Foreign trip curbs to be introduced by York Council

Opposition Councillors move to reduce travel costs as taxpayers complain

The concerns expressed by many York residents, about the amount being spent on foreign visits and travel by both Councillors and officials, are to come under the microscope.

The move comes after Labour lost overall control of the Council.

In the main the initiative is aimed at the payment of travel expenses incurred directly by the York Council but it has been suggested that this will be extended to cover other organisations that the Council has representation on and, in particular, those that receive significant Council grant funding.

Any new process will not put an outright ban on travel.

Rather a case for foreign travel will have to be considered by a public session of the all party Urgency committee (which meets each week). The expectation is that the aims of any travel will have to be identified and, later, that a note will be published indicating what was achieved by the trip.

The move is part of a raft of changes being proposed by opposition Councillors which could transform the way that the York Council does its business.

They aim is to make the Council more open and more sensitive to local residents views.

A key feature would be an end to “behind closed doors” decision making meetings.

The costs of foreign – and indeed UK – travel, have been a cause of criticism ever since Labour took control of the Council in 2011.

Previous stories – Click link to access

Cabinet approves £25,000 jaunt to Cannes

Labour Councillor’s Strasbourg trips

Shamed Labour Councillors publish expenses claims

York MPs travel expenses

York Councillors travel expenses exposeds

Foreign travel fails to broaden Social Services report

Labour Cabinet runs up £4000 travel bill.

More about foreign trips

York Council spent £5747 on trip to Cannes

Day out in Scotland

Day out in London

Labour lose some influence on York Council – alternative approach proving illusive

As expected, the balance of power on many York Council committees swung away from Labour at a York Council meeting this evening.

As required by law, the membership of scrutiny, planning and other committees will reflect the proportion of the seats held by the different parties on the Council.

The chairs of scrutiny committees will be taken by opposition Councillors.

Amongst the appointments, Andrew Waller will chair a committee that deals with Economic and City Development, Ann Reid will chair the Planning Committee and Nigel Ayre will head the influential Audit and Governance Committee.

But the key Cabinet posts will all continue to be held by Labour. Worryingly the Council chose not to reduce their delegated powers.

In effect this gives a huge advantage to the 8 full time Labour Councillors who will continue to hold the posts.

York residents will expect the various groups on the Council to put the City first and come up with a workable system which will see the Council through to the local elections next May

It will need to be a transparent system which can also address the many problems which have increasingly dogged York in recent months.

Debts are mounting and time is running out

Scott resignation statement published – Ouch!

“It’s as bad in the York Labour Group as we all suspected

The second is an email to the Chief Executive of this council confirming that I have resigned the Labour Party Whip, I am no longer part of the Labour Group and will now be a Labour Independent Councillor.

“It has been a difficult decision for me to take. I have been a member of the Labour Party for over 20 years. I come from a long line of active trade unionists. I didn’t just choose the party I was born into it.

“But the York Labour Party is not the Labour Party I joined.

We now have a Labour Group that is corrupt.

Corrupt intellectually and probably corrupt in other ways too.

There is not one member of this Cabinet I would offer a proper job to, not that many of them know what a proper job is.

“Its leadership team don’t lead – they bully, scheme and connive.

The Leader behaves like a spoilt child almost stamping his feet if he doesn’t get his own way.

“Some will be aware that the Labour Whip was removed from me last year. What you will not know is why. I am now freed from the shackles of the secrecy of the Group and can say that there were two attempts to withdraw the Whip from me. The first attempt had to be abandoned after it was found that the Chief Whip had broken a number of Party Rules in his haste to withdraw the whip from me. The second attempt was quashed by a regional appeal panel.

“And what was my alleged crime? I voted in favour of the removal of a number of expenses from members of this council in line with the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel and an earlier decision of the Labour Group.

The Labour Group then broke its own rules to change its earlier decision after its Leader threatened to attend less meetings if his expenses weren’t going to be met.

