A Night to Remember: One Barnet - the Captain refuses to go down with the ship

 

Mrs Angry is obliged to interrupt the public broadcasting of her Manchester conference memoirs with a sad announcement.

Mr Nick Walkley, the Chief Executive of the London Borough of Broken Barnet, is leaving his post in order to become the CEO of (tee hee) Haringey Council.

As he told staff this evening:

I am writing to let you all know that earlier today I was offered the role of Chief Executive with Haringey Council and that I have accepted the post.

This is obviously a hugely challenging role and one I felt unable to turn down. There is still a formal appointment process to be completed but I feel it is important at that I inform you all personally.

I will send out details of transition arrangements, which are likely to take some months, as soon as I am able.

Nick

As the news spread throughout the corridors of North London Business Park, staff were openly weeping at their desks, inconsolable at the thought of losing the man who has done so much to facilitate the introduction of the One Barnet programme, and wishing him well in his new career, especially those who are contemplating the end of their own careers in Barnet, and the loss of their livelihoods as a consequence of the impending outsourcing which he has done so much to promote.

Mmm.

Mrs Angry understands that Tory leader Richard Cornelius has written to his colleagues to inform them of Walkley's resignation in terms that perhaps do not entirely reflect the sense of tragic loss that one might hope to hear. 

In fact, this move is hugely significant. 

Why now, at this crucial stage in the £1 billion One Barnet procurement process?

Is it because the job he set out to do, to introduce this massive outsourcing of services to the private sector, is finished? 

Has the Tory administration had a falling out with their CEO?

Has the Tory administration decided to take this council in a new direction?

Has the enormous focus of publicity engendered by, well all of us who oppose the prostitution of our public services to the private sector, and the huge unpopularity of the current Tory administration, required the sacrifice of a CEO?

Is he just fed up with Barnet? Understandable.

But surely only someone with a deathwish, or someone whoperversely enjoys the prospect of an impossible challenge, would willingly take on the role of Chief Executive of Haringey Council?

He says this new role is 'one I felt unable to turn down'. Yes: that may well be true, for all sorts of reasons.

Mrs Angry notes that the composition of Haringey Council is:

• Labour – 34 councillors
• Liberal Democrats – 21 councillors
• Independent - 2 councillors

Can you spot the missing party?

Poor Mr Walkey: clearly had enough of Tory councils.

Who could blame him?

We look forward to Haringey's new model of local government, due in about, oh three years time, one would imagine.

And what now for Barnet?

Most amusingly, in today's Barnet Press story an unnamed 'senior Tory councillor' declared:

 “He was never really the right man for Barnet. In a way he came from a left wing point of  view. I think it is a little bit disloyal for him actually to leave at such a time.”

Too left wing for our Tory councillors! Oh dear. Of course Attila the Hun would have been seen as a dangerously wet liberal by certain of our 'senior' Tories. 

So: job vacancy for Barnet CEO. Tempting. One of the best CEO rates of pay in the country. Plenty of opportunities to engage with the private sector. Would suit outsourcing enthusiast. Hmm. Wonder what Andrea Hill's doing these days?

Been a lot of hits from worried bidders on the blog today, for some reason: Capita, BT, etc, and legal advisers Trowers & Hamlin.

And of course here is the most important question of all:

What happens now, with One Barnet?

Is there anyone left in this borough who has any faith at all in what is undoubtedly going to be the biggest disaster in the history of local authority procurement? 

With Walkley's departure, yes, we have the Captain deserting the sinking ship - but the iceberg is still right ahead. 

Can we change course in time? 

 *Update:

Mrs Angry has been contacted by an outsourcing expert contact expressing the interesting opinion that, and she quotes: 'One Barnet is toast' ...

Whether our Tory councillors realise this yet, is another matter.

You may recall the case of Suffolk County Council, and the fate of their CEO Ms Andrea Hill, a friend of Nick Walkley. 

The highly controversial outsourcing enthusiast Hill left Suffolk in a dramatic departure shortly before the implosion of their own massive privatisation plans, as the Tory administration began to panic at the impact of the hugely unpopular issue on their electoral prospects. 

Bearing in mind the added factor here in Broken Barnet of the chaos caused by the Joint Venture cock up, well ... what will happen next?

Barnet bloggers: now sack Brian Coleman from the Cabinet

Barnet bloggers' open letter to council leader Richard Cornelius:

*Updated Tuesday 6pm - with open letter to Cornelius from the Labour leader, Alison Moore - see below:

For the sake of Barnet, Sack Brian Coleman!

Dear Councillor Cornelius,

The people of Barnet have spoken.

The London Assembly result on 3 May was a resounding rejection of the policies of your administration and of a prominent member of your leadership team.

As you were not leader at the time of the 2010 election, and most of your unpopular polices were not part of the manifesto, we ask you to consider the following proposals, with a view to changing the course of your administration.

1. Dismiss Brian Coleman from your Cabinet. Mr Coleman was decisively rejected by Barnet voters in the London Assembly election and to allow him to continue in post is an insult.

2. Reopen Friern Barnet Library immediately. This well-supported community asset cannot be replaced successfully at the Artsdepot.

