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Tuesday, November 30, 2004
 Spennells Youth Centre...
"It is extremely sad that the disruptive behaviour of a small gang has led to the temporary closure of the Spennellls Youth Centre" the Chairman of the Wyre Forest Youth Strategy Group Cllr Fran Oborski said today.
"The disruption has been so severe that normal activities have become impossible and the Youth Leaders have been diverted from productive work with the majority of sensible young people in the Spennells area".
"The Youth Centre, under its two new Youth Leaders will reopen in the new year. In the meantime I am asking the Youth Leaders to help survey Spennells youngsters, girla and boys, to see what activities they would most like to see available in the area."
"I am delighted by the assurance from the local Police Beat Manager that the Police want to be actively involved in the relaunch of the Youth Centre."
posted by Oborski, 09:39 | link | comments
Monday, November 29, 2004
 Taxis again! Council chaos!
Today saw probably one of the most awful Wyre Forest District Council Meetings of all time - and that really is saying something!
A few weeks ago the Licensing Committee voted to support continuingthe regulation of local taxis but asked a Council Scrutiny Panel to look into the issue. They did and came back with a report saying that in their opinion deregulation is inevitable and coming up with various proposals. The final decision rests with full Council. Scroll down to the earlier "A simple guide to the taxi debate" posting. In fact the Licensing Committee should probably have NOT have expressed its opinion until it had heard back from the Scrutiny Panel - but that is now water under the bridge.
Today the Licensing Committee was faced with its own previous opinion, the views of the Scrutiny Panel and a so called last minute compromise proposal. The compromise proposal was last minute, ill conceived and poorly (!!!!!) explained. The rest of the meeting was chaotic as members attempted to grope through a fog of ill presented and conflicting material.
Eventually the Licensing Committee surrendered to the inevitable and decided to let the whole matter drift off without comment or recommendation to full Council - so leaving the full Council to effectively stew in its own uninformed juice!!!!!
The only hope was to desperately clutch at a Liberal proposal that there has got to be a proper seminar for all Council members - BEFORE the key meeting of full Council - so that members may just get a grip on what is happening.
The Committee look idiotic. The Council looks stupid. Let's hope we can redeem ourselves with a sensible, structured and informed debate at full Council after the seminar takes place.
A simple guide to the taxi debate...
Everywhere in England besides London (where it is the Police) Local Authorities License taxis. That covers the type, colour and marking of vehicles and Disability Discrimination Act compliance. They also license drivers, inspect vehicles and fix local fare structures in agreement with the local taxi trade.
In most areas taxis are "deregulated" which means that the Council does not limit the number of licences issued. In Wyre Forest, and a small number of other authorities, taxis are still "regulated" which means that the Council limits the number of licences – so many and no more. There are currently 84 "hackney carriage" licences in Wyre Forest and there is currently a waiting list for licences.
The Government want Councils to deregulate to allow free competition. The local taxi drivers are terrified that they would be swamped by "cowboys" coming in from outside.
By the end of March 2005 Councils have to tell the Government whether or not they intend to deregulate. Councils that want to continue to regulate taxis will have to provide evidence that they have carried out a survey and that the survey proves that in staying regulated they can meet existing and "unmet" need for taxis in the area.
"Unmet" need is difficult to establish because it comes down to working out how many people who do not now use taxis would use taxis if there more of them available! In Wyre Forest it would also mean having licences available for "taxi buses" which the County Council want for public transport use.
A survey costs about £10,000 which the Council would expect the taxi trade to fund. The Government would expect a survey at least once every three years.
Currently Worcestershire County Council has 173 taxi contracts in Wyre Forest for Special School and Social Services transport plus a few contracts to take kids from rural areas to school. This explains why it’s almost impossible to get a taxi between 8.00 am - 9.00 am and 3.00 pm - 4.30 pm. There are of course other peak hours (particularly Friday and Saturday nights) when it is difficult to get a taxi.
The Licensing Committee of the District Council voted to leave things as they are BUT asked a Scrutiny Committee to look at the issue and report back.
