Council keen on permanent Westgate scheme

It was confirmed by Kent County Council today (16th January) that the St Dunstan's and Westgate Towers environmental improvements and traffic management trial will continue for the full year and finish at the end of March. KCC also announced that the road layout will return to its previous configuration at the end of the trial.

The city council will – as it always planned to – assess all the information that has been collected during the 12 months, to take a view on the effectiveness of the scheme. Both councils will then work together, as agreed by the council leaders, to design and implement a permanent scheme later in the year.

Leader of Canterbury City Council, Cllr John Gilbey, said:

"It is fair to say the trial has divided the city and people on both sides of the argument raise many valid points in making their case. But I want to stress that it is our belief that the trial has been the right thing to do and that it should have been given more time for assessment. So we would have liked to have seen the layout remain as it is after March while all the data from the trial is analysed.

This would have been more cost effective and caused the least confusion for motorists, so in these respects today's news is disappointing. But at least with the trial continuing for the full year, we will have a complete set of data to analyse. We will then spend time assessing the results, including traffic flows, air quality monitoring and all the views we received during the public consultation.

We all know that Canterbury's traffic problems are complicated but we are committed to working with the county council to tackle these, lower pollution, ease traffic flows and find a permanent solution at the Westgate Towers and in St Dunstan's."

CCC 16 January 2013

Christmas message from the Pier Trust

Good News for the future of the Pier

Three trustees of the HB Pier Trust attended the executive meeting of Canterbury City Council last Thursday and although they arrived smarting from the negative vibes in the press about an ultimatum to "shape up or ship out", they were pleasantly surprised by the positive attitude of the councillors at the meeting. Anyone wanting to hear what actually happened and what was said can listen to the recording of the executive meeting on the CCC website.

Repairs to the Existing Pier

The first item on the agenda relating to the pier was what actions should be taken about the poor condition of the wood in the substructure - not the planks you see when you walk on the pier but the wooden joists underneath them. The Pier Trust and CCC had already discussed this problem and it was mutually agreed that the Trust is not in a position financially to tackle repairs on this scale. This was a major reason for the Pier Trust preferring the management of the pier to remain at present with the council. Until it has established the hut village as a regular source of income, it knows it is not ready to take on management of the pier.

The 4 options to fund the urgently needed repairs ranged from a 2 year patch-up to a major overhaul and the good news for Herne Bay and the Pier Trust is that the executive unanimously voted for the best option which will cost in the region of £200,000. It will be carried out in stages with minimal disruption to the short term plans to progress activities on the pier.

That Report!

Dawn Hudd, the Culture Officer’s report was the next item about the future of the pier and it also contained 4 options: close the pier, hand over management to the Pier Trust, CCC to retain management, or a combination of the latter two options. Both the CCC and Pier Trust favoured this recommended option 4 – that the CCC retain control including maintenance costs until the Pier Trust is in a sufficiently strong financial position to take over management. This, especially in the light of this year’s huge maintenance bill, is seen as the only realistic option for us this year.

The executive councillors expressed very supportive comments about the current Pier Trust. They wished us well with the plans we are submitting for a beach hut village up the leg of the pier. The executive viewed the pier as an integral part of the regeneration plans for Herne Bay. Mr John Gilbey, Leader of CCC, said he had attended our AGM and assured us that CCC did not want to stand in the way of any sustainable ideas and only wanted what was right for Herne Bay and the Pier. We three trustees thought the comments at the meeting fair and positive.

The Adventure Golf on the Platform

Last week, we met with Mr Cain to discuss his plans for a crowd-pulling tourist attraction on the tarmac of the platform. The Trust is happy to work together with Mr Cain and the beach hut village and the Smugglers’ Adventure Golf will be mutually beneficial this year both bringing in tourists and locals. There will still be full access for walkers to enjoy the walks on the pier. Mr Cain will be investing a large amount in the pier and hopes to attract over 5000 visitors to the pier in August. Maybe next winter we shall see the pier lit up with lights and a Christmas Market complete with Santa on the pier.

Looking forward to 2013

Thank you for all your support this year. Don’t believe all you read in the press – we have come to realise that a good story built on a few disconnected comments is often a priority for journalists – we are learning, with difficulty, to take it as modern media speak.

A special thank you goes to our volunteers who have been standing in the cold this month outside supermarkets meeting members, collecting subs, manning the office and the Santa’s grotto in the bandstand and doing so much to keep us going. Their help is much appreciated by us. Thank you.

The Office in the Pier Gallery on Central Parade is now up and running and we are in the process of sorting out the administrative problems that we have suffered in the last year. Hopefully 2013 will be a good year all round for the Trust.

We are moving the Wine and Wisdom date from the 4th of January to a later date as general opinion indicates that was too near Christmas. We shall email you the new date as soon as possible. The bands event specifically aimed at the younger audience will take place at the King’s Hall on Feb 9th and tickets will be available at £5 each in the New Year – we shall email you with details then.

If any Member wishes to stand themselves or wishes to nominate another Member to stand for the role of trustee next year we are looking specifically for members with expertise in the following areas : legal experience, promotional expertise, financial and fund-raising (big fund-raising!) expertise.

Lastly but by no means least come down to the Bandstand at the weekend and find out more about the 2013 on the Pier. We together with other community organisations will be there between 11:00am and 4:00pm. Santa will also be there so bring the kids or grandkids and they will receive a free gift. All we ask is that you bring a few tins of food as a donation to the parcels that will be given to the less fortunate at Christmas.

