Nuclear Free Hampstead Garden Suburb (Barnet Borough Liberal Democrats)

Barnet Borough Liberal Democrats <info@barnetlibdems.org.uk>

Nuclear Free Hampstead Garden Suburb

March 14, 2010 7:23 PM
By Cllr Jack Cohen in Hendon Times

Four evening council meetings last week; Monday I attended the Health and Safety JNCC. This is a meeting of the Unions and the Employers (us Councillors). This meeting is held behind closed doors so I cannot tell you what went on.

Tuesday saw the Monthly meeting of Finchley and Golders Green Area Planning sub Committee. I missed the February meeting when my colleague Cllr Monroe Palmer substituted for me. I do not know what went on there but Cllr Palmer told me he received rather a nasty late night phone call after the meeting from a disgruntled individual.

This current meeting was rather run of the mill. Although the agenda was light on applications it still ran to over 100 pages. The reports seemed to go into much more detail than normal, is this a new ploy to bore us into submission? This last remark is tongue in cheek (can't afford to be reported to the Standards Committee). The chairman absented himself for the first planning application. He declared an interest that was both personal and prejudicial. The Vice Chairman took over. The vote on this application was tied three all. The Vice Chairman announced she was giving her casting vote. Yes but which way? After some gentle encouragement she announced it was in favour of the application! The meeting went on until around 9pm. At least I have not had any late night phone calls.

The Finchley and Golders Green Residents' Forum on Wednesday evening was a different kettle of fish. I really do not how to describe the meeting.

The agenda papers were stapled together in a strange back to front upside down format. This I guess accounted for the Chairman announcing that we had reached the end of the agenda when in fact we had only got as far as page one.

Quite a few residents had turned up to raise issues which concerned them. The highlight was complaints from residents in Hampstead Garden Suburb about parking and general traffic dangers in Willifield Way. It appears that some parents are dropping off children at the nearby school with out any consideration for pedestrians, residents and other road users. These residents were angry in a Hampstead Garden Suburb way, so it was nearly an hour later before the Chairman called a halt.

Many ideas were put forward to sort out the problem; these included a rather strange suggestion that the suburb should become a nuclear free zone. It was not clear what had been achieved by the time the discussion ran its course but by that time the room was emptying fast.

On Thursday it was the Civic Awards Ceremony at the Town Hall. The Mayor presented awards to residents and to people who work in the Borough recognising their efforts and achievement. The Mayor was in top form, his question whether the Council had paid the bills for the refurbishment of the Town Hall drew a laugh.

It all set me thinking why we don't have an annual award for Councillors, a kind of Oscar ceremony. At the end of the municipal year. Perhaps this is best left to others in the blogosphere.