crier though. As usual the Council will lie about the number of stalls and the visitors, just as they do with their Continental and Speciality Markets where they routinely claim 300 stalls when actually there are less than 100.





What they don't realise is that people aren't fools. The good people of Darlington won't pay good money for something like this and they won't believe the Council's hype about it either.

Darlington Labour reject 10:10 appeal

Yesterday was Full Council. I spoke a few times, including one speech (see below) calling on the controlling Labour Group to sign up to the 10:10 commitment to reduce the Council's carbon footprint by 10% in 2010. I have signed as an individual, and I've also signed up my business. Optimistically, I actually had high hopes that Labour would support my call. The Labour Cabinet member for climate change, Cllr Nick Wallis, has himself signed up to 10:10 and, of course, Ed Miliband called on all Labour Councils to do so in a Conference speech earlier in the week.

However, it was not to be. Nick thought the Council already had an effective carbon-reduction programme, working with the Carbon Trust to reduce our carbon footprint by 11% by 2011. He felt that yet another initiative would muddy the water and confuse residents about just what we are trying to achieve.

I actually think that 10:10 is already becoming a major initiative which people will recognise and want to get on board with. Darlington may become one of the few Councils across the country not to sign up to it. What message will that give our residents?

I shall monitor the national situation over the next couple of months. If 10:10 gets as big as I think it might, Council may have a Lib Dem motion to vote on in November.

Here's what I said in Council:

"There is a new grassroots global political protest about global warming, known as 350.org. This number comes from the most recent research which shows that, above the level of 350 parts per million C02 in the atmosphere we can’t have a planet similar to the one on which civilisation developed or to which life on earth is adapted.

"Unfortunately we’re already past that point, at 390 parts per million C02, and this is rising by 2% annually. That’s why the Arctic is melting and why the world’s climate is changing in front of our eyes.

"That's why there is a new campaign in this country: the 10:10 commitment, where individuals, businesses and organisations make a commitment to reduce their carbon footprint by 10% during 2010. I have signed up to it, so has my business and so too has Cllr Wallis.

"Many Councils across the country have also signed up to 10:10, among them Hartlepool, Lewisham, Warwickshire, The Wirral, Southwark, Lambeth, Camden, Nottingham, Manchester, Oxford, Coventry and many, many others.

"At the Labour Party Conference this week, Ed Miliband issued a call for all Labour Councils to sign the 10:10 pledge.

"Can I ask Cllr Wallis whether he will carry out the necessary discussions with officers and colleagues with a view to bringing to a future meeting of this Council, or Cabinet, a motion which we can approve which commits this Council to sign up to the 10:10 pledge? Bearing in mind though, that this would not just mean supporting the principle of 10:10, it involves making a commitment to achieve that target."

Herbert Wolfe - Liberal Campaigner

Yesterday's Northern Echo carries a review by Chris Lloyd of the newly published autobiography of Harold Evans, widely regarded as the greatest of all British newspaper editors. By co-incidence, I had been discussing this very book with Michael Meadowcroft, the former Liberal MP, at Bournemouth earlier in the week.

Harold Evans edited the Northern Echo for four years. Perhaps he is best known during this period for his campaign to gain a posthumous pardon for Timothy Evans, wrongly hanged for the murder of his infant daughter. The real murderer was John Christie of 10 Rillington Place, the name given to the famous feature film which re-enacted his murderous career.

It was Herbert Wolfe, a Darlington industrialist, who brought the case of Timothy Evans to the attention of Harold Evans.

The case played a prominent part in the successful campaign to abolish capital punishment in this country and retains an iconic place in our legal history.

What Chris fails to mention, perhaps because it is of no real relevance to the story, is that Herbert Wolfe, as well as being a prominent Darlington industrialist, was an active member of the Liberal Party in the town. Liberalism in Darlington has a rich history, including several prominent members of the Pease family, such as Henry Pease a former MP for the South Durham constituency. Herbert Wolfe is still remembered as part of that tradition by the more senior members of the local party.

Bournemouth recalled

My personal best bits from this year's Conference:

Nick Clegg showing passion and commitment being interviewed by the wonderful Shami Chakrabarti at the Liberty fringe;

Menzies Campbell, relaxed and affable in conversation at the Independent fringe, gleefully suggesting that those who plotted against him didn't get the new leader they wanted;

Tim Farron, not just for his two platform appearances, but also his training event on campaigning in a non-target seat;

Phil Willis, the Lib Dems' answer to Peter Kay, at the Northern and Yorkshire Regions' Reception;

The weather, taking the roof down and driving out to Chesil Beach to enjoy some of it.

Cycle To Work Scheme

One of the better initiatives from the Government has been their Cycle To Work Scheme, which I have just signed my company up to. Basically, through a combination of VAT, Tax and National Insurance savings, any employee of a company or organisation which takes part in this scheme can get around 40% off the cost of a new bike and accessories. How cool is that?

