There are a number of elements in the positive
aspects of the new Labour administration’s changing policies as being discussed
at the Cabinet meeting of 14 July than could be improved. This suggestions are
based on my practical experience with these issues over the years.
Note: news reportage of items on the agenda are posted on my News & Events Blog site at http://seancreighton1947.wordpress.com
Note: news reportage of items on the agenda are posted on my News & Events Blog site at http://seancreighton1947.wordpress.com
Leasing
Property for Homeless Families
See discussion posting: http://historyandsocialaction.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/improved-action-to-house-homeless.html
For background see:
Improved
Action on Empty Property
See discussion posting: http://historyandsocialaction.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/improved-action-to-house-homeless.html
For background see: http://historyandsocialaction.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/croydon-action-on-empty-housing.html
Contracts
It is surprising that with new rules about to come
in on contract processes that the contract decisions under current delegated
authority have not been not deferred
until they can be dealt with under the new rules, especially as they can be
called in by the Scrutiny Committee. It is to be hoped that such a call in will
be made so that the Committee can begin to test its new powers.
Ear-marked
financial reserve
Given the underspend carried over from
2013/14 Labour has been able to set up
an earmarked reserve fund out of which it has already agreed to spend £. This
leaves over £2m to allocate. What could it spend it on? Should any of the Tory
cuts of £18.083m for 2014/15 be re-examined and re-instated (see:
My top ones for reinstatement are:
- Museums and Archives Services £30,000
- Grant to London Mozart Players £90,000
- Subsidy to School Music Service £50,000
- Reduce diversionary activity work for young people £20,000
- Reassess eligibility of Taxicards and disabled persons freedom pass £20,000
Openness
Agenda
The allocation of more time for public questions
is welcome. This could be further improved by:
- A shorter timetable for submission of public questions so that very up to-date issues can be subject to questions.
- Enabling more than one question per member of the public.
- Ending the restriction on the way in which the question can be formulated.
- A ban on questions which contain an attack on an individual - but not a question seeking accountability of individual Councillors or officers.
- A ban on personal attacks being included in answers to public (and Councillor) questions.
- Inviting members of the public to put their question on the floor of the Council Chamber and not from the public gallery.
- Part of the openness agenda is clearly to encourage residents and organisations to make better use of the Town Hall complex. It may therefore be useful to consider:
- Ensuring that the Clocktower café is open up to at least the start of Council meetings to enable members of the public to have some refreshment before the meetings.
- Returning Local Studies to the Library room and using the current ground floor room in which it is located to display the whole of the Croydon art collection.
An element of the openness debate is the greater
use of electronic media. Given the digital divide which particularly affects
communities in the ‘socially deprived’ neighbourhoods encouraging engagement
has to be carried out by non-electric means as well. Indeed the petition scheme
should also stress the role of paper based petitions.
Thought is needed as to the future way the Council
organises and runs public meetings. See my discussion piece at http://historyandsocialaction.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/building-up-confidence-at-public.html
Academy
Expansion and SEGAS House
It is surprising that Labour is proposing to
delegate the decision to purchase SEGAS House to the relevant Cabinet member.
Given concerns about the lack of suitability of the site for a school and the debate
about potential alternative uses then it is to be hoped that the Cabinet will
withdraw this proposal and the Scrutiny Committee will consider the future of
the House.
It is clearly too early for the new Labour administration
to develop a new approach to the way in which academies and free schools are
being foisted onto to the Borough, and whether they have the power to reduce
their enabling support for them. By adopting a business as usual approach to
the paper at the Cabinet meeting on 14 July, Labour is signing up to more
fragmentation, the further reduction of LEA community schools, and the
uncertainty of free school and academy initiatives.
For discussion on SEGAS House see http://thecroydoncitizen.com/politics-society/future-croydons-segas-house.
London
Living Wage
Given that it is said that a large percentage of
Council ‘staff’ are on temporary or freelance contracts, has their remuneration
level been included in the assessment of who is not being paid at London Living
Wage level?
When was the last assessment made of whether those
on freelance contracts would actually be regarded by HMRC as employees because
of the requirements such as their hours, their work base location, and the degree
to which they are managed? If some of these ‘staff’ should be on employee
contracts, then how many would need to have a remuneration increase to LLW
level?
Capital
to Coast LEP
I addressed some of the issues facing
Croydon’s involvement in the LEP a note I submitted to Cabinet members in
January - see
For my discussion
on Croydon Economic Development see:
http://thecroydoncitizen.com/politics-society/economic-development-doesnt-just-mean-property-part-1.
http://thecroydoncitizen.com/politics-society/economic-development-doesnt-just-mean-property-part-2.
No comments:
Post a Comment