NORTH LINCS COUNCIL STAFF THREATENED WITH DISMISSAL IF THEY DON’T ACCEPT CHANGES.

An ‘open letter’ dated 21st May has been sent out to all North Lincolnshire Council employees from the Authority’s Chief Executive.

Staff have been informed that they must accept reductions in their ‘casual and essential user mileage’ to meet the Conservative Group’s budget proposals.

The letter claims to have listened, recognising that many staff need to use their own cars while carrying out their daily work.

If Council staff accept the changes they are given guarantees that there will be no further changes until 2014, if not they will be dismissed and re-engaged with a new contract of employment including the new terms and conditions.

Now whether you agree with these proposals or not, are these really the actions of a good employer and is this the correct way to treat employees ?

DARBY GLASS SITE – UPDATE

I have been asked by a number of residents for updates on the former Darby Glass site in Bottesford.

The present situation is that approval has been given for the demolition of all buildings on the site, although perhaps this ‘approval’ may not have been needed.

At the time of writing and to the best of knowledge there are no detailed planning applications for residential development in the system but I will post on this blog the moment that that changes.

BOTTESFORD POLICE SURGERY

As part of Humberside Police’s commitment to community policing, the Bottesford Policing Team will be holding a surgery this coming Saturday (26th May).

The surgery is open to any local resident who may have a concern or issue and will be open between 10.30.a.m. and 12 noon at Bottesford Library at the corner of Cambridge Avenue and Audern Road.

No appointment is needed and any resident will be welcome.

A TALE OF TWO NORTH LINCOLNSHIRES

The official list of those receiving Jubilee Grant Aid in celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee has been made public.

The big question of course is where did the money go and surely it would have been distributed equitably throughout North Lincolnshire.

How wrong could anyone be but then again we are dealing with North Lincolnshire’s Conservatives.

Of the £20,000 allocated just £1,070 is being given to North Lincolnshire’s largest population base in Scunthorpe with the remainder going to the Tory represented rural areas.

I don’t suppose this unfair distribution comes as any shock to most of us, it’s all part of the every day life we’ve come to expect under the present regime.

COUNCIL COMMITTEE SET UP TO PUSH THROUGH THE PRIVATISATION OF LEISURE AND YOUTH SERVICE.

As I’ve informed you in previous blogs, the privatisation of North Lincolnshire Council’s Leisure Services and Youth Services was on the cards, that has now taken a step closer with the formation of a committee to see it through.

The Committee under the guise of the ‘Alternative Governance Steering Group’ is headed up be Councillors John Briggs and Carl Sherwood (Labour Councillors have not being invited nor meant to know of this Group’s existence) – does anybody smell a rat ?

The services coming under the hammer are Ancholme Leisure Centre, Baysgarth Leisure Centre, Bottesford Sports Hall, Epworth Leisure Centre, Riddings Pool, The Pods, Quibell Park, Co-op Sports Ground, Brigg Recreation Ground, West Common Lane Playing Fields, Scunthorpe Indoor Bowls Centre, Kingsway Golf Course, Normanby Hall Golf Course, Winterton Synthetic Pitch, Normanby Hall Country Park, North Lincolnshire Museum, 20-21 Visual Arts Centre, Arts Development, Sport Play and Community Development, Waters Edge Country Park & Visitors and Business Centre and Youth Centres.

As no less than thirteen top ranking officers of the Council, paid for by the ‘public purse’ have been summoned to attend these meetings you’d think that these would be held in one of the Council’s committee rooms and open to the public (it is the public that have invested in these venues and services over the years after all).

How wrong could anyone be, these monthly meetings are to be held behind closed doors in, wait for it – THE CONSERVATIVE GROUP OFFICE.

Need I say any more ? !

NORTH LINCS TORIES AWARD TWO OF THEIR OWN £5,508 RER ANNUM FOR DOING IDENTICAL JOB.

This week saw the Conservative Leadership using their majority on the Council to award two of their members £5,508 per year for doing an identical job for the next year.

Councillors Ron Allcock and Ralph Ogg will both be the ‘Lead Member for Highways’.

Is this simply a lack of imagination or something more sinister ?

‘WE MAKE THE DECISIONS, LUMP IT’ – CONSERVATIVE MESSAGE TO NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE

The AGM of North Lincolnshire Council brought no great surprises as it descended into its usual debacle.

