Its funny how once He's got his money and retired He has plenty to say! Why Didn't He speak up when He was CE of the council, we never heard a thing from Him & very rarely did He write in the Mail. Most people only knew His name because of the 10,000 pay rise!
Not really the done this to spout off from the position of Chief Executive, is it? But once free of the shackles of etiquette........
It would have been like a Turkey Voting for Christmas, so i don`t have a problem with how he has decided to air his views at this particular time, the important thing is what he has to say.
These views coupled with the Peer Group Reviews opinion appear to coincide, the only people who can`t see this are "The Mob", the way Hartlepool is currently governed is a complete joke & it surely can`t be to long before someone at Labour Head Office notice just what kind of damage is being done to the Party`s reputation in the town.
Quote from: AWB on October 08, 2012, 10: PM
Its funny how once He's got his money and retired He has plenty to say! Why Didn't He speak up when He was CE of the council, we never heard a thing from Him & very rarely did He write in the Mail. Most people only knew His name because of the 10,000 pay rise!
Reading from C A-B's response in the 'Mail' regarding Paul Walker taking the money and leaving; Chris should know all about that didn't he do the same. His Labour colleagues got him loads of compensation (our money) when he left H.B.C. so I'm told
Shameful that the blonde will allow him the front page to promote the very person who afforded him 9 good pay rises without a whimper. I wonder if the NO voters will be allowed the same luxury. So thats 2 pages in a week for the CHIMP brigade, i think we all need to write to Sunderland to register our disgust at the dying swan.
I think we are witnessing a council in freefall.
Quote from: for fawkes sake on October 09, 2012, 11: AM
I think we are witnessing a council in freefall.
;D Hopefully!
Just maybe whilst employed by the council he was bound by a confidentially agreement. Now he isn't employed he doesn't have to keep his powder dry so to speak. It could be he has bided his time to speak out to the best effect.
Quote from: plus4 on October 09, 2012, 09: AM
Reading from C A-B's response in the 'Mail' regarding Paul Walker taking the money and leaving; Chris should know all about that didn't he do the same. His Labour colleagues got him loads of compensation (our money) when he left H.B.C. so I'm told
It has been discussed here many times.
SCAB 2 used to post here in tandem with his better half. They took turns using the one ID and it was noticable that one 'poster' had a good grasp of grammar whilst the other struggled a bit to make himself understood.
Anyway CAB boasted about the number of people he denied benefit to whilst he was working with the nasty men who called him names.
He was quite proud of the fact had snatched cash from wheelchair users.
Mad Marg finaly got sick of him revealing the official Labour line here before she told the other drones which way they were voting so she stopped him posting.
Between them the SCABS make a mint from us poor ratepayers. Look how fat the buggers have got.
Food seems not to be a problem for the ruling elite on the Council. The 4 main thugs are all overweight.
I read that bit in the Mail from CAB. Funny thing is, I don't remember him saying any of that stuff when it actually mattered.
I hear Ms Wilcox has now moved into The Oval - a case of let the buggers up Owton Manor eat cake I guess.
She'll stick out like a sore thumb there with her scrap cars and door number painted on the wall in 4 foot high letters.
I think it's fair to say that I and other members if the local Conservative party raised those concerns s long time ago. I am pleased the Peer group reported with such honesty and I must admit I am surprised that HF claim to be the only party that accept those findings. Had they asked the others? I guess not, which is a shame. Telling a fib enough times doesn't make it true
Not sure where your coming from there, Shane. Can't remember any reference to talk of people 'accepting' the findings or not. I do remember Lilley refusing to sign the original letter/press release to The Mail as being 'too sanitised' while the poison dwarf had no problem signing it..
I have attended many a council meeting & i can`t recall any instances of the Tory group raising these problems to Full Council, they may talk about them but not in the chamber, speaking out in council would at least have brought these issues into the public domain.
I don`t intend this to be a tory bashing comment, because like many on here I feel that what goes on in the running of Hartlepool needs to be put right & its up to "All Councillors of All Parties" who opposes the "Ruling Mob" to collaborate in putting an end to the dubious goings on.
I'm coming from the fact that the by-election leaflet on the PHF website states that PHF are the ONLY party that wanted the findings published. That isn't a personal dig or snipe Steve as i hope we are past that but I always believe it honest to highlight a blatant fib when told. We BOTH accept the report. Check our website.
Quote: "I'm coming from the fact that the by-election leaflet on the PHF website states that PHF are the ONLY party that wanted the findings published."
Your leader was quite happy to put his name to the Press Release/Letter that led to The Mail publishing a story that was headed up Review Highlights Civic Strengths - which wasn't really the true picture, was it, Shane?
