By Barbara Jacobson,
There is always something to be learned at
the Cabinet meetings, and the one on Tuesday night was no exception. Janet
Leifer was the only person to make a public comment about the problems posed by
Your Choice Barnet (YCB). Janet is a stalwart campaigner – I would say
‘tireless’ but the truth is campaigning is tiring work – for the rights of
disabled people, and chair of the Campaign Against the Destruction of Disabled
Support Services (CADDSS). She spoke
strongly and clearly about the lack of transparency and openness of YCB Board
meetings (even the minutes are not available: the council claims that they are
on the website, but searches reveal only an ‘error’ page) and movingly about the
problems faced by service users when the venues for their activities are not
compatible with their needs.
Maybe if they had listened, some Cabinet
members could have learned something about these very real and important issues.
The first lesson we learned was how
little they cared. As soon as Janet began
to speak Cllrs Thompstone and Dean Cohen seemed to share a joke. Then they, as
well as Cllrs Longstaff, J. Tambourides and Hart, began to turn the pages of
the documents that they should have read before the meeting. When Cllr
Tambourides stopped turning pages, she stared ahead of her or at the ceiling. It
was not clear whether Cllr Rams was playing with his mobile phone or using it
as a calculator to assess the losses of YCB, but like the others named, he
never even looked at or made a pretence of listening to to Janet Leifer. Cllr
Dan Thomas, on the other hand, gave Janet his full attention. Although I
couldn’t see him from my vantage point, I am sure Cllr R. Cornelius was
similarly attentive. It is not simply bad manners to blatantly ignore a speaker,
but also indicative of those councillors’ attitude towards the people they
supposedly represent and, thus, to democracy itself.
When Cllr Cornelius asked his Cabinet
colleagues whether they had any questions for Mrs Leifer, no one raised a hand
– not surprising when more than half of them had apparently not heard what she
was saying.
Later, Cllr Brian Gordon went to the table
to speak about a report he had submitted. What a difference: every councillor
turned to face him and appeared to listen. How much easier it is to listen to
one of your own discussing a report you know you will agree with than paying
attention to someone whose views challenge yours, to someone demanding fairness
for the disabled. This is lazy politics and the second lesson we learned was
that the Cabinet has more than its fair share of lazy politicians.
When these councillors come knocking on
your door and want you to listen to their request to re-elect them, I hope you
will remember what they really think of you. Then teach them a lesson at the
polls in May.
The third lesson we learned on Tuesday night was that the directors of YCB
have a duty to act in ’the best interests of the organisation’ rather than the
best interests of the service users. It seems beyond the Cabinet’s
comprehension or power of imagination that best interests of the service users
are in the best interests of the organization. By focusing only on ways to make
money, the YCB Board and its single shareholder, the council, ensure that the
service losers will suffer and
therefore YCB’s finances will continue to suffer – because people from other
boroughs will not choose to buy services from a company that has more regard
for their cash than their well-being.
Through public questions at the meeting the
council revealed that it will collect approximately £1.3m from the imposition
of the 8.5% council tax on working age claimants of benefit. When asked why the
council tax cut of 1%, which will cost the council £1.3m, couldn’t be used to
offset the imposition of the tax, Cllr Cornelius replied emphatically that
nothing was free, everyone had to understand that and make a contribution. So
even if you have nothing and are dependent on benefits, you have to pay. That’s
obviously a Conservative Party moral imperative. Now look at the figures again
and you’ll see the fourth lesson we learned: that the £1.3m the council is
grabbing back from people on benefits is funding the council tax cut. Not a
moral imperative, but an immoral action.
We learned too that if central government
allowed a mansion tax, Barnet Council estimates it would be better off by
approximately £30m. Think of all the jobs and services that would fund. Will it
happen? Try demanding that any candidate for council or Parliament that wants
your vote will support a call for the government to pass a law enabling this
tiny tax on the extremely wealthy so the council would have no excuse to tax
the poor or to sell off our libraries and sports fields, no excuse to cut
health and social care services.
If you want to make your voice heard on
these or any other issues, come to the two remaining public meetings that
Barnet Alliance for Public Services is hosting. The next one is at the Barnet
Multicultural Centre in Algernon Road, West Hendon, on 18 March. The last one
is at the Greek Cypriot Centre in Britannia Road, North Finchley, on 10 April.
The doors open at 6.30, entry is free and the meeting, which starts at 7pm, provides
a chance to discuss your views with candidates of the Labour, LibDem and Green
parties; the Conservatives have been invited, but as you can tell from the
description of the their attitudes to residents, they are unlikely to send a
speaker. They haven’t sent one to either of the last two meetings. When asked
why not, Cllr Cornelius said he wouldn’t go to a meeting with ‘those
people’. That’s us, folks. Cllr Rams
tweeted that it was more fun being at a Boys’ Brigade meeting than being at the
‘hustings’. Well, being one of the boys must be more fun than answering awkward
questions from voters, but why bother to be a councilor if you can’t face your
constituents? If your local councillors are Tories, you might want to ask them
why they’re hiding.
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Barbara Jacobson is a Barnet resident. Guest blogs are always welcome
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