Happy Christmas

Doreen Stone & Joe Howes - Joint Chairmen

Deferral on Kingsmead land decision

Excellent news - Kingsmead has won a brief reprieve, thanks to the sheer number of written objections, and the huge support for the online petition.

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Discussion by Executive members of council proposals to appropriate land at Kingsmead for planning purposes has been deferred until the meeting on Thursday 21 June.

Originally the Executive was due to consider the plan at its meeting on 31st May.

However, the council received 246 comments during the appropriation public consultation, many of them containing detailed information. Therefore, the council has decided to defer a decision to allow for full analysis of all the issues raised. Council Leader Cllr John Gilbey said:

“This is an issue that has caused concern locally. We do not want to make a rushed decision and miss something important, so deferring for a meeting will mean we can give this full consideration.”

Additionally, the e-petition created on the council website by local people who oppose appropriation of the land has now passed 1,500 names. Reaching this figure automatically triggers a discussion at the council’s Overview Committee, and this has been scheduled for Wednesday 13 June.

The initiator of the petition will be allowed to ask a number of questions in advance, and the background to the issue and answers to the questions will be provided in a report that councillors will then discuss. Arrangements for this are being put in place at the moment.

CCC 28th May 2012

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Schoolchildren Orla Lineham Fox and Timmy Pettman took on the might of the city council in a battle to save their playing field. The pupils from St Stephen's Junior School stood in front of the Canterbury Area Members Panel on last Monday night at the city's Guildhall in a last-ditch bid to save Kingsmead Field from being used for housing. Orla, 10, told the meeting:

"It's not just for me and my friends but for all the people of the area who live and breathe better because there is a lovely empty green field nearby."

Timmy, 11, added:

"Often in the evenings, I go to the field and play football with my dad and brother. It's very easy to stay indoors and watch TV or play computer games. Please leave our field alone."

Labour councillor Alan Baldock (Northgate Ward) said:

"The passion of the campaigners is phenomenal. It shows they really care and have realised the council has been a little bit sneaky. They have inspired these two children to become involved in local politics. If we lose this space, how can we trust a judgment made in similar circumstances again?"

Liberal Democrat leader Councillor Alex Perkins Tweeted the following day:

"Very impressed by the two brilliant young people who so professionally addressed Canterbury Council last night."

At the stormy meeting, residents accused the council of not consulting them – but council chief executive Colin Carmichael said consultation was carried out in 2004 when a primary school was planned for the site. The plans fell through when Kent County Council pulled out of the scheme and the land was earmarked for housing instead. He insisted that the decision had already been made by the council's executive but the move had to be rubber-stamped at the end of this month.

Residents have organised an e-petition – which has already attracted 1,603 signatures – on the council's own website. The petition closes Friday 25th May but has already been signed by enough people to force a debate by the council's overview committee. The 16 city and county councillors voted unanimously to send the plans to the committee for debate, effectively delaying the scheme.

County councillor Graham Gibbens (Canterbury City North East) demanded a fresh consultation to include health and traffic implications after GP Dr David Pratt from St Stephen's warned that more houses would lead to more traffic pollution. 

Liberal Democrat councillor Ida Linfield challenged the council's decision to reclassify the area as "development land" when it was originally classed as recreational land under the Local Government Act. She said that selling the site to Berkeley Homes in 2006 could have breached the act and suggested that there could be a case for a judicial review.

Mr Carmichael said a report would be prepared for the overview committee on Wednesday, June 13. After the meeting campaigner Sian Pettman said:

"The resounding 'no' vote to residential development from Canterbury's own councillors will place a huge pressure on the executive to respond to public opinion and rethink plans for Kingsmead."

The council has been sent 246 letters of objection, a written petition of more than 650 signatures and the e-petition.

thisiskent 26th May 2012

Gilbey slams the gutless

But there's no hint who he might be talking about. Or what they've done.

At the recent Executive meeting, Canterbury Council Leader John Gilbey laid into someone or other. He was clearly disappointed that they weren't there to take their medicine - maybe their invitation didn't arrive in time.

OK, well I'm going to say something else now which I'd like recorded. I think it's quite clear that there are people who are quite prepared to go out to Twitter, they're prepared to email newspapers, they're prepared to cause unending sorts of trouble and worry to all sorts of residents by misrepresenting, and by having things out there that are simply not true, and they have no guts in not appearing here tonight to ask the questions.

Hear these words.

So what's actually happening here?

The Council as a whole is effectively a mechanism for rubber-stamping the decisions from the Executive. The Executive is chosen by the Leader. Thus the Precious Leader, Joniji-il Bi, enjoys a position of sweeping authority.

It would appear that someone displeased Jonji. He could have used Twitter to rebut their their arguments, or emailed the newspapers himself to put his side of the story. However, he has used (abused?) this public democratic forum to indulge in what is little more than posturing.

It's safe to assume that the rest of the Executive knew what, and who, he was talking about - he was grand-standing to a small and carefully chosen crowd. In my mind's eye, I can picture them nudging each other "Go on, Jonji, stick it to 'em... that's telling 'em". It may have played well to the Chosen Few, but it was a waste of breath.

If someone is "misrepresenting" an issue, the simplest and most effective remedy is to represent it accurately. If someone has displeased the Precious Leader, how are the rest of us to avoid repeating their error, unless we are told Who Did What?

Unless we know what is forbidden, we cannot be appropriately obedient or respectful.

Vickery-Jones showered with praise

Now here's a funny thing – at Canterbury City Council Executive on 29th March, the leader of the council, Cllr Gilbey, went out of his way to congratulate Cllr Vickery-Jones on his recent successes.

