Mickey Mouse Council (Barnet Borough Liberal Democrats)

Mickey Mouse Council

September 12, 2009 9:26 PM
By Cllr Jack Cohen in Hendon Times

Tuesday's full Council meeting had very few people in the public gallery. At least this Mayor does not kick off proceedings by warning the "public" they will be thrown out if they make a noise. Perhaps the attitude of the previous incumbent has turned the public off.

But I do wonder how many of our residents knew there was a full Council meeting, or for that matter how many really cared. On the evidence of what went on I would not blame them.

The Full Council Meetings has in my view lost its appeal. I am beginning to wonder what purpose they serve, apart from fulfilling certain functions of the Local Government Act. As far as I could see no body from the press turned up to report proceedings.

The Conservatives have large majority so almost all votes are a foregone conclusion. So it was on Tuesday night. We in the Liberal Democrats did win a minor victory when the Conservatives supported an amendment from my colleague Cllr Monroe Palmer. Cllr Palmer was worried about local bus services, whilst welcoming improvements to the number 82 and C2 routes, he wanted the Council to press for a night bus service to Mill Hill, a through bus route to Stamford Hill and the reversal of a decision to remove the 102 bus from Golders Green Station. He also called for bus connection to Copthall Stadium.

My motion to video and broadcast Council Meetings was dismissed out of hand by the Conservatives. They argue it would be too expensive but as no one had yet don the costing how would they know? They failed to put up a real argument and quite frankly I believe they are not interested in engaging with residents. Well as I warned them the only report of the Council meeting will this blog!

So what else happened? The Mayor congratulated two Conservative Councillors on their recent engagements, not to each other I may add. He also was heard suggesting to two other Conservative Councillors that they may wish to meet in the Park. The former Mayor again took a side swipe at my Colleague Cllr Susette Palmer. He really does have a thing about Susette and her knitting. Other Liberal Democrat Councillors, Cllr MacDonald ,Cllr Casey and Cllr Susette Palmer all made excellent speeches!

The Conservatives used their majority to bulldoze a special responsibility allowance for one of their Cabinet members. (Perhaps this money could have gone some way to pay the cost of videoing Council meetings)

The previous evening I had attended the Business Management Overview and Scrutiny Sub Committee. This is the committee which quizzes Cabinet Members. To be more correct it is the opposition Councillors who do the quizzing. We have to submit questions in advance. As usual I submitted a number of questions. These were about the Council's Bank Deposits and about the Council's financial performance.

The Committee Chairman started off the meeting by telling us she had been watching cartoons all day. Why did Mickey Mouse come to mind? Perhaps that is why she cut me off from asking some really serious questions about the Icelandic Banks Deposits. Despite my sending my questions in advance it was acknowledged that the answers I had been given were not complete. Officers promised to provide me with further details.

No one from the public attended the meeting. This is in stark contrast to the media circus that descended on the Town Hall on Thursday. This was for a meeting of the Standards Sub Committee... I am sure I have no need to go into details of the case as it has been all over the press and on the TV.

What is my view on this episode? Well I prefer to draw inspiration from Khalil Gibran who in his book "The Prophet" says this: "And there are those who talk, and without knowledge or forethought reveal a truth which they themselves do not understand"

Barnet Borough Liberal Democrats