Night of the Three Bitches

[Foggy]

I have just been looking at the agenda for Thursdays council meeting.  Looks very interesting indeed.

https://www.hartlepool.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/3403/council

Should be a long old meeting with 16 different motions to be discussed!  I use the word 'discussed' loosely as no doubt one group of Councillors will be discussing and the other group will either read out prepared statements or keep their mouth shut (Probably best in some cases).

I think we probably know how motions 1, 3, 6, 9 and 13 will go but well done to the five Councillors for doing what they were elected to do.

[fred c]

The Clowncouncillors won`t want to get into answers longer than half a dozen syllables, so I suspect any reasoned debate will not be allowed by The Chair/CAB/Cranney

Shovels & a Skip will be on hand, volunteers required to remove the B***s**t from the chamber immediately after the meeting.  

[DRiddle]

Regarding motion number one, I'd love to hear from any councillor who feels elected members deserve MORE in mileage allowance than the recommended rate set by HMRC. The motion is detailed below for those who many not have seen it.

Currently car mileage allowance payable to HBC councillors is 52.5p
per mile. This is considerably higher than the 45p per mile
recommended by HMRC. Indeed, in light of fiscal pressures, over 100
of the 350 local authorities across the country now limit mileage
allowance to 45p. We propose a motion that HBC reduce mileage
allowance payable to councillors to the 45p rate recommended by
HMRC'
Councillors:-
David Riddle
Jonathan Brash
Kelly Atkinson
Steve Gibbon
Paul Thompson

A freedom of information request showing (a) which councillors actually claim this allowance and (b) How much on average per month they claim, would make interesting reading I'd like to bet.

Given the number of miles claimed across the whole of the council last year, it's fairly safe to assume that councillors must be responsible for SOME of those claims.

My understanding is it would have been very difficult if not impossible for the motion to have INCLUDED reducing officers mileage allowance. That issue is in the hands of the unions. However, the only thing stopping the councillors reducing their own rate down to the 45p recommended by HMRC is....... the councillors and their willingness to do it.

[fred c]

If, as you mention it would prove to be impossible to reduce 'Current' officers mileage allowances, there is nothing stopping the council from reducing the milage allowance to 'New Recruits' by including it in their contract of employment.

The question of why the mileage allowance was set so high & by whom deserves an answer.

[steveL]

I see no reason why the mileage allowance should not be cut from April this year.

The different rates between different local authorities is such that no one could argue the rates are set by national negotiation - they're not even the same between the 5 local authorities within the proposed Combined Authority - go figure. 

[DRiddle]

Personally I think the next 3 or 4 months represent a seminal period in Hartlepool politics.

(I mean seminal as in it will 'strongly influence later developments', not in the other sense of the word 'seminal')

After all, I'm very confident the motions will continue to be proposed over the next few months by the free thinking councillors. I'm also very confident the Lab/Con coalition will continue to knock back even the most reasonable of proposal.

The acid test will then come in May.

For example, if, hypothetically at this stage, Akers-Belcher and the mutes vote; to keep mileage allowances higher than necessary, to raise  council tax by 3.9%, to channel £200,000 to a Seaton based 'community hub', to restrict the public from asking questions, and to allocate the Health Watch contract to one of their own... etc.

And they do all that having already voted to pay themselves more allowances, to rip up the town plan, to waive huge sums of 106 money without explanation, not to mention the previous scandals which we're currently not allowed to mention....

And they STILL got voted back in; such a situation would represent a very dangerous state of affairs.

There would be certain people who would consider that 'impunity'.

That situation could lead to the front page to this website changing daily and Private Eye having it's own subsection of Rotten Boroughs just for our councillors.

Crazy times ahead. 

[fred c]

I can't see the Clowncouncillors voting to drop the mileage allownce & if they don't, it is further proof, if proof were needed, of just how dysfunctional a ruling group they are.

[the_exile]

It would be interesting to see which (if any) of the clowns declare the 7.5p per mile, paid in excess of the HMRC agreed rate, on their tax returns.

There is an income tax implication on each and every individual who is paid an amount in excess of 45p per mile.

Tax..................... its how they got Al Capone, oh aye and Niramax

[Foggy]

I can't see the Clowncouncillors voting to drop the mileage allownce & if they don't, it is further proof, if proof were needed, of just how dysfunctional a ruling group they are.

As is usually the case, the problem is getting that information out to the masses. Social media can only do so much and Mail is as useful as a chocolate fireguard. Unless they surprise us 

[steveL]

Tonight's Council meeting was just dire. I gave up early and left unable to witness events any further - I'll wait for the video.

I'm afraid Peter Devlin is so intent on not making waves that he doesn't seem to have noticed that his 'council' is already floundering six feet underwater and as a Chief Executive, Gill Alexander is about as much use as Mary Fleet is as Chairman.

What an utter mess.

The reality is that Hartlepool no longer has a properly functioning council and it's been that way for some time.

Question: What is the shortest document known to man?
Answer: Carl Richardson's CV.

[minime]

It's still going on. CAB was adamant he wanted to get through the whole agenda this evening. Cranney is in the chair as Mary had to go home at 9.30.

Highlight of the evening so far is SAB throwing a few toys and insults around the room.

[steveL]

...and I bet Devlin said nothing.

[DRiddle]

I'm surprised CAB spoke. I'd have bet good money on him not daring to remind the electorate of his intellect prior to May.

The glasses are fooling no one.

[steveL]

Can SAB actually write? I mean, apart from fiddling his time sheets......?

Interesting watching the sheep's faces tonight. There were a lot of embarrassed faces wishing that they were somewhere else and if it has dragged on then Barclay would have been experiencing the DTs....wonder if he excused himself and skipped over to King Johns?

Couple of other things. There was an unusually high contingent of orang-u-tangs in the corner but hardly any council officers present.

[DRiddle]

Can SAB actually write? I mean, apart from fiddling his time sheets

He'll need to be able to . . . To sign on.