Monday 10 October 2011

The Famous Five write a letter to Councillor Gordon


Barnet bloggers respond to Councillor Gordon’s defence of Barnet Council residents’ forums

Dear Councillor Gordon,

A letter was published last week in the Press group of newspapers from you concerning the Barnet Alliance for Public Services residents’ forum held on Tuesday 4th October.

We must correct a factual inaccuracy in your letter. The forum was not "private", it was open to all. All Barnet councillors were invited and would have been welcome to attend.

You state that Barnet Council’s own residents’ forums are not in any way hampered by the new rules governing them. Is this your opinion, we wonder, or have you asked the residents who attend? We think they would have a different view.

You state that the forums are "marred occasionally by the irresponsible actions of anti-council agitators". We ask you to withdraw this offensive remark. The undersigned have all attended numerous residents’ forums and have never witnessed an "anti-council agitator".

We have witnessed many local residents who disagree with the policies of the current administration, and we believe their comments are born out of deep concern for the direction of the Council and cannot be in any way construed as "anti-council".

We are also concerned by the description you give of the appropriate way to deal with residents and taxpayers. The phrase "with firm chairmanship, those individuals are fairly swiftly subdued" has highly oppressive overtones and clearly implies that residents are not welcome to express views at odds with the chair.

We would like to remind you, Cllr Gordon, that the forums exist for residents’ benefit, not for that of the chair.

We would also like to remind you of the circumstances in which you became chair, when it became necessary to instigate an investigation into the behaviour of the previous Conservative incumbent.

We remind you that Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, has praised the concerned citizens of Barnet for their efforts in exposing the shambles that your administration allowed to develop in the Council’s purchasing department.

We are pleased that you have drawn attention to the next set of Council residents’ forums. We look forward to the opportunity to discuss your comments with you and your colleagues at these events.

Yours,

Derek Dishman

John Dix

Vicki Morris

Theresa Musgrove

Roger Tichborne

2 comments:

baarnett said...

How's your 'Brian&BorisDo' ticket application going, Mrs A?

I see you may need to address the dowager Countess as Comtesse Jean-François Pineton de Chambrun.

Just thought you'd like to know that.

Mrs Angry said...

Mrs Angry is indisposed, and has put politics to one side, while she lies on the sofa feeling sorry for herself and reading a book about the brides in the bath murders: much more wholesome. Here is a tip for anyone foolish enough to marry & go on honeymoon: if your new husband rushes out to the shops & comes back with a cast iron bath & an appointment for you to make a will, run like hell.

I have consulted my Swivel eyed Trot's Guide to Social Etiquette, Chapter Three, Dining with Dowagers, and it appears that one may still insist on being addressd by a former title if this pleases any common, strutting GLA members easily impressed by vague connections to royalty.