Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Update on Barnet

A report in the Guardian today on how well Barnet is managing without their supertalented, creative and underpaid former CEO Nick Walkley. The easyCouncil model seems to be losing some of its shine. There's a surprise.

Tags for Forum Posts: Barnet, Walkley, cuts, easyCouncil

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Permalink Reply by Ian on November 15, 2012 at 21:30

Very sad, you have to worry for the next few years.

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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on November 15, 2012 at 22:29

As your tags correctly show, Pam, it's Nick Walkley. (Unless he's changed his name hoping to live down the Barnotoriety?)

I found it especially interesting to see Barnet's Famous Five Bloggers on John Harris's Guardian video. I strongly agree with his view of the blogs having: "this sort of forensic, journalistic really-watch-the-Council-closely thing going on."

Derek Dishman (Mr Mustard) replies: "I don't just lift the carpet back to see what's going on underneath. I hang it on the line and give it a damn good beating. And I think that's what all the people here do."

Theresa Musgrove (Mrs Angry, Broken Barnet) says: "We are probably much better informed than the majority of councillors in Barnet. 'Cause we've actually sat there and read the reports."

John Dix (Mr Reasonable) explains how he sits all day reading reports to "pick out the key facts and say to people 'Do you realise that buried away on page 183, actually what they're planning is this or this'."

Vicki Morris (Barnet Citizen) explains her fear that privatisation will lead to a two-tier system. And Theresa Musgrove challenges the supposed savings from privatisation.

Roger Tichborne (Barnet Eye) mentions the loss of local jobs when their Parking Service was outsourced. And Derek Dishman points out that overpaid consultants take their knowledge from the same staff who are then made redundant.

We have an urgent need for as many people as possible to use this forensic, careful, factual, evidence-based approach to uncover what's going on in the Koberbunker at River Park House. As the Guardian's John Harris comments - and the Barnet Bloggers confirm - it's a lot of work. But in Haringey it's needed more than ever.

As example of what can be done, we have the "community detective" work of Seema Chandwani and her friends who've repeatedly visited Bruce Grove Youth Centre to see for themselves whether or not Cllr Joe Goldberg has been getting accurate information about the Centre's opening hours.

(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)