The first of these was the chaos that resulted from the re-routing of traffic around the Westgate Towers, which will probably soon be renamed the Vickery Victory Arch.

The second praiseworthy achievement was Cllr Vickery-Jones' masterful and diplomatic handling of Tesco's threatened invasion of Herne. John Gilbey gave a moving account of Cllr Vickery-Jones' single-handed triumph over the retail giant:

I would like to acknowledge the way you approached the issues that were affecting Herne village recently. It is, I think probably, an example of what a proper Ward councillor should be doing in those circumstances, which is quiet dialogue, which is talking, which is becoming aware, and in the end I think Herne probably got the result that it wanted, I'm sure in no small part to what you did there, so thanks for doing that.

Hear these words. (You can download the whole recording here, where it says Audio Version, the fun starts at 18:56)

I can't help feeling that history is being re-written...

Sep 22nd 2011: Cllr Vickery-Jones greets the news of Tesco's proposed purchase of the Red Lion at Herne thus:

Maybe they can buy the School Lane car park from the council and we can all enjoy some free parking. From the perspective of what a shop there would offer, it has to be good for the area. There isn't anywhere around there like it.

Sep 29th 2011: Local residents are unimpressed with his approach:

... the complete ignorance and stupidity of Herne councillor Peter Vickery-Jones. Has he ever visited Herne? Does he have eyes? Has he not seen the shop that is right next to the site and serves the community so very well?

I am also disgusted that a local Councillor is in favour of a Tesco Express, does he not realise what effect it would have on the area and local business, especially the shop next door and the pub opposite? He may be a councillor but he's out of touch with his local community.

Jan 12th 2012: An anti-Tesco rally fills the church at Herne, giving Cllr Vickery-Jones an opportunity to show how out of touch he is with popular feeling:

I didn’t expect so many people.

Jan 26th 2012: Tesco continue to ride rough-shod over local opinion, and the local councillor is unconvincing:

I did my best to persuade them that this is not an appropriate spot, but they are not convinced and say they have faced opposition, but over time it dries up and people start using the stores. Unfortunately I don't have any lawful way of stopping them.

Feb 3rd 2012: Tesco tries to buy its way round the problem - the parish council refuse the money, but City Cllr Vickery-Jones' hands are outstretched, in a defeated kind of way:

Peter Vickery-Jones said that, despite the parish council voting to reject any cash contributions from the supermarket as part of its planning application, the city council would be keen to use the money for a training and education project in Herne.

"Short of civil disobedience, there's nothing we can do about Tesco coming."

Mar 4th 2012: Ignoring the defeatism of their Ward councillor, the people of Herne mobilise en masse, and between 700 and 1,000 people march through Herne in protest.

Mar 9th 2012: Tesco shelve their plans, citing "highway contraints" - no mention of any "quiet dialogue" with Cllr Vickery-Jones prompting or influencing their decision. The Herne villagers earn themselves national news coverage.

It is often said that the Conservative party's not-very-secret weapon is unity. This seems to extend to unflinching loyalty to any of their number who stumble, and in this case giving them credit for anyone's success.

Cllr Gilbey lavished praise on his colleague, but said not a word about the efforts and achievement of the Herne villagers who Cllr Vickery-Jones should have been supporting and representing throughout.

Council refuses to back village green status bid

A campaign group will not have the backing of the council in its efforts to have The Downs in Herne Bay certified as a village green.

The Save Our Downs group has been urging the council to support the application, which if successful would mean that the area would be open to the public for free forever and that any development which takes place would have to be in the interests of the public.

A public inquiry is due to take place at the end of November to determine whether the 72-acre seafront area will be designated a village green. Kent County Council is the registration authority which will decide The Downs' fate, but Canterbury City Council owns the land and will not be backing village green status.

Members of the council's ruling executive met last Thursday and rejected the idea of turning The Downs into a village green. A report before them stated:

"If the land becomes a town/ village green then, whilst the inhabitants of Herne Bay may have special rights over it, the rights of the council and public in general are diminished. Herne Bay is a seaside resort. The council manages this land not only for the benefit of residents but also for the visitors the town seeks to attract. The interests of the two groups may often coincide, but sometimes they will not."

Peter Lee, the council's member for finance and the councillor for West Bay, spoke against village green status for The Downs. He said:

"It's important that this land is retained for the whole community. It's up to us to make sure that this area is available to the general public in perpetuity."

And council leader John Gilbey added:

"This application is wrong and should never have been put in the first place."

The week-long public inquiry into the village green application starts at St Andrew's Church Hall, Hampton Pier Avenue, on at 10am on Monday, November 28. It will continue at St Andrew's on Tuesday before moving to Christ Church in William Street for the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of that week.

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Phil Rose is the applicant for village green status and a founder member of Save Our Downs. He believes the reason for the Council's rejection of the application is largely financial.

Part-quoting the Council's report during his speech to the Executive on 13th October, he said:

"If the Downs get village green status the Council will be unable to 'lease the land, offer a concession, charge for use, and build on it'. Herne Bay residents have long suspected that this kind of asset-stripping was the real reason for the Council's objection."

Mr Rose added:

"Village green status has not and will not stop you doing coast defence work. It will not stop visitors from enjoying The Downs. Village green status is what residents and tax payers want."

HB Gazette 20th Oct 2011 aclaridge@thekmgroup.co.uk

Trust proposes economic vision for future of Herne Bay pier

It was the end of the pier show this week as wreckers finally moved in to start demolishing Herne Bay's Pier Pavilion. But the big question now is: what will replace it?