The October 27th meeting of the Environment and Economic Regeneration Policy and Scrutiny Panel of the District Council unanimously (moved by Tory Panel Vice-Chairman June Salter and seconded by Labour Leader Jamie Shaw) recommended that the Council deregulates but insists that:-
(a) New Licences should be issued only to purpose built taxis;
(b) New Licences should be issued only to brand new vehicles;
(c) Vehicles should be of a specified colour and bear the Wyre Forest logo clearly marked on the sides of the vehicle;
(d) All new taxis should be Disability Discrimination Act compliant (ie. capable of carrying wheel chairs);
(e) From a date to be determined all replacements for existing taxis should also meet (a), (b), (c) and (d). This final clause would not come in for several years.
The aim is to bring us in line with the Government’s demand for deregulation which is harder and harder to resist but at the same time to prevent an influx of "cowboys" by insisting on high specification purpose built vehicles.
These comments went back to Licensing Committee today and the issue goes on to full Council.
Subsequently we are told - by the taxi drivers - that insisting on "expensive" Disability Discrimination Act compliant taxis will NOT deter anyone as "anyone" can afford them at £599 depoit and £57 a week repayments. Which rather begs the point as to why they were always too expensive to introduce in the past?!
Obviously this is a fairly brief resume of a very complex issue. Get in touch if there are issues you want to raise. We look forward to hearing from you.
posted by Oborski, 18:20 | link | comments
posted by Oborski, 17:56 | link | comments
Saturday, November 27, 2004
To all CITIZENS of the FREE WORLD,
Now, while you are reading this letter, 48 million people in one of the largest countries in Europe have a unique chance to make their choice and change a corrupt ruling regime.
This autumn 2004 is the moment of truth for the Ukrainian nation
We know that the choice of the Ukrainian people is clear.
They are tired of years of corrupt and untrustworthy government. They are exhausted by permanent lies and lawlessness. They want prosperity and stability for their children. They want to live in a democratic country. They value freedom of expression and freedom of the press They want to join the European community. They want their choice to be heard and respected.
But we also know that they can be robbed of this choice, as happened during parliamentary elections in 2002, during the elections in Mukachevo and in multitudes of small towns all over Ukraine. We recognize that the People’s choice could be disgraced and replaced by the will of a small oligarchic group. And once again millions of Ukrainians will be deceived
We started this letter of freedom and solidarity to defend free and fair election results.
If you believe in freedom, if you care about the future of Ukraine, sign this letter to prevent falsifications and to protect the thousands of young Ukrainians who have created a national network of volunteers and started PORA (TIME), a civic movement aimed at ensuring and protecting fair and democratic election of the President of Ukraine.
We need your help
because the regime will be afraid to break the rules in front
of because only UNITED we can win There is no alternative to public action:
1. Check our website www.pora.org.ua/en
2. Sign our letter of freedom and solidarity
3. Make a difference: join PORA Campaign and contribute to campaign
4. Forward this letter to your friends
There might not be other chance
It is TIME to act, TIME to struggle, TIME to win
If you want to sign this letter please send your name, organization you represent and your email to info@pora.org.ua
posted by Oborski, 18:11 | link | comments
Friday, November 26, 2004
 Equality in Wyre Forest...
Pick up on disability issues here!
posted by Oborski, 19:01 | link | comments
 
Poland goes orange!
Poland is going orange! People are wearing orange ribbons, scarves and hats! Orange flags and banners are appearing on cars, monuments, towers and flag poles. The Palace of Culture which dominates the Warsaw skyline sports on orange banner. Town Councils across Poland are declaring support.
Why? Because orange is the colour of the campaign for democracy and fair elections in Ukraine. In Ukraine orange is the colour of freedom.
Show support. Wear an orange ribbon. Wear an orange scarves, hats or whatever.
posted by Oborski, 14:06 | link | comments
"the walls have not been designed with sufficient strength, let alone an appropriate factor of safety, for the the purpose for which they are being used"
We havejust received a copy of the letter that has gone from the local Highways Partnership Manager to Phipps & Pritchard who are the agents for the developers responsible for the Chapel Court retaining wall. Key points from the letter are...
