Paul Walkers letter

[SRMoore]

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.

[steveL]

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.

[mk1]

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".





cue stampede to estate agents................

[SRMoore]

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.

[steveL]

That's OK. I have a lot of friends who vote Labour too. 

[steveL]

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 

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. 

[mk1]

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.
. · 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 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.

[SRMoore]

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.