Tory leadership in crisis – again… 24 February, 2012
Posted by Jeremy Rowe in News, Politics.Tags: Cornwall Council, Openness and Transparency, Conservatives
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In what has come to be known as the ‘post-democratic era’ at Cornwall Council, I thought there was very little that could still surprise me about the endless conspiracy and back-biting that swirls around the authority’s Conservative Group. All that changed today, however.
As you may have seen elsewhere, the Deputy Leader of the Tory group has resigned his position, citing skullduggery over the Stadium project and a broader disaffection with Alec Robertson’s leadership style. There are a couple of passages in Scott Mann’s resignation letter which are pure dynamite:
After much thought I have decided to resign from my position as deputy leader of our group. I’m afraid that the straw that broke the camels back is the funding of the stadium for Cornwall. Although the group are generally supportive of the stadium they have made it clear on two separate occasions that no tax payer funding should be used. However a report is now being presented asking for 12-16 million pounds worth of funding.
and:
There appears to be separation from what the group are saying and what you are doing. It is my view that your leadership style is one that is not conducive to democratic decision making.
In a sense this is faintly reminiscent of Geoffrey Howe’s famous assassination of Margaret Thatcher’s Premiership, but anyone who thinks this automatically spells the end for Alec Robertson’s leadership of Cornwall Council should think twice before laying any bets. We have, after all, been here before. It was only last year that his own membership tried to topple him – he survived by the skin of his teeth and even claimed it represented an endorsement of his style. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the bunker mentality only becomes stronger as a result of this.
Nevertheless, this has not been a great week for the Leader. He came a poor second in his needless spat with the Council’s Chairman and was condemned by Members from all sides for some unwarranted personal attacks on his opponents during the budget debate. The unwelcome resignation of a high-profile member has capped off an embarrassing few days for him. Is he likely to pay any attention and learn from the experience? No one should hold their breath.
Another Budget Day 22 February, 2012
Posted by Jeremy Rowe in News.Tags: Cornwall Council, Openness and Transparency, Independents, Finances, Local Services, Conservatives, Lib Dems
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Yesterday was Cornwall Council’s supposedly annual Budget Meeting (although we seem to have two of these a year these days).
The Tory Leader of the Council seemed a bit edgy from the start and although he tried to put forward a positive message he seemed to cut a more isolated figure as the day rumbled on. One thing he was able to do was accept the Lib Dem proposal for a Council Tax freeze which is paid for by a one-off grant from central government.
What he couldn’t do was give the Council any meaningful detail on where the Tory-led authority will wield the axe in search of £40m worth of cuts previously voted through. Indeed, at one point we had the bizarre spectacle of him trying to claim there would be no cuts, only “reductions” in service.
The fear is that, in spite of a supposed rabbit being pulled out of the hat a month or two back, areas like the rural bus network will once again come under threat due to the administration’s ill thought out plans. We have already seen this area in crisis over the last twelve months because of the administration’s failure to keep its eye on the ball and this has also been the case with the car parks budget and the provision of public toilets. I asked for a guarantee that the Cabinet would pay closer attention this year but nothing was forthcoming.
In the end the budget was passed, primarily due to Tory and Independent votes, but questions will continue to be asked over the coming months about the devil in the lack of detail. There are no signs that there will be too many answers.
Olympic Tory confusion over the civic role of the Council 16 February, 2012
Posted by Jeremy Rowe in News.Tags: Conservatives, Cornwall Council
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A Tory Cabinet Member on Cornwall Council (who blogs even less frequently than I do) has stepped into the debate about the civic role of the Chairman of the Council, questioning why the authority is debating the Olympic Torch row at a time “when there are so many important issues to be addressed”.
It is, of course, the classic device deployed when those in charge would prefer a thorny issue to go away, but in a sense he is probably right: Cornwall Council shouldn’t have to be debating the civic function of the office of Chairman. The point he forgets is that this wouldn’t have arisen if the Chairman of the Council, whose impartiality is widely considered to be impeccable, had been left to represent Cornwall in the way she has always done since she was elected.
Instead, we have seen the Leader’s clumsy attempt to muscle in on a non-political photocall which has led to an undermining of the Chairman’s office. What is behind this I’m not entirely sure, although I’m not alone in suspecting the involvement of one of Cornwall’s Tory MPs who may or may not have instructed the Leader to “show them who wears the trousers” at their regular disaster committee meetings in the top floor bunker at County Hall.
Perhaps the question the Tory Cabinet Member should be asking is not why the Council has to waste time debating this, but rather why the Leader can’t find more important things to be doing than interfering in areas which are none of his business.
Tweeting from The Bunker 25 January, 2012
Posted by Jeremy Rowe in News.Tags: Conservatives, Cornwall Council, Openness and Transparency, Transport
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Cornwall Council’s Cabinet met today to discuss a number of important issues (not least their handbrake turn on the buses) but the story that will probably make tomorrow’s papers will be the Leader’s extraordinary outburst about the use of Twitter.