Members of the town's Pier Trust were given a glimpse into the future at its second annual meeting at Herne Bay Junior School. One of the few suggestions was a marina. Trust treasurer Jason Hollingsworth told the gathering of more than 100 members:

"The original pier, almost a mile long, was built to accommodate steamships. Any replacement must have an economic purpose and be able to provide a long-term revenue stream for the future. A deep water marina is one possibility, but everything is being considered and nothing has been ruled out."

But the marina idea held little water for businesswoman Carol Chance. The health and safety consultant admitted:

"I am a little disappointed, frankly. What's the vision? I'm astounded that there are still only 400 members of the Trust."

She rejected the idea of a marina saying the town could not accommodate larger yachts. Even city council leader John Gilbey admitted:

"Marinas are not famous for making money. And you only have to stand on the end of the current pier to see how shallow the water is. The pier trust is taking exactly the right, methodical approach for the future. We'll see what happens."

The meeting started with a slick video explaining the importance of the pier to the town. Regeneration of the pier is expected to come in two stages. The first will be finding things for the "pier stub" which will be left after the pavilion is knocked down. Heron Conservative councillor Joe Howes said:

"We could have dancing. The town is full of dance schools. We could also pitch a Big Top circus tent there with a Ferris wheel, helter-skelter and stage 'birdman' competitions. This could be a vintage, retro pier with a farmers' market."

The trust is still raising money to carry out another feasibility study and has £15,000 in the bank. Accountant Mr Hollingsworth stressed:

"We don't want to present a half-baked cake and then have it collapse!"

Trustee and original founder Andy Newell said:

"There are a range of funds available. We are hoping to get rent from the windfarm from the Crown Estates. There are EU regeneration funds available. But first we need a very clear business plan and that's what we're working on."

thisiskent 19th Sep 2011

Making allowances

Council leader John Gilbey once again tops the table for take-home pay among city councillors, new allowances figures show. Mr Gilbey, who represents Blean Forest, earned £32,382, more than half of which came from his special allowance of £21,361 as council boss. The Tory's expenses included £2,000 in mileage and £570 for his mobile phone.

Conservative vice chairman of the council's executive and Seasalter representative Jean Law was runner up with £17,235 – her basic allowance of £4,710 topped up by special responsibility allowances totalling £8,502.

Executive member Peter Vickery-Jones, who represents Herne and Broomfield, came next – his £13,093 including £5,505 in special responsibility allowances and £408 for his mobile phone.

Lib Dem leader Alex Perkins, who represents Wincheap, earned £12,378.23 including £6,611.78 for special responsibility, while former Labour leader Julia Seath, who did not stand in this year's elections but used to represent Harbour in Whitstable, claimed £6,134.

The figures were released by the council last week and broken down into basic allowance, special responsibility, travel and subsistence and PC allowance for the financial year to 31 March 2011.

HB Times 9th June 2011

John Gilbey

HBM

Final consultation for draft Local Plan

about 11 years ago

John Gilbey's blueprint for Herne Bay

about 11 years ago

John Gilbey got out of the wrong side of bed Part 2

about 11 years ago

John Gilbey got out of the wrong side of bed Part 1

about 11 years ago

Council gerrymandering: Oh no we won't! Oh yes they have.

about 11 years ago

Budget = Cuts

about 11 years ago

Council's priorities aren't secret - they're confidential!

about 11 years ago

Tories step back over new boundaries

about 11 years ago

Councillors to be cut by a quarter

about 11 years ago

Local Plan: brilliant letter reveals Gilbey's NIMBYism

about 12 years ago

Local Plan: Gilbey calls for logic not rhetoric

about 12 years ago

Local Plan: debate delayed by Council blunder

about 12 years ago

Local Plan - SNAFU

about 12 years ago

Local Plan: John says...

about 12 years ago

Local Plan: the vision for 2031

about 12 years ago

Local Plan: Target of 3,000 homes is "over-ambitious"

about 12 years ago

Local Plan: the role of Howe Barracks

about 12 years ago

Howes that! Army out. Is there a silver lining?

about 12 years ago

Gilbey crushes colleague, damages democracy

about 12 years ago

Pier Trust Rebuild Group put their case

about 12 years ago

Comprehensive Spending Review: reactions

HB Gazette 28th Oct 2010

Leader's fury at jobs cuts query

Politician calls for depopulation. World trembles.

The Lib Dems have accused you of being a climate change denier. Is that true?

It's not. And denier is an insult because of Holocaust deniers. As a geologist I know about ancient climates and where the atmosphere has been going for hundreds and thousands of years. Yes, there is an impact that man is having on the climate but there’s not much we can do about it, because we're looking at the symptom and not the cause, which is that there are too many people on the planet using up the natural resources. While people are trying to save trees, they aren’t looking at the population issue. Man is affecting the planet on such a scale because of sheer numbers, and that's what needs focusing on.

HB Times interview with Cllr Gilbey, 15th July 2010

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If you would like to find out more about the thoughtful elimination of the human race, and Cllr Gilbey isn't available, have a look at The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement. They advocate phasing out the human race by voluntarily ceasing to breed, arguing that "crowded conditions and resource shortages will improve as we become less dense".

Myself, I think that smarter actions, rather than fewer people, would be a better way of being "less dense".

Politician calls politician "political". Nation laughs, yawns.

You have ferocious exchanges with Lib Dem leader Alex Perkins. What do you think of him?

Alex is the opposite of me, in that he's totally political and everything he does is with an eye to the next election. I speak as I see and try to be honest, with the objective of getting things done, and Alex can be economical with the truth sometimes. On a personal level I have no problem with him, and I admire the fact he can talk the hind leg off a donkey and sound plausible. He has difficulties with his group, because they are all split and my group isn’t.