“I have thought about whether I should resign my council seat. I won’t for two reasons.

The First is all that would happen is that a York Labour clone will be put in place at the expense of the residents of the city.

Secondly remaining a councillor will allow me to represent the residents of clifton and the city in the proper Labour Way. The way that they thought they were voting for in the first place.

“My first speech in the Council ended with the verse by Pastor Martin Neilmoller. I will remind you

“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

“Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

“Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

“Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

“Recent events with me have shown that I can no longer hide my principles and socialists beliefs. I have to speak out. I have to make a stand. We no longer follow Labour Principles. We no longer show the Labour difference.

“We are no longer true Labour.

“I do this for the good of the Labour Party in York. I make a plea to the members of the Party to reclaim their party from those that control it and are destroying it

“For my sins I came up with the phrase that York Deserves Better.

Sadly that still remains the case.

York not only deserves better, it deserves the best.

For the remaining months of this council I will do my best to achieve that with any group or grouping of councillors that demonstrates that they have ideas, drive and commitment to achieve the best for York.

Confused candidates enter Westfield poll

click to enlarge

2 more Councillors quit Labour in York

Two more Labour Councillors (David Scott and Ken King) have sensationally quit the Labour Group at tonight’s Council meeting.

It means that, as we approach the Westfield by election poll next week, the number of Labour Councillors has fallen to just 21.

The opposition parties at the Guildhall can now muster 25 seats, with the prospect of adding a LibDem gain in Westfield to the total.

Either way though Labour have lost their majority.

The 2 former Labour Councillors are understood to have highlighted the authoritarian Leadership of James Alexander and his ruling cabal as the reason for their decision

The change should open up the way for all party participation across all committees and even the decision making “Cabinet”.

It will make it difficult to spin news releases to the advantage of the Council Leadership and the culture of secrecy at the Guildhall and West Offices should be swept away.

The next couple of weeks will be a major test for all the Group Leaders at the Guildhall.

The City does need a robust process as it approaches important decisions on at least two key issues;

How to further refine the Local Plan &
What budget to set for next year.

It is difficult to see how the present Labour Leadership can survive the events of the last few hours.

The Councillors who quit have apparently also vowed to lift the lid on some of Labour’s behind closed doors tactics.

York Labour hypocrisy over anonymous tweets

It is almost beyond belief that Labour Councillors are trying to get the respected head of a local mental health charity sacked because they disagree with his political views.

They have accused him of using a pseudonym to make critical comments about Labour polices and personalities.

It is a glimpse of a totalitarian state mentality to which many of the current York Council Leadership subscribe

“Agree with my views or we will target you” seems to be their mantra.

No wonder that so many former Labour Councillors have chosen to jump ship to escape from this suffocating authoritarianism.

It would not be so bad if Labour Councillors themselves did not use false names to promote their views – and belittle their political opponents – on the local Press web site.

Residents would be amazed to find out just who is responsible for such vindictive, and often untrue, vitriol.

The Press can address this issue by insisting that – just as it does on its letters page – people use their real names when posting on line.

It might mean that some public servants are discouraged from criticising Labour politicians but there are other independent channels – including this web site – where whistle blowing is an option for the faint hearted.

In the meantime Labour should withdraw their attack dogs from their voluntary sector targets and reflect that it is their commitment to secret decision making that has led to the frustration felt by many York residents.

It is no wonder though that many residents choose not to reveal their true identities and views to the City’s Stalinist rulers.

Labour disarray in York continues

Another Labour Councillor has quit meaning that James Alexander’s residual party has now lost overall control of the York Council.

Currently they have 23 of the 47 seats with one vacancy to be filled in the Westfield by election on 16^th October.

At least two other Labour Councillors may also resign the party whip, so the Council will be looking for a new way of doing things at least until May 2015 when “all out” elections take place.

It is not surprising that councillors, who have lived in the City for many years, have been alienated by a secretive and authoritarian style of leadership.