The employer buys the bike and deducts the cost from their employee's wages over the course of a year; it's a "salary sacrifice" scheme. At the end of that time the bike passes to the employee for a nominal charge.

My company has joined Cyclescheme, which is run on behalf of independent bike shops. Darlington Borough Council is also signed up, but sadly they joined Halfords' version of the scheme, so employees (and councillors!) have to buy their bike through that particular national chain.

So, if you want a new bike and are a PAYE employee, contact your employer and see if they're on the scheme. If not, pester them until they do sign up. It doesn't cost them a penny and they get a fitter, healthier workforce. And you get a nice new bike!

The Guardian has promoted the scheme recently.

Interested in reading more about cycling to work? Here's a link to a good blog. And here's a book you can read online.

"Inspiring"? I don't think so.

While I was away at the Lib Dem Conference in Bournemouth, the new DCSF office building in Beaumont Street received planning permission. The DCSF says it is an "inspiring office". I really don't think so! From the artist's impression it looks like the worst example of a 1960s office block. In this respect it will sit nicely across the road from our town hall, reflecting the all the style and subtlety of that iconic building - none at all!

It looks like a rectangular box, with another rectangular box sticking out the front and little square boxes sticking out from the main facade. It's a huge disappointment.

I was a member of the Feethams Working Party, which worked on ideas for this part of town. More than once I said, as did others, that any offices built in this area should be on a human scale, and should incorporate all that is best in contemporary design. Sadly, this building meets neither of those criteria. It is large and ugly and adds nothing of style to the built environment.

Yes, it'll be good for the town centre to have nearly 500 staff working there and this area desperately needs redeveloping, but not with buildings like this.

Drive up to Newcastle and look at the wonderful modern architecture of the new Northumbria University buildings. Why can't our town have buildings like these?

The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment doesn't like the building. Even veteran Labour councillor David Lyonette says it's ugly and looks like a bunker. Just like our pedestrianised High Row, where all the style and individuality of the existing area was ripped out to be replaced with anonymous bland stonework, so here again the lack of vision of this Council is apparent. It should have sent this back to the DCSF with an instruction to come up with something that doesn't look like it's been made by a six year old out of Lego.

Local hero

As a keen, if aging, cyclist, my attention was drawn to an article in the Local Heroes section of this morning's Northern Echo. 69 year old Miff Anderson from Darlington Cycling Club has just completed a 600,000 kilometre ride in under 40 hours.

It seems he set off from Darlington at 6am and followed a circular route to return to Darlington at 2am having riden 400,000 miles. The Echo reports that, with another 200,000 miles to go he took three hours rest and set off on another ride, completing 600,000 kilometres in 36 hours 3 minutes.

After his mammoth ride, Miff said, "My legs were a tad tired". I should think they were, mate.

Now clearly there's some mistake: did he ride 600,000 kilometres or 600,000 miles in the time stated? Obviously 600,000 kilometres in 36 hours is nothing special...but 600,000 miles! Wow, I'll have some of what he's on.

Spin doctor for Darlington?

Even before Labour's NEC has decided whether the shortlist for the vacancy as Labour PPC for Darlington will be open or all-female, and some three months before local members are expected to get a vote on the matter, the Northern Echo reports today that it "understands that Roger Baker...will succeed Alan Milburn to defend the seat at the next General Election."

Apparently, Roger Baker, as well as being prepared to undertake a sex-change operation in the event of the NEC going for an all-female shortlist, lives in London, where he/she is the Labour Party's Head of Communications. It seems his (or her) mum lived in Darlington when she was a child. Well, my mum used to live in Wotton-under-Edge, but I know bugger all about the place!

Quite how the Echo learnt this is unclear. Maybe the good doctor (of spin) has started practicing his black arts already, on behalf of himself. But then again, a year ago the Echo ran a headline on its sports page that Reading's midfield supremo James Harper was about to sign for the Boro, yet he's still treating us to his exquisite sideways passes at the Madejski.

The first mention of Mr Baker appeared in the Echo editor's blog yesterday. It appears young Roger has said he would be interested in the job. Between then and this morning, Roger has apparently become a shoe-in. But there's many a slip twixt cup and lip.

And if true, what does it say about local democracy within the Labour Party? I think a decent quantity of Maldon Sea Salt (available from The Health Warehouse on Post House Wynd) is called for here.

One thing we do know is that fellow blogger Cllr Nick Wallis has ruled himself out of the race. Nick would have been a formidable campaigner and opponent, but may have lost votes due to his role as a Labour Cabinet member in the town for so long. I must say, though, after Six Jobs, I think a local candidate would be preferred by the local electorate. Go Jenny!

Postscript: Peter Barron's blog now says this story is an editing error and should have stated that Mr Baker was only intending to apply for the candidacy. This, of course, was obvious at the time, but, as well as prompting me back to blogging after a summer break, also, apparently, caused spluttering of Labour Party cornflakes in the town. One result of this will be to bury any hopes Mr Baker might have had of gaining the nomination.