HB Times interview with Cllr Gilbey, 15th July 2010

High maintenance councillors pocket £386k

Expenses, expenses - dontcha just love them? No suggestion here of unseemly duck houses or whatnot, I believe this is all above-board, as-per-normal stuff. It all mounts up pretty quickly, far exceeding the projected savings from museum closures, for example. But it's the salaries that bug me. And Mr Parris has a point.

The price of democracy at Canterbury City Council is a third of a million pounds. Last year the 50 councillors cost us all £386,511 in allowances. Top of the pile was Tory council leader John Gilbey (Blean Forest) with £31,833, which included special responsibility money of £21,138, another £2,129 for his car and £431 in mobile phone charges.

Herne and Broomfield's Peter Vickery-Jones was the second-highest paid councillor with £13,576, including £5,883 for special responsibility £1,596 for his car and £437 for his mobile phone. Wincheap's Alex Perkins, leader of the Liberal Democrats, claimed £13,056, including £269 for his mobile phone and £675 for travel. Whitstable's Julia Seath, the Labour group leader, claimed £6,234.

The best value councillor was Tankerton's Martin Fisher; with just his basic allowance of £4,710. He is currently on bail facing child sex offence charges. Next cheapest was Herne Bay's Vince McMahan, with £4,802.92, including a £92.92 bill for his car. Seven councillors only claimed £4,890 (their basic allowance, plus £180 PC allowance): Mike Berridge; Robert Bright; Paul Carnell; Roger Matthews (recently cleared on corruption charges); Mike Steed; Heather Taylor and Martin Vye.

News of the allowances infuriated war veteran Albert Parris, 73, of Herne. The former Royal Marines Commando fumed:

"Our councillor Peter Vickery-Jones received £13,576, which is more than some of our soldiers get on the front line. It is outrageous. How can he justify that sort of money when we have injured soldiers denied proper artificial limbs? He even gets an allowance from the parish council."

Mr Parris was so incensed he has written to both Whitstable and Canterbury MP Julian Brazier, and the Prime Minister David Cameron. He said:

"It makes my blood boil when I have to beg, steal and borrow £370 to hire a coach to take our guys to Gable Cross police station to salute dead Marines coming back from the frontline. Councillors are making a laughing stock out of us with our money especially when everyone is having to make cuts."

Mr Vickery-Jones was not available for comment, but he is a member of the council's executive with responsibility for property and engineering, planning and regeneration, housing, community safety environmental services, community development and outdoor leisure, including beach huts. He also serves on the Herne Bay area members panel, and the housing appeals and benefits committee. He is a magistrate and member of the Canterbury and Herne Bay Volunteers Centre and Canterbury Mediation Service. The former Merchant Navy marine engineer lives in Herne Bay with his wife and their daughter; and is a governor of Herne Junior School. He has since re-trained as a plumber.

HB Times 17th June 2010

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It's a vexing question, whether the Elected should be paid, and if so - what for, and how much? Nobody's forcing them to be there, after all - they volunteered for a spell of selfless sacrifice for the common good. The Car, Travel, Mobile and PC categories are what I would regard as expenses. The fixed Basic allowance, plus the grand total of the various "Special Responsibilities" tariffs the councillor has chosen to take on, look to me like a salary by-any-other-name.

The Council probably has a small swarm of officers devoted to drawing up contracts. I would like to see them produce a contract that describes what the councillors must do for the Electorate before they can claim their salaries, let alone their expenses. One of our councillors moved to Surrey not so recently, his attendance dropped from 90-ish% to 20%, but his salary is an undiminished 100% - bonkers.

Tainted Mayor

One well-informed local fears the Mayorship may become sullied and diminished by politicisation. It's hard not to agree. I'm not thrilled at voting becoming a redundant sham, come to that...

The Precious Leader does seem to be rubbing people up the wrong way in his recent press statements. Fair comment from Mrs Berridge in her letter, though - the Lord Mayor is a figurehead, a ceremonial position, and emphatically civic and apolitical. The CCC website says:

The Lord Mayor is elected by the City Councillors at the Annual Council Meeting in May and becomes chairman of the Council, the most senior member of the civic office and the principal representative of the City and District on important occasions.

The word 'elected' does rather suggest to me the free exercise of choice by the eligible constituency, which doesn't seem to have been the case this time round. Jonji-il Bi has shown his willingness to fight tooth and nail at the drop of a hat, as evidenced by his 'absolutely disgraceful' outburst. I do hope he will fight to defend the Lord Mayorship from the taint of politics, otherwise who knows where we might end up - politically partial Council Officers? Heaven forbid!

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Don’t taint Lord Mayor with partisan politics

In the May 6th edition of your newspaper you report Cllr John Gilbey as saying that non-Conservative councillors had not supported the role of Lord Mayor and had failed to attend civic functions like the Lord Mayor’s Ball (Anger Over ‘Lack Of Consultation’ For Lord Mayor Choice, Gazette, May 6).

I take exception to that accusation. As the wife of a Lib Dem city councillor, I have worked this past civic year as a member of the Lady Mayoress’s charity fundraising team and have attended a number of civic occasions with or without my husband. Since my husband is councillor for the same ward as the current Lord Mayor, Cllr Harry Cragg, we made a special effort his year to attend the Lord Mayor’s Ball and brought a table of 12 people to the event.

We believed we were attending a civic, not a political, function that evening. It has often been stressed that the role of Lord Mayor is a neutral, non-political one. It seems that Cllr Gilbey wishes to taint a high civic office with the air of partisan politics, which can only be detrimental to the post.