Couple this with some rank bad decisions (Lendal Bridge, 20 mph zones, a “Big City” Local Plan, neglect of residential areas, reckless borrowing etc. ) and you had the formulae for failure.

The York Council faces a difficult few months.

It must set a budget for an election year, try to find a consensus on a new Local Plan and deal with endemic failure in service areas such as social care.

It is difficult not to conclude that a new Leader is required.

It needs someone with experience who is untainted by the failures of the present administration but who has the skills to find a consensus.

He or she will need to establish a new structure where decisions are taken after proper consultation, where there is open discussion and where conclusions have as widely based support as possible.

It is probably not practical to return to a “committee” system for the remainder of this Council but a step forward would be for all groups to be represented on the Councils Cabinet and for “scrutiny committees” to have real power and the ability to change decisions.

Interesting days ahead.

Cornlands Park

If you can’t do the job yourself claim credit for someone else’s efforts.

Litter still covers the Cornlands playground

The long saga of the condition of the Cornlands Road Park has taken a bizarre twist. Lowther Street based Labour Councillor Gonefora Burton has issued a leaflet claiming credit for the restoration of the Cornlands Road play area.

This will come as news to the dedicated team of local volunteers and Council officials who have been struggling over the last 12 months to raise money for the scheme.

The plans to improve the Park dates back over 5 years when the, then LibDem led Council, realised that improvement could only be made when access to the park was made more secure.

A programme of installing railings around the perimeter was started (the playground had been fenced off a few years previously but was still subject to vandalism and was a magnet for anti social behaviour).

The opportunity to invest more money in the Park came when the developers of the old White Rose pub site agreed, in 2010, to pay nearly £8000 to improve local leisure facilities.

Labour Councillors were elected in May 2011 and one of the first things that they did was to siphon off this money into improved facilities at, private membership, sports clubs.

With the Ward Committee budget also having been cut, this meant that the improvement project was back to square one.

For a short time the “DIG IN” project tried to establish a communal garden within the playground railings. Unfortunately vandalism, and a lack of consistent support, meant that the project was abandoned and the idea of improving the playground for children was revived.

Dog “poo” bags hung in centre of Park

Progress has been made but a major investment in fencing (metal railings to protect the east end of the Park at least) is still needed. If the present three accesses to the Park are retained, then about 30% could be made available 24/7 for dog walkers.

It is to be hoped that the Council restore the poop scoop bin quickly.

It disappeared sometime ago and now “poo” bags are hung on old bit of play equipment.

Ironically Cllr Burton and Labour MP Huge Bayley had a photo opportunity at the park a couple of weeks ago. The area was covered in litter but neither of them, apparently, did anything about it.

The litter was still there on Thursday. (We’ve reported).

All in all, a pretty shabby and opportunist attempt by Labour to claim credit for something that they have contributed little to. They should apologise to the volunteers who they have insulted.

Labour in disarray as 6 more York Councillors set to quit

The Labour Party in York is currently in disarray with a total of 6 Councillors now saying that they will stand down from the Council next year, while a further two have quit the Labour Group altogether (Cllrs Jeffries – who joined the LibDems – and Watson who now sits as an Independent).

Last week 3 other Labour Councillors were not re-selected to contest their seats in Clifton.

They were replaced by a party hack from M.P. Hugh Bayley’s office and an unknown “businessman”.

Dringhouses Labour Councillor Ann Semlyen is one of those that has announced that she is quitting the York Council next May. **The Fishergate based representative has endured a troubled term of office and has been blamed by many for the introduction of the controversial wide area 20 mph speed limits. The Dringhouses ward is highly marginal with the area being represented by one LibDem and two Labour Councillors at present .The fate of the other Dringhouses Labour Councillor (Hodgson) is unknown.**

Labour have refused to confirm that Heworth based Dafydd “two jobs” Williams will seek to retain his seat in Westfield.

The other local representative (Burton) – who also lives on the other side of the river – has gained an unfortunate reputation as one of the least effective elected representatives that the City has ever seen.