(1) "...you now accept that these walls are not adopted by the Highways Authority and they are indeed under private ownership";
(2) According to the Consulting Structural Engineer "...the walls have not been designed with sufficient strength, let alone an appropriate factor of safety, for the the purpose for which they are being used";
(3) "...it would appear that the concrete slab comprising the footway surface has been cast into the wall itself... ...this is exceedingly bad practice and should certainly not have been permitted";
(4) "The concrete slabs have settled placing the top four or five courses of brickwork under tension and this has caused cracking along the mortar joints";
(5) "I am prepared to take very limited action to resolve the immediate problems associated with the retaining wall. I intend to break out the concrete slab immediately to the top of the steps and replace with a tarmacadam surface not bound to the wall in any way. I will also make good the brickwork on the corner immediately adjacent to this slab and the top of the steps";
(6) "I will also arrange to have the existing brickwork pointed up over the full length of the wall but only where such brickwork is above the level of the concrete slab. Those areas of cracking below this level cannot be attributed to the settlement of the slab and will not be dealt with by the Highway Authority.";
(7) "My Structural Engineer has expressed considerable concern that should the remainder of the concrete slab be physically detached from the retaining wall then this could cause the wall to destabilise further leading ultimately to collapse. For this reason I am not prepared to undertake this work until further investigations into the stability of the wall have been undertaken by yourselves";
(8) "With regard to the steps it is obvious that the retaining walls have moved outward allowing the steps to sink. Again the question arises as to whether the strength of the retaining wing walls is sufficient for the purpose";
(9) "I am not prepared to undertake any works on the steps until you have instigated appropriate action to stabilise these walls. As I am sure you can appreciate to do so would in all probability be a complete waste as the walls will continue to move outward and the steps will be in the same condition within a few years. There is also the question that should works take place immediately adjacent to these walls they could collapse".
 Action is long overdue!
This whole matter has been dragging on for years. It must be sorted. We cannot have important retaining walls left in this condition! We have written today to Phipps & Pritchard saying that if we don't see some sort of action plan from them within fourteen days we will be demonstrating outside their offices!
 See the photos here!
posted by Oborski, 11:01 | link | comments
Thursday, November 25, 2004
posted by Oborski, 14:56 | link | comments
posted by Oborski, 14:06 | link | comments
 Consult, Consult, Consult - but NEVER listen!
Everybody is busy consulting on everything! The trouble is that nobody ever actually listens.
The local communities bitterly oppose the closure of local Post Offices. Yes, we are all consulted but the closures will now we are told go ahead regardless!
Either they never listen or they think they know best!
By the whatever did happen to Blair's "Big Conversation"?
posted by Oborski, 10:52 | link | comments
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
 Audit Committee last night...
Well we can't tell you anything. It was confidential. Were there matters of interest and concern? We can't tell you! How do we get some of this legitimately out into the open? We don't know yet. We'll try. You should know. We're NOT happy!
posted by Oborski, 01:30 | link | comments
Training...
Cllr Graham Ballinger and I spent today on a full day Wyre Forest Distict Council training course for Licensing Committee Members in respect of the Licensing Act 2003 which comes into force next year. Did we learn much?
posted by Oborski, 01:26 | link | comments
 Flag this one up to experience...
We have nothing against flags. We love the British union flag and Mike, as Polish Consul, has a particular responsibility for both flying and securing respect for the Polish flag. We probably spend much more of our time dealing with flags than most people.
We have, however, commented before on the new and at times rather strange Wyre Forest District Council obsession with placing the Union flag alongside a drab green abomination bearing the Council logo, some dreadful slogan and, yes, a picture of a pile of old bricks - and then sticking them up all over the place.
However, the plot thickens!
On Monday night we arrived in the beautiful Victorian Kidderminster Town Hall Council Chamber to discover that some idiot had decided to stick both flags up on the wall behind the Mayor's seat using a particularly dreadful cheap and shoddy bracket and modern metallic flag poles totally and utterly out of keeping with the place. It looked really tacky and shoddy.
Guess what! The Town Hall is a listed building, and yes the Council Chamber is a listed room!
You need listed building consent to mess around with a historic room like that.
Had anybody got such consent? No!
Had anybody applied for such consent? No!
Who is responsible for enforcing the rules and stopping you from doing this without consent?