Janet Berridge, Birch Road, Canterbury

HB Gazette letters 13th May 2010

Freedom from choice

Nice to be Mayor, to be Mayor, nice!The next Lord Mayor is a shoo-in. Of course. And not everybody's happy about it. Of course.

So, the Canterbury City Conservatives have "arranged" a smooth transition from one Lord Mayor to the next. Please don't be surprised or disappointed by the absence of consultation - it seems to be their style. They may have a grudging admiration for the Soviet era ballots with 99% turnout and 100% agreement. I expect the North Korean style of compulsory consistent consensus is an inspiration to our own Precious Leader, Jonji-il Bi. But when it comes down to it, is anyone bothered which councillors fill the roles of Lord Mayor and Sheriff? Wouldn't it be smarter to choose the most photogenic and media-savvy people from the district, regardless of whether they're councillors?

Anger over lack of consultation for Lord Mayor choice

Tory councillor Pat Todd has been nominated to take on the role of Lord Mayor for a second time. An email sent to all council members this week by leader Cllr John Gilbey stated that Cllr Todd is in line for the prestigious civic job, a post he previously held in 2006/7. Another Tory councillor, Northgate representative Sally Pickersgill, has also been nominated as the new Sheriff of Canterbury.

The pair are expected to be voted in by the Conservative-controlled council at its annual meeting at the Guildhall on May 12, replacing Cllrs Harry Cragg and Gabrielle Davis. But Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Alex Perkins is angry that opposition councillors have again been ‘frozen out’ of the selection process. He said:

"I’ve got nothing against Pat. He’s a good bloke who did a fine job last time he was Lord Mayor. But yet again we’ve not been consulted and instead had this presidential style announcement via email by the council leader. It’s very wrong because there are other councillors who would have liked to have been offered the opportunity."

Labour group leader Cllr Julia Seath said:

"There are only two Labour members on the council and as it happens neither of us are interested. Cllr Todd is a very likeable and capable councillor but he has done it before and it would have been nice to see perhaps a long-serving Liberal Democrat member have the chance. But I’m not surprised. How the Conservatives have handled it has become a bit par for the course with them."

Cllr Gilbey said the group had started the selection process some months ago because they did not want it to clash with the general election. He said that neither opposition groups had contacted him about any of their potential candidates and he accused them of not supporting the role of Lord Mayor by failing to attend civic functions like the Lord Mayor’s ball. He said:

"They very rarely turn up and it’s really poor because it’s about recognising the importance of the office of Lord Mayor as much as the individual. Pat was the only one in the group who was really keen and there is no precedent which says he can’t serve a second term. We know he is very capable and a safe pair of hands and that’s what the position needs because it carries significant responsibilities. We had three candidates for Sheriff from the group but the vote went to Cllr Pickersgill who I am sure will do a good job."

HB Gazette 6th May 2010

£20k down a small hole

Just to quickly refresh your memory, dear reader, we are living in times of budget cuts and belt-tightening. There has been widespread local coverage of Canterbury City Council slashing, cutting, trimming and salami slicing. In the expectation that their central funding will be reduced, CCC has been wielding the knife on all but the biggest projects.

It came as an unwelcome surprise to me that CCC was proposing to make a £20,000 "contribution to hospitality for the Open Golf Tournament at Sandwich". (For the benefit of our international readers, the town of Sandwich has its own Town Council, and falls within the realm of Dover District Council. In terms of the semi-feudal world of local government funding, it is completely separate from Canterbury City Council: only 12 miles from Canterbury, but it may as well be in France.)

The clearest explanation of the rationale behind the outlay that I've been able to find comes from the Council Leader, Cllr Gilbey:

The Leader said that the £20,000 contribution for The Open golf tournament in 2011 was not a grant and that it never had been. He indicated that, like the situation for the 2012 Olympics in London, the whole of the district would benefit from the event and that we would expect every hotel in the district to be fully booked. The Leader emphasised that the £20,000 was available, if required, for the council to take full advantage of the event. He pointed out that it would be used for things like promotions to make sure we achieved the maximum benefit for the businesses, homes and people of the District, as we did when The Open golf tournament last came to Kent.

Schmoozing in the posh seats, by the sounds of it. News of this £20k-worth of largesse has been widely met with incredulity and anger, and unsurprisingly it came up in the recent budget "debate" in the form of a don't-be-evil-be-good ambush from the LibDems:

It was proposed by Councillor A Perkins and seconded by Councillor Dixey that the council cancel the £20,000 contribution to the Open Golf at Sandwich and use that money to reinstate £20,000 of the funding withdrawn from Age Concern and Northgate Over 60’s. (Revenue neutral).

The foregoing amendment was declared LOST. I'm not particularly surprised, but I am thoroughly disgusted. As luck would have it, this was one of the shamefully rare occasions when the vote was actually recorded, so we (the paying punters) get to find out who did what:

For the amendment:
Councillors Berridge, Bright, Calvert-Mindell, Dixey, Dye, M Flaherty, R Flaherty, Flanagan, Hando, Linfield, MacCaul, Matthews, Parsons, A Perkins, Staley, Vickers, Vye and Wratten (18)

Against the amendment:
Councillors Anderson, Austin, Bissett, Davis, Doyle, Ellis, Fisher, Gilbey, Harrison, Mrs Law, Lee, McCabe, McMahan, Patterson, J Perkins, Pickersgill, Samper, Sharp, Sonnex, A Taylor, H Taylor, Thomas, Todd, Vickery-Jones and Windsor (25)