The arrogance of the controlling Tory Group was on one of its typical highs especially when questioned about changes to the Council’s constitution by opposition Labour members.

Legitimate questions around the withdrawal of Scrutiny Vice Chairs being able to continue with business in the absence of the Chair, the courtesy afforded to Group Secretaries on the changing of dates and times of meetings, the acknowledgement of receipt of petitions from the public and the change of use to a Chair’s ‘casting vote’ in light of recent incompetence around Planning votes.

After a few manufactured speeches handed out to junior members of the Conservative Group in advance of the meeting the true face of the Tories came to the fore as the Conservative Group Secretary bellowed out “We run the Council, we make the decisions, lump it”.

So now we know – democracy at its best, all part of the openness and transparancy that the Tory Leader spoke about on taking office, no doubt.

NORTH LINCS TORY COUNCILLORS SECURE INCREASES IN WAGES IN EXCESS OF 200% IN FIRST YEAR

As figures are now out on what North Lincolnshire Councillors received in wages for 2011 – 2012, the Tories first year in office, the true picture emerges.

Increases beyond the 200% mark compared to the previous year of 2010 – 2011 in one case, with others not far behind.

Who and where you might, ask so here goes in descending order Nigel Sherwood (+201.83%), Trevor Foster (+174.66%), Keith Vickers (+156.19%), Pete Clark (+135.76%), Arthur Bunyan (+133.21%), William Eckhardt (+117.92%), Neil Poole (+116.17%), Jean Bromby (+108.58%), John England (+96.89%), Liz Redfern (+90.47%), Paul Vickers (+82.9%), Carl Sherwood (+73.74%), Rob Waltham (+66.86%), Ivan Glover (+57.33%),John Briggs (+56.98%), John Wardle (+50.45%) and David Wells (+13.07%).

Now, just before any Tory apologists start getting too excited and jumping up and down, I personally don’t deny anyone their wages as there is a bound to be a change in responsibility as one group takes over from another. It is, however, somewhat difficult to see why, when these figures supposedly include a 10% decrease that any of these figures go over 100%.

The point I do make is the cheapness of electioneering while in opposition (as the Tories did in 2011) to decrease allowances knowing full well that if you win control of the Council you’re in for a healthy increase.

Just for the record every Labour member decreased what they claimed in allowances but then again I doubt that this is what people want to hear.

TORIES REMOVE ALL LABOUR OPPOSITION MEMBERS FROM NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE HOMES & HUMBER BRIDGE BOARD.

North Lincolnshire Council moves yet another step further to something akin to a one party state as it removes any Labour opposition members from the North Lincolnshire Homes Board and the Humber Bridge Board.

This follows on from last year’s decision to eliminate almost all Labour members from Internal Drainage Boards.

There are no legitimate reasons for doing this, as these are Community Boards where party politics should not come into play.

Then again, at the end of the day, we’re not dealing with rational people.

Just another example of the Tories intent to eradicate democracy in North Lincolnshire.

PARTY POLITICS TAKES OVER FROM SCRUTINY AT NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE.

Oh dear, it’s that time of year again as we approach the AGM of the Council and another slice of democracy is removed under changes to North Lincolnshire Council’s constitution.

Scrutiny Panels (whose role is to scrutinise Council functions and hold the Executive (Cabinet) to account), supposedly run on a non political basis are to have that neutrality stripped away from them.

Under new proposals when the Chair (from the controlling Conservative Group) can not be in attendance, the Vice Chair (from the opposition Labour Group) can no longer act on their behalf to enable the smooth running of the Panel in a non partisan manner.

This must now wait until the Tory Chair is available or can be bothered to turn up to have their political stamp on proceedings.

The erosian of democracy carries on a step further, where the present policy of informing each of the political Group Secretaries(in place since 1995) of an intent to change the date, time and venue of any meetings will be removed thus allowing the ruling Conservative Group to change such dates, times etc on a whim.

On top of all this and just for good measure the composition of Scrutiny Panels are now to be restricted to just two opposition Labour members.

I suppose this begs the question once again, what the Hell do our local Tories have to hide ?

It’s obviously been a long time (May 2011) since the then newly elected Tory Leader promised greater openness and trasparency !