You've guessed it - Wyre Forest District Council love 'em!
posted by Oborski, 00:54 | link | comments
 On our very best behaviour...
We will not name the very senior Wyre Forest District Council Officer who tonight told Mike...
"I'm impressed by what you carry around in your pocket"!
She was not referring to the "one ring to bind them all" or anything else for that matter more exotic than Mike's 60 GB Creative Zen Xtra!
For some reason that we do not understand her comment was greeted with considerable mirth!
posted by Oborski, 00:40 | link | comments
Monday, November 22, 2004
 Cat cares...
A few weeks ago we reported about local concerns at the numbers of cats killed on local residential roads. Yesterday we were away and got home late at night. There was a note on the door from residents on Shakespeare Drive who had found the body of our little ginger tom cat, Ryba, in the road. They also returned his collar and tags and delivered the body to our next door neighbour who then delivered it to us when we returned. People are very kind. If a household animal (I hate the word "pet") goes missing the worst thing is not knowing. At least we know what happened to Ryba and aren't left wondering. People are very kind. They needn't have bothered but they made sure we knew what had happened and even returned the body. Thank you very much indeed. Meanwhile, please drive carefully on residential roads.
posted by Oborski, 14:21 | link | comments
Thursday, November 18, 2004
posted by Oborski, 21:29 | link | comments (2)
 This looks good...
The Shuttle reports...
Raising awareness
DISABILITY Action is marking the European Day of Disabled People with an event aimed at increasing awareness at Kidderminster Town Hall.
Anyone interested in disability issues is invited to chat to the specialist exhibitors at the event on Thursday, December 2 from 10am until 4pm. Representatives from a variety of groups will be present, including the Worcestershire Carers Association, Disability Action Wyre Forest and the Citizen's Advice Bureau.
posted by Oborski, 21:17 | link | comments (2)
Highways partnership scrutiny launched...
Last night Wyre Forest District Council's Cabinet Scrutiny Committee set out its plans for a major scrutiny exercise into the way in which the Highways Partnership works in the area.
A "task and finish" Group has been set up to tackle the task under the leadership of Cllr Mike Oborski and has been given until March to complete and deliver its report.
Cllr Oborski said "the aim is simple enough - to improve the way in which the partnership works and to improve the service to the public."
"This is a large, complex and important service so this is going to be a big job. It is vital that we get it right."
Watch this site for further news.
Mike adds...
What really impressed me last night was the way in which everyone, regardless of party, was pulling together. Most of the items on the Agenda were pretty technical and heavy but the highways scrutiny exercise is of much wider public importantance. Health Concern's Ken Stokes chaired the meeting very well. He and I are joint Chairmen and take it in turn to chair actual meetings. I think we are working well together. Relationships between the Committee and Council Leader Stephen Clee and Deputy Leader Marcus Hart are very positive and that bodes well for the future. I am really looking forward to working with Cllr Mrs Hingley - a Conservative who was elected to the Council in June - who is to be Vice-Chairman of the "task and finish" Group. Hopefully she will bring a fresh approach to the issues. Her enthusiasm is very welcome.
posted by Oborski, 18:33 | link | comments
 Smoking in public....
A poll on the Worcestershire County Council site shows 98.88% in favour of a ban on smoking in public places in the County and 1.12% against? What do you think?
posted by Oborski, 09:27 | link | comments
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
 Government finance details delayed...
The Government had promised to publish details of the financial settlement for local authorities for 2005-2006 today. Now it turns out that this will be delayed until 6th December. The Government obviously have some trouble with their figures or strategy. It makes it very difficult for local councils to plan ahead if you don't get the key information on time.
posted by Oborski, 12:21 | link | comments
 Borrington Road Planting...
Nice to see a whole load of people (Offmore Community Action Group, Residents and youngsters) out planting trees on Borrington Park on Saturday. See the photos here!
posted by Oborski, 12:15 | link | comments
Sunday, November 14, 2004
 Remembrance Day...
Fran laid the wreath on behalf of the Polish Consulate in Kidderminster at the Cenotaph outside St. Marys & All Saints Church in Kidderminster today as part of the Remembrance Sunday commemorations.