Those with reasonable medium-term memories will recall a brief storm over Councillors using the social networking site a couple of years ago, but it is now accepted as the norm (like it or not) in council chambers, courtrooms and even Parliament, with many viewing it as a more accessible way of following proceedings than the traditional method of sitting through a meeting waiting for the item (or items) of interest.
Cornwall Council’s Leader has, however, decided to park his throne right in the path of the oncoming wave of social media with his unilateral ban on the use of Twitter at today’s meeting. He read out some (admittedly less than complimentary) tweets from Members and announced that he was using the Council’s recently passed broadcasting protocol to ban any further interaction with the outside world.
Some will say that Councillors shouldn’t be tweeting during meetings at all and, although I disagree, I do understand that point of view. However, in this case the dissenting tweets came from people who were not voting members of the Cabinet and therefore not participating directly in the meeting (apart from one rogue tweet from within the inner circle). The Leader’s ban attempted to put a stop to the external debate and affected not only councillors, but journalists and members of the public too.
It’s difficult to understand the purpose of this beyond suffocating dissent and it’s questionable whether he is actually entitled to do this.
The Leader’s actions today have been nothing but counterproductive for him. The stories he wanted to put out will have slipped down the news agenda and his administration now looks even more paranoid and controlling.
The Leader has often complained about the accusations of a ‘bunker mentality’ but he really doesn’t help himself sometimes. Nor does it do a great deal for his oft-repeated claim of ‘openness and transparency’.
St Eval Community Centre – Grand Opening 7 January, 2012
Posted by Jeremy Rowe in Local Matters, News.Tags: Local Services, North Cornwall, St Eval
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Some time ago I wrote a post about the facilities the Americans left behind at Trevisker St Eval. I reflected at the time that it would be a tragedy if these buildings were left empty while the local community faced the closure of its Post Office, shop and community facilities.
Two years on, after an astonishing amount of hard work from members of the community, I was invited to attend the opening of new facilities – on the site of the former US buildings at Orion Drive.
No one should underestimate what an amazing achievement this has been for the local community. There have been numerous occasions when everything seemed to be lost and it appeared that St Eval might head the way of so many other rural settlements and fall into slow decline. The local residents had other ideas. Their determination has been outstanding. They have fought their corner with the Ministry of Defence, worked up business plans and put in the hard, unpaid labour to produce a social club, kitchen, meeting venue and a new Post Office. Most crucially of all, they have never given up.
There will still be many obstacles in the future, but the local community was proud to open the doors today. It is an amazing achievement with an incredible community spirit at its heart – local residents have every right to be proud.
(You can read more about the community at St Eval here.)
Merry Christmas! 24 December, 2011
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(With apologies to all concerned.)
Questions to the Leader and the Chief Exec 14 December, 2011
Posted by Jeremy Rowe in News.Tags: Conservatives, Consultants, Cornwall Council, Finances, Local Services, Localism, Openness and Transparency
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The archived webcast of yesterday’s meeting of the Corporate Resource Overview and Scrutiny Committee is now available on the Cornwall Council website. Don’t be put off by the name of the committee – it was actually quite an interesting meeting. Kevin Lavery, Chief Executive of the Council, and the Leader Alec Robertson came along to answer questions from Members about the performance of the authority over the last two years.
Predictably there was no small amount of propaganda but there was still a chance to ask a few awkward questions (certainly there were some around the areas of localism, communications, finance and outsourcing to name a few). However the main theme that seemed to run through the question and answer session was that the Tory-led Council seems to be suffering from a siege mentality with regard to the media. Time and again we heard the mantra that the local press, radio and television broadcasters simply won’t tell the “good news” and that they concentrate on stories like the Council’s £139,000 a day consultancy habit (can’t imagine why).
There was also very little doubt about which of the two men is in charge.
Anyway, have a look for yourself or you can read the accounts of other Councillors (Alex Folkes and Andrew Wallis). The Cornish Gazette have also produced their own unique account…
St Eval 8 December, 2011
Posted by Jeremy Rowe in Local Matters, News.Tags: Cornwall Council, Housing, Local Services, Localism, North Cornwall, St Eval
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Movember – the scores on the doors 5 December, 2011
Posted by Jeremy Rowe in Personal.Tags: Movember
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A huge thank you to everyone who donated to the ‘QuarryMo’ team for this year’s Movember effort. At the time of writing the team has managed to raise £569 for various prostate cancer and men’s health charities. Special mentions go to Andrew Wallis and Alex Folkes whose efforts contributed to the total.
There appears to have been a narrow margin in favour of the retention of my facial hair this year, although further donations may yet make me remove the bristly emblem of mid-life crisis…
What now for the ‘Movember’ moustache? 1 December, 2011
Posted by Jeremy Rowe in Personal.Tags: Movember
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‘Movember’ is over (although there’s still time to make that donation). What now for the lip monster? Time to let go, or the beginning of a special relationship? Thoughts please…