Two days later, that headline had changed to Damning Detail of Report Revealed
The only reason that headline changed was because the Council couldn't stop the real story appearing on HTH and so then gave a copy of the findings to The Mail.
I don't remember your leader cheering me on as I tried to get the council to do what the Peer group had asked and release the findings to the public or him objecting to Cllr Simmons suggestion that they 'find some way around' the FOI Act.
You and your colleagues may accept the findings now, but frankly, now that it's out in the open - what choice do you have?
I'm quite certain you personally, would have been happy to have it all out in the open from the start but I'm afraid your Leader took a different view when it mattered.
Quote from: steveL on October 11, 2012, 12: AM
I hear Ms Wilcox has now moved into The Oval - a case of let the buggers up Owton Manor eat cake I guess.
I am reminded of a current TV ad..........
"Hello I'm your new neighbour".
(http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/4656/cureforhiccupssml.jpg) (http://img713.imageshack.us/i/cureforhiccupssml.jpg/)
cue stampede to estate agents................
Your correct Steve, I'd have gladly had it all out in the open as I've always been a firm believer in open and transparent governance.
I can't speak for Ray or any of the other elected members, I speak for myself. But it's worth bearing in mind that Ray is the group leader of the elected Conservative members, since I'm not an elected member and deputy chairman of the local association he isn't technically 'my leader' though he is a very good friend who I have a lot of time for.
That's OK. I have a lot of friends who vote Labour too. ;D
I see Mr Walker has another lengthy letter in The Mail tonight. Interesting use of the word 'scuppered' - he always was one of our most avid readers ;D
Interesting too the oblique reference to CAB's previous employment history - we're all ears, Darth. You're always welcome to your own column on HTH. ;)
The labour mothpiece has a long whine in tonight's Mail.
Barclay seems to be the man chosen to fill the reserved 'Labour' slot on the letters page.
Try and read it without laughing out loud!
Hartlepool Mail Monday Oct 22nd page 8
LEAVING aside what can best be described as anti-Labour, opportunistic diatribe Mr Walker's letters (Mail, October 8 and 15) make a point about the decision of the Labour Group scuppering the Mayor's decision to out-source the IT/Benefits section.
My first point is that as he was in retirement at the time (some- where in Switzerland I believe?) and seems to know a lot about it, even if it is only one side of the coin. Secondly, the main proposal to out-source IT and revenue and benefits as a package, ie together, does not make a lot of sense.
They are like chalk and cheese. The only thing they have in common is that both services work in the same building.
If the Mayor had proposed to out-source these services sepa- rately, you may have found that ' there would not have been any objection from the full Hartlepool Borough Council.
I must also make the point that it was not just the Labour Group but over two-thirds of the council against it.
IT may then have been re-contracted out sooner, thus providing the savings that he and all councillors would like to have made.
I reiterate re-contracted, because IT was contracted out and is not part of the council..
The objection to the revenues and benefits section being out-sourced by councillors of all persuasions was because it was not believed that the jobs of the whole of this section would be safeguard.
. ยท It is well known for the private sector to say one thing and mean another in regardsto safeguarding jobs. A recent example lately was Cleveland Police when in 2010 they out-sourced 500 security staff and now find themselves having to find 30 of them being made re- dundant with the likelihood of more in the future.
Only the other day Cornwall County Council, which has only one Labour councillor out of a possible 123 councillors, the rest being mainly Tory/Lib Dem/In- dependents, kicked out the leader of the council for trying to outsource services including benefits..
Their reasoning against out-sourcing is that it was handing over public services to a private company where the decisions are not being made for the local council taxpayer but instead they were being made for the company. '
This is precisely the argument that Councillor Akers-Belcher was making (Mail, October 12) against Mr Walker's letter (Mail, V October 8) and to which Mr Walker hostilely replied.
If this is the way that Mr Walker reacts when someone disagrees with him then the council is well shot of him and the only people with regrets will be those councillors that recommended his employment as chief executive in the first place.
Finally, I believe the council has already made substantial savings in the employment of an acting chief executive and by the employment of a new and local chief executive
I hope Shane is blushing as he reads it. Look how the make great play of the fact the Conservaties (really just Ray) supported Labout.
I hope they are proud of themselves.
What strikes me is that the no1 priority seems to be the jobs in the Civic. Nothing else seems to matter.
The current conservative group of councillors did support the emended budget for the reasons stated on the night and which I posted on here.
Personally I have no issues outsourcing both departments IF it is in the best interests of this town, its residents and provided us with an equal or better standard of service. I certainly don't prescribe to the fact that public sector is best and there are a number of other departments/services which could also be outsourced to local companies.