Fran says it was marvellous with the highest turn out for years both in terms of the parade and the size of the crowd.
That is absolutely marvellous!
As Polish Consul for the West Midlands sadly I couldn't get there. Today we observe both Remembrance Sunday and our Independence Day.
posted by Oborski, 22:49 | link | comments
 Today...
...saw the finest Polish Independence Day celebration that I have ever seen in Kidderminster.
We watched film of Independence Day in Warsaw and part of a Polish TV 'biopic' of our national hero - Jozef Piłsudski.
Fran and Brenda Lemiech provided grilled kiełbasa (Polish sausage) and kotlety (cutlets) with onion.
Mrs Saternus decorated the main hall of the Polish Ex-Servicemens's Club in swaithes of white and red flags and carnations.
We sang the old Polish Songs of the First World War.
Guests included Kidderminster Mayor Siri Hayward and Mel, Wyre Forest District Council Chairman John Simmonds and wife, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Mark Garnier and his wife, Liberal Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Fran Oborski (who was generally kept locked up in the kitchen) and of course local MP Dr Richard Taylor and his wife.
Particular tribute was paid to the passing of General Stanisław Skalski. His death at the age of 89 was announced yesterday inWarsaw.
The first German plane to be shot down World War II was shot down by Skalski. He was the highest scoring Polish ace in the Battle of Britain.
At the end of the war he returned to Poland and spent 8 years on death row on a trumped up charge of treason from the Communist regime.
posted by Oborski, 22:26 | link | comments
Thursday, November 11, 2004
posted by Oborski, 23:24 | link | comments
 A bad taste in the mouth...
I’m left very tired, drained and extremely angry after sitting through the County Council Cabinet Meeting this morning.
Predictably they threw out the full County Council’s plea to let the people of Wyre Forest have a vote on whether they want their schools to remain three tier (first, middle and high) or go two tier (primary, high). The Cabinet have pushed through their botched switch to two tier.
Why I am I so furious?
Firstly, their own rules say that there should be no change in school organisation unless there is a real demand for that change in the area concerned. There is absolutely no evidence to show such a demand in Wyre Forest. They have simply ignored their own rules.
Secondly there are 57 County Councillor but all the decisions, including today’s, have been taken by the 10 who form the Cabinet. Of those 10 only 1 comes from Wyre Forest. Wyre Forest elects 11 County Councillors so 10 out of 11 Wyre Forest County Councillors have had no say. In fact the representatives of 90.9% of the electorate of Wyre Forest were barred from the decision making. Today those 10 of us were not even allowed to speak.
In terms of political composition by the way the Cabinet consists of 50% Tories, 20% Labour, 10% Liberal Democrat, 10% Independent, 10% Health Concern and 0% Liberal. At the last County Council Elections Wyre Forest elected 45% Health Concern, 18% Liberal, 18% Conservative, 9% Liberal Democrat, 0% Labour, 0% Independent.
This was NOT representative democracy in any shape or form!
Thirdly, the final proposals contain many decisions and implications which were NOT touched on during the so called "consultation" paper. There was a first "consultation" paper, then a "second" consultation paper with different alternatives, all leading to a "proposal" that contained many completely new elements.
Those hitting the area I represent included:-
- The reduction in High School intake – in the case of King Charles I School from 277 to 168 – with no discussion or indication of how this will affect the curriculum that the schools can offer!
- The fact that this reduction will reduce 6th Form levels to a figure below that which the Education Officers were saying – just a week before the final proposal came out - are necessary for a viable 6th Form!
- There has been no explanation of how this reduction in High School intake will change catchment areas. Some areas currently sending their youngsters to King Charles will find them going to Baxter or Wolverley instead. I would guess that most of the families likely to be affected have not the slightest inkling of what lies in store! Does anyone remember that some years ago parents from part of Offmore campaigned relentlessly so that their children could go to King Charles instead of bussing out to Wolverley!
- There was never any mention at any point in the consultation process that the High Schools would be stranded on split sites, with all the accompanying difficulties, for several years during the process of reorganisation!
- There was never any consultation on the proposal to reduce Offmore First School’s intake from 60 to 45 so leaving it facing mixed aged group classes!