Abstained from voting:
Councillors Cragg and Reuby (2)

Absent from the meeting:
Councillors Carnell, Eden-Green, Parry, Seath and Steed (5)

You may want to ask any or all of those who voted against the motion why they did as they did, or you may want to share an opinion with them. Here's a who's who and where and how:

Anderson Conservative, North Nailbourne, john.anderson@canterbury.gov.uk
Austin Conservative, Sturry North, tony.austin@canterbury.gov.uk
Bissett Conservative, Herne and Broomfield, evelyn.bissett@canterbury.gov.uk
Davis Conservative, Reculver, gabrielle.davis@canterbury.gov.uk
Doyle Conservative, Chartham and Stone Street, rosemary.doyle@canterbury.gov.uk
Ellis Conservative, Northgate, darren.ellis@canterbury.gov.uk
Fisher Conservative, Tankerton, martin.fisher@canterbury.gov.uk
Gilbey Conservative, Blean Forest, john.gilbey@canterbury.gov.uk
Harrison Conservative, Tankerton, jeanne.harrison@canterbury.gov.uk
Mrs Law Conservative, Seasalter, jean.law@canterbury.gov.uk
Lee Conservative, West Bay, peter.lee@canterbury.gov.uk
McCabe Conservative, Blean Forest, hazel.mccabe@canterbury.gov.uk
McMahan Conservative, West Bay, vincent.mcmahan@canterbury.gov.uk
Patterson Conservative, Chartham and Stone Street, mike.patterson@canterbury.gov.uk
J Perkins Conservative, Gorrell, jackie.perkins@canterbury.gov.uk
Pickersgill Conservative, Northgate, sally.pickersgill@canterbury.gov.uk
Samper Conservative, Chestfield and Swalecliffe, jenny.samper@canterbury.gov.uk
Sharp Conservative, Seasalter, mike.sharp@canterbury.gov.uk
Sonnex Conservative, Herne and Broomfield, sharron.sonnex@canterbury.gov.uk
A Taylor Conservative, Reculver, ann.taylor@canterbury.gov.uk
H Taylor Conservative, Sturry South, heather.taylor@canterbury.gov.uk
Thomas Conservative, Chestfield and Swalecliffe, ian.thomas@canterbury.gov.uk
Todd Conservative, Chestfield and Swalecliffe, pat.todd@canterbury.gov.uk
Vickery-Jones Conservative, Herne and Broomfield, peter.vickeryjones@canterbury.gov.uk
Windsor Conservative, Seasalter, cyril.windsor@canterbury.gov.uk

Wall of silence

The council taxpayers of Herne Bay have just received a reassuring message from the city council. Apparently the town’s museum is not being closed after all - it just will not be open to members of the public! Talk about semantic gibberish!

As a concerned council taxpayer, I wrote to some 16 Conservative Canterbury city councillors in early December, expressing my opposition to the proposal to close the Herne Bay Museum as part of the 2010/11 budget cuts. I asked the councillors concerned to consider alternative methods of making the necessary savings and urged those representing the town to put the interests of the community before those of their political party.

Out of all those councillors contacted, only two - Ann Taylor and Peter Vickery-Jones - have had the decency to come back to me on this matter. The remaining 14 have not even deigned to acknowledge receipt of my correspondence! They might not agree with my sentiments concerning Herne Bay Museum, but surely common courtesy dictates some sort of response - if only to say that my comments would be given further consideration.

I am not a political animal and, accordingly have no particular party axe to grind. I deliberately targeted the Conservatives for the simple reason that they are currently the controlling party on the city council and, as such, form the executive which dictates policy. As a retired local government officer who served a number of local authorities in Kent for more then 30 years, I have never had a particularly high opinion of elected members in general. Some are hard-working and do have the best interests of their local community in mind, but many would appear to be there only for their own personal egos.

Their failure to reply to correspondence would only seem to indicate their complete unwillingness to discuss matters with concerned council taxpayers and has most certainly done nothing to enhance my opinion of them. For most people, pursuing a sporting interest, hobby or pastime costs money Councillors have chosen their particular pastime as being local politics. Why should other members of the community subsidise them in the pursuit of this chosen hobby?

Are the council taxpayers of Canterbury City Council getting value for money for the majority of their elected representatives? Council leader Cllr John Gilbey has been quoted in the local Press as being of the opinion that the number of elected members sitting on the Canterbury City Council is excessive and I, for one, fully agree.

An immediate reduction by say some 20 members (with the resultant reduction in associated allowances and expenses) would save council taxpayers somewhere between £100,000 and £150,000 per annum - a not inconsiderable amount and certainly much more than the projected annual savings on the whole of the city’s museum services budget.

I wrote to chief executive Colin Carmichael more than two weeks ago expressing my frustration at having received no response from city councillors. To date I have not received any response from him either on this matter! Have other readers encountered a similar wall of silence from Canterbury City Council?

John Fishpool, Herne Bay
HB Gazette letters, 4th Feb 2010

Gilbey in fighting mood

A retired teacher from Harrogate has joined the fight to save Herne Bay Museum. Linda O'Carroll has set up a special page on the web encyclopedia Wikipedia and has approached the National Lottery for how to get a grant. She said:

"Although I live in Harrogate I grew up in Herne Bay in the 1950s and 60s and regard it as my museum. I was shocked to read that the city council wants to close it. It is a slap in the face for all Herne Bay people."

