A VERY EARLY PANTO IN THE BOROUGH

On Wednesday evening quite a few of us turned up to view what we thought was going to be a Safer Stronger Select committee meeting, which according to the Agenda would be debating the options for cuts that came under its remit.

We very soon learned that we were to be entertained by a one off performance of "The Emperors New Clothes". With of course the Lead Member Rodwell in the starring role of Emperor.

No sooner had the Lead Member been informed by officers that it was 6.0pm and time to start he stated that he had a bus load of family and friends on their way who he had 'sold' tickets to, about 40 of them we were told, so we had to wait for them to arrive.

Very embarrassing for officers and Senior Members, but then this would not be the first time that night they would suffer embarrassment.

Well the scene was set and the Emperor opened the show, now we have been made aware that in the report on Options ALL members of the select committee would have been aware of which options the Cabinet were NOT supporting.

Now bearing this in mind, we do ask why? the Emperor made such a drama over Libraries, knowing full well that the Cabinet would NOT support closure of any of the 5 suggested. Is it as we would suggest that the Emperor is tilting at windmills and wanted his audience to recognise that he would save their libraries all by himself?

Why we ask did the Emperor force a vote on each of the options? so totally not within the remit of a select committee, does he not understand that a Select committee is NOT a decision making body? or was he just trying to further embarrass members in front of the public?

The next very amusing scene of this very lack lustre panto was the to do over Community Halls, the Emperor had already been informed by a Senior Cabinet Member that the Community Associations were all supportive of the proposals that they take over the running of the Halls, but, no the Emperor was not having any of this, he obviously was not prepared to listen to the community, he wants things to stay as they are, and even to increase funding to the halls. Now Baron Von Letchford who we all know is very fashion minded was not going to be out done by his Emperors new outfit.

There was a very heated and should we say foul language tirade between the 2 of them. You only had to look at the faces of Senior Officers and Members while this was going on to realize that they had both overstepped the mark, their conduct was appalling, and we wait to see if the Standards Board and the Labour Group deal with this as they should.

Oh what next Goresbrook Leisure Centre, it has been judged by professional engineers to be coming to the end of its life and recommended for closure in 2013, but, again the Emperor was having none of this.

So........we the council tax payers would ask the Emperor just where he proposes to put the cuts? So that he can keep his little pets in place. Are we going to see less streets being cleaned, are we going over to fortnightly rubbish collection? are more front line staff who deliver the services going to loose their jobs?

On looking through the list of members of this committee we reckon only 5 of them actually pay council tax. 1 of them we know has 3 wage packets from public money, another has 2.

They are not going to feel the pain, certainly not if this panto is anything to go by. Its about time the players in this little farce and certainly the Emperor woke up to the fact that they are there to represent the best interest of the residents in this borough, not their own little pet projects.

The Broadway Theatre is supposed to be able to fund itself with just a little help from the council, what about those residents in the borough who do not have a community hall in their ward? why should they pay for something they cannot access.

The consensus of opinion from residents is they want their streets clean, they want weekly rubbish collections and they want to feel safe. The fluffy bits are ok when you have the money, but in times like these you must give the bread and butter services that the council tax payers are paying for.

So at the end of what was an embarrassing Panto for officers and public alike, the Emperor slew NO Dragons and we could all see his blue and white boxer shorts.