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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Haringey Alliance for Public Services meeting - Wednesday 24th Oct

Haringey is about to employ a controversial Chief Executive fresh from running the notorious Barnet 'easyCouncil' / 'One Barnet' mass privatisation and cuts programme. See other thread.

If we are to continue to speak up for our public services and to defend them from cuts and the threats of privatisation we need to discuss this urgently. The Barnet Alliance for Public Services has been promoting and coordinating community and workplace opposition to Barnet Council's plans. They have distributed tens of thousands of their own 'Our Barnet' newspaper. 80 activists attended their recent AGM. The much loved library in Friern Barnet, closed by the Council, has been re-occupied and reopened to the public by activists. So we can take heart from the inspirational anti-cuts campaigning efforts in our neighbouring borough.

The next HAPS meeting has been scheduled in the week following the mass TUC demonstration on Oct 20th. Please can all local community and workplace activists and organisations try to attend to discuss the way forward.....


Haringey Alliance for Public Services - general meeting
Wednesday 24th October, 7pm 
(changed from 25th)
North London Community House, 22 Moorefield Road, N17
Defending our local public services from cuts and privatisation - the next steps to take together
We hope to have a member of the Barnet Alliance for Public Services to update us on the battle for public services in Barnet. All welcome.

Tags for Forum Posts: haringey chief executive, nick walkley

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Many Haringey Labour Party members are amazed by this decision. To understand why, look at some Barnet blogs. Five Bloggers posted a joint statement with the view that Nick Walkley, appointed Haringey's Chief Executive is:

"the architect" ... "of the controversial £1 billion One Barnet programme which is due to outsource the majority of our council services to the private sector: a hugely over ambitious project which bears the risk of being a spectacular failure, and having a devastating impact on the lives of residents in our borough."

Of course, some people may argue that a Chief Executive and senior officers in local government are neutral professionals who simply work within and implement the policies of each local council. In fact I overheard precisely this opinion expressed by the talkative pigs nesting in our medlar tree.

(Labour Councillor Tottenham Hale)

_________________________

Explore the five Barnet websites to see what's been happening there. 

And if you need a few wide smiles I recommend another Barnet blogger -  Mr Mustard. Hard-hitting, well-informed and often hilarious.  Here's his view of the Barnet Parking Consultation Team at full speed.

Looking forward to the uprising.

From councillors? Not as long as they still think the Dear Leader might give them a turn on her merry-go-round. Music playing. Painted ponies go up and down. Round and round. Going forward to nowhere. Look Mummy No Hands

Isn't tiny Haringey too small to contain the mighty talents of the central committee?

Would you really want these dreadful Clairites in charge of something national?

There's a CEO post going at Barnet. Could be a jobshare.

But I thought the view of the left was that the CEO of an organisation was largely a figurehead and over paid considering the influence they had on the success or otherwise of the company.

You can't have it both ways.

Are you perhaps being teasingly provocative to people "on the left", John. In other words, mildly trolling?

John I don't think you have to be of the left, in order to see that council CEOs - and a few layers of managers below them - are significantly overpaid. The outrageous overpayment for the top fat cats has been going on for years.

The top-heavy headline figures are bad enough, but the corrosive effect can be multiplied in both short and long terms. Viz. [a] obscenely large "Compromise Agreements" for those let go; and [b] platinum-plated pension provision.

This is a national racket and not just a Haringey issue. Few seem willing to grasp this nettle, yet. IMO it is unsustainable. It's also unfair to those nearer the bottom, both inside and outside council employ.

Nick Walkley has worked for Haringey Council before, back in the days when Gill Davies was Assistant Chief Exec, which is a few years ago now.  He worked on things like Best Value (remember that?) and CCT, or Compulsory Competitive Tendering.  Someone told me recently that they came across the outgoing Haringey CEO, Mr Crompton, in the lift at Wood Green HQ; he was muttering about a "tsunami of privatisation" set to engulf the borough after his departure.  Maybe this is what he meant...

Mr Walkley worked for Haringey some fifteen years ago. But I haven't a clue what mentioning that is supposed to show about him. Nor why you name one of his colleagues - who also left Haringey many years ago.

I spend as little time as possible in the stale fastness of River Park House. But I've been in the lifts which are very small. The idea that Kevin Crompton (the last Chief Executive) would be found muttering to himself about privatisation in front of staff seems pretty far-fetched. 

A central feature of the Barnet Blogs is the hard work which appears to have gone into investigation and analysis. If there's a lesson for Haringey political bloggers it's a need for less ranting and more investigation; fewer rumours and more facts. And far far better jokes, of course.

(Labour Councillor Tottenham Hale)

See Seema Chandwani 's post on the related thread:

Friends of mine who work and/or live in Barnet have been telling me about this man for 2-3years. EasyCouncil, based on a no frills airline model is not something imposed on him by a Tory Council, its been spearheaded by this man.  ....  etc

So if this model is already favoured by the ruling cabal at LBH, he will be dancing to their tune. But from some vestigial belief in the differences between political parties, I would have hoped this would not prevail in a Labour borough. 

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