3. With local traders, campaigns and stakeholders, create a parking regime that will enhance the environment and restore the fortunes of Barnet’s high streets. Parking charges should manage traffic, not rake in cash. No more hikes in parking charges; reduce charges as necessary, including in CPZs.

4. Cut the rate paid to all freelance consultants employed by Barnet by 25%. Large city firms including JP Morgan and Lloyds TSB have instituted such a policy in response to the harsh economic times. Any consultant not prepared to take a cut would be terminated as per contract terms.

5. Cut the pay of all Barnet Council staff earning more than £150,000 p.a. by 20% and staff on £100,000 - £150,000 p.a. by 10%. The savings in 4. and 5. would generate far more than the sum lost through the parking changes above.

6. Immediately halt the One Barnet outsourcing programme. Dismiss all consultants engaged on the programme.

7. Invite the council trade unions to identify savings and efficiencies within Barnet Council, at the same time protecting services, jobs, and pay and conditions. This exercise should also be opened up to Councillors and members of the public.

8. Invite members of the public to form an oversight panel, to scrutinise contracts and accounts with suppliers. Give the panel access to all council contract information, subject to signing of confidentiality agreements. The panel would report directly to the chair of the audit committee.

9. Cut all councillor allowances by 10%, to show that we really are “all in this together”, and review the excessive allowances paid to Cabinet members and Committee chairs. Learn the lessons of the upset caused to voters by the "Allowancegate" scandal.

10. Stop harassing members of the public involved in protests against discredited council policies. Work with residents, not against them, to improve Barnet. Embrace democracy!

In the year of the 100th anniversary of the Titanic, we ask: do you want to be the political equivalent of the captain who hit the iceberg?

Barnet Council has had two years of unremitting bad press as a result of policies that were not declared to the public during the 2010 election. Now the people have spoken, and we the undersigned believe that you have no choice but to listen and to change course.

Signed:
Derek Dishman
John Dix
Vicki Morris
Theresa Musgrove
Roger Tichborne

*Update Tuesday 6pm:

Mrs Angry has just received a copy of this open letter to Richard Cornelius, from Alison Moore, Leader of Barnet Labour Group, prefaced with this statement:

Cllr Alison Moore said:

“The Barnet and Camden result was such an overwhelming rejection of Cllr Coleman’s policies that his position as Cabinet Member for Environment is now totally untenable. I have written to the Leader of the Council making it clear that a rethink of parking, road safety and other key environment policies is now required – and this cannot take place with Cllr Coleman in the role.”

Open letter to Leader of the Council, Cllr Richard Cornelius, from Cllr Alison Moore:

Dear Richard,

Last week’s result for the London Assembly seat of Barnet and Camden was as much a clear and overwhelming rejection by local people of environment policies being implemented in Barnet – particularly around parking and road safety – as it was a rejection of London-wide policies pursued by the former Assembly Member. We now have a situation where at least six separate and independent community groups are mounting grass roots resident-led campaigns against Barnet’s environment policies – North Finchley Traders, East Barnet residents, the Walksafe N2 Campaign, Barnet Alliance for Public Services, the CPZ Action Group and the Pinkham Way Alliance for example.

Given the strength of feeling displayed by local residents, I believe that the time has come for a complete rethink of council environment policy – particularly on parking, parks, road safety, waste and re-cycling and the sell-off of services like Cemeteries and Crematoria - and it seems to me that this simply cannot be done with the current Cabinet Member in the role.

I strongly believe that new political leadership in environmental services is required and would urge you to consider a change in direction as follows:

1. Parking: Bring forward the parking review that has been promised, to report to committee with options before the summer, rather than in September as originally proposed. The review should include options to reverse last year’s parking charge increases, more flexible methods of payment for parking in car parks and town centres, including cash and credit / smart card payment and scrapping of the proposed introduction of car park charges in the 7 remaining free car parks in the Borough. In addition it is imperative that the council work with local traders to ensure that our town centres remain vibrant (and that their economic footprint expands rather than contracts in this difficult economic climate) rather than damaging their viability with punitive parking charges.

2. Parks: Scrap the proposal for developing the private hire of parks that is so unpopular with local residents.

3. Road Safety: Stop the current review looking at removing traffic lights to increase traffic flows, and develop a proper programme for road safety across the borough working in partnership with residents and consulting them on any proposals.

4. Waste and re-cycling: Implement the options to increase re-cycling and reduce waste going to landfill as early as possible. Implement incentive schemes that will help boost re-cycling and reduce household waste. Find a better location for the waste treatment plant currently proposed at Pinkham Way that will allow bulk transport by canal and rail, for example the Industrial Estate in Upper Lea Valley.

5. Cemeteries and Crematoria: The officer report on Cemeteries and Crematoria states that the option presenting the most value for money is to keep this service in-house, yet Cabinet are now recommending that this be privatised. Cems and Crems should be kept in-house, and the millions of pounds in income they generate should not be shared with the private sector – it should be re-invested in local public services.

This is not an exhaustive list of reforms that are needed, but it is a start in the right direction towards rebuilding trust with local people.


Yours sincerely,

Alison

Cllr Alison Moore

Leader of the Labour Group and of the Opposition