The council wants to close the William Street building to the general public to save costs and has plans to open up the ground floor to take school parties by appointment. But Linda said:

"Lottery staff have told me the Museum is an extremely likely case and that if successful would get full funding for its needs over the next five years. That the application would cost the council nothing. The Sheriff of Canterbury (Cllr Gabrielle Davis) is researching this but the application must be submitted as soon as possible."

She has also uploaded edited highlights of the council Executive debate to Youtube. She said: "It is an eye-opener." It includes leader Cllr John Gilbey saying:

"You just wonder if they have got any interest in the issues other than the big ticket ones that get them in the paper. It's really disgraceful. It's absolutely disgraceful that they can't see what this council is doing. But we will fight that. We will fight it tooth and nail to show them what we are doing. No question. After what we have seen this evening you wonder if they have any interest in the big issue other than getting into the newspaper."

Cllr Gilbey said later he had not meant to cause offence or single out any one group of campaigners. The Tory leader said:

"What I said was not about Herne Bay. It was about all of the protestors, all the people in there. The moment it was over they got up and walked out and didn't stay for the capital budget which is all about the building projects and other work we are doing. All the good news was in the capital budget. Of course we get frustrated – we just wonder if they have any interest in anything beyond their own little campaign and any understanding about everything else we have to do."

From: thisiskent

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Gilbey wants to fight... What? Blindness? Any protestor?

Hmmm... I do get the impression that Cllr Gilbey would prefer some version of democracy that involved much less interference from the general public, who selfishly focus on what affects them. Hopefully he's pleased about the YouTube coverage giving us all an opportunity to see some of what the Council does. I agree whole-heartedly that it is "absolutely disgraceful that [we] can't see what [our] council is doing". The vast majority of votes are carried on a show of hands, with no record whatsoever of how each councillor has voted. I think that's disgraceful, but easily fixed: a simple electronic voting system would let us see very clearly what our councillors are doing.

The resolute defenders of the Museum have set up their own little Museum-o-Vision channel on YouTube here.

Herne Bay councillor charged with corruption

Canterbury city councillor Roger Matthews has been charged with corruption.  The 57-year-old, who represents Greenhill and Eddington ward in Herne Bay, has also been suspended from the Liberal Democrat Group following the shock news.  He is due to appear before magistrates on Thursday, March 26 alongside Herne Bay Golf Club owner Julian Brealy. Matthews said he plans to plead not guilty and will "have his day before judge and jury" at crown court.  

The father-of-two, who has lost his seat on the planning committee as a result of the charge, was arrested last July following an early-morning raid on his home in Beltinge Road.  Both Matthews and 50-year-old Brealy, who lives in Mandarin Lane, Herne Bay, were charged under the Public Bodies Corrupt Practices Act 1889, which relates to the acceptance of gifts and hospitality by councillors.  Speaking outside a council meeting just hours after leaving the police station on Tuesday, Matthews told of his "complete surprise" at being charged.  He said:

"I don't believe I've done anything wrong. I was honestly surprised to be charged and will clear my name in court. I will be pleading my innocence so the case will go to crown court where QCs and barristers will inevitably be involved. Unfortunately the people picking up the bill will be the state. The only people making money out of this are those in the legal profession."

Although not disclosing the exact allegation he faces, self-employed property manager Matthews confirmed it relates to his time on the planning committee. He said:

"I have never favoured anyone in a planning decision and never would. Some people may not be happy with some decision and that's when they start stirring the mud - and mud sticks. I'm not a dishonest man. I may bend at times, but I'm not dishonest. Loads of people have been interviewed by police, both councillors and former councillors. I haven't kept a low-profile . When you start sticking your head above the council parapet people start shooting at you. There are 15 or so members on the planning committee so I don't see how one man's vote or views can affect a decision. To the police I'm just a feather in their cap."

Matthews was elected as a councillor for Herne and Broomfield in 1995 and again in 1999. In 2003 he was elected to represent Greenhill and Eddington after Herne and Broomfield was split in two.  As a result of his suspension from the Liberal Democrat Group, Matthews has lost his seats on the planning, audit and overview and scrutiny committees.  They are due to be reallocated at a council meeting on Thursday, March 19.  Matthews can still represent his ward at full council and Herne Bay member's meetings, but only as an independent councillor.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Alex Perkins said:

"While Cllr Matthews can, if he wishes, remain a city councillor, henceforth he is not and cannot describe himself as a Liberal Democrat and no longer speaks for or represents the Liberal Democrats. He will now face a court to explain his actions and it would therefore be quite wrong for me to make any comment other than to reiterate that Roger has been suspended from the Liberal Democrat Group and from the party. I would urge everyone to remember that being charged with an offence is not the same as being found guilty of one."

Leader of the council Cllr John Gilbey said:

"It is most unfortunate that it has come to this. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. When I've seen Roger over the last few months he has seemed more and more confident, as if the whole thing had blown over or he knew something we didn't. It is my understanding that a lot of people were talked to by police but I wasn't personally interviewed. Roger is entitled to his day in court - and in this country we pride ourselves that anyone charged is innocent until proven guilty."

Brealy, the managing director of Hollamby Estates, Heron Helicopters and Herne Bay Golf Club, spent £1.5 million last year building lagoons to cut the risk of flooding in Herne Bay.  He will appear alongside Matthews at Maidstone Magistrates Court on March 26.  The Public Bodies Corrupt Practices Act 1889 states:

• The acceptance of gifts and/or hospitality by councillors and staff must be treated with extreme caution.
• On each occasion a judgement must be made between causing offence by refusal and risking improper conduct by acceptance.
• Gifts offered to a councillor or to staff should be declined if they know or suspect the giver has, or seeks business, with the council.

thisiskent 11th Mar 2009