- Furthermore nobody has officially even mentioned that this again means a change in catchment areas. Offmore is fully subscribed and would remain so with an intake of 60. So if only 45 are to be admitted where will the others go? What will be the knock on effects for the catchment areas of other Primary Schools on this side of Kidderminster?!
- In all the consultation proposals the prospect for Lea Street First School was merger. Those proposals were not popular but at least you could work out where children from that area would go if those proposals went ahead. In the final package Lea Street is simply to close without the slightest indication of where the children from that area will go!
These are just the issues on which there was never any consultation which affect the area I represent. The picture is simply repeated in different forms across much of the District.
Fourthly, the reorganisation stemmed from an awareness that there were too many empty school places absorbing funding in Wyre Forest. That needed to be addressed. As the reorganisation process was launched we were suddenly told that it was all about raising standards. However, although problems with standards were constantly alluded to throughout the process the nature of such problems was not clearly identified. Worse still the causes of any such problems were not investigated let alone identified so there is no way of knowing if the resultant reorganisation package will improve standards - or not. Indeed, we cannot say that the package does not embody or even strengthen the very characteristics that created the problems in the first place!
In my area there is the ultimate irony that we are now going to dismantle the schools with the very highest standards! King Charles I High School will diminish in scope as it diminishes from a 277 intake to a 168 intake. Comberton Middle School, surely one of the finest in the country, will close its doors. The superb Offmore First School will be deliberately sabotaged by lowering its intake by 25% from 60 to 45 so driving it into the unsatisfactory establishment of mixed age group classes. Comberton First School, another super school, gets mangled in the transition to Primary School. Our lovely, lovely Lea Street First School will be swept away. How does all of that improve standards? I would like someone to try and explain that to me. I do not think it is possible! Far too many babies are being thrown out with very little bath water!
Has this all been well thought out? The number and variety of loose ends and unasked and unanswered questions must surely suggest otherwise. Just a week before the final proposals were published Senior Education Officers were publicly arguing that the retention of three Kidderminster High Schools, under either a two or three tier system, was an impossibility because the numbers could not generate three viable 6th Forms. Yet, within a week the ruling Conservative Group insisted that they would retain the three High Schools. It subsequently turns out that the previously unpredicted building delays mean that new High School buildings will not now come on stream until precisely the moment when Kidderminster High School provision will have to be reviewed again because of the issue of imploding 6th Forms! What could be more foolish?
Of course change is necessary and desirable but couldn’t it have been handled so much better. Suppose we had firstly clearly identified and diagnosed the standards problems to ensure that any change would actually address and correct those issues? Suppose we had then had a real public debate on the relative merits of the two and three tier systems for Wyre Forest. Suppose we had then clearly identified where the actual empty places were? Suppose we had then looked at what were the judicious measures required to achieve the improvement of standards, to implement the desired system and to tackle the places issue? No, I will not accept accusations of "hindsight" because that is exactly what we have argued since well before the launch of the Wyre Forest Review.
Throughout the debate we were handicapped by the fact that the 14 strong Labour Group (none from Wyre Forest) at County Hall appeared to be placidly supporting the 26 strong Conservative administration. Indeed, at Cabinet in July Labour voted FOR the ill-conceived Conservative reorganisation package. With the Conservatives apparently able to rely on 40 out of 57 votes in Council and 7 out of 10 votes in Cabinet there was no hope of any real success in opposing the Tory proposals
It was only with the last minute Labour "let’s have a poll of Wyre Forest residents on the two tier / three tier issue" in October that it became possible to defeat the Tories (in this case by 27 votes to 25) in Council.
Why Labour had this change of heart I have no idea. Maybe it was genuine concern about the direction in which things were going or the growing public disquiet in Wyre Forest. Maybe they wanted to wrong foot the Tories in Wyre Forest or adopt a more visibly anti-Tory stance in the run up to next May’s County Council elections. Maybe it was a mixture of factors. In any event it offered an opportunity, albeit late and imperfect, to attempt to get a real debate and decisive indication of preference from Wyre Forest people. I believe a poll would show overwhelming but far from unanimous support for the three tier system.
Fran and I also believed that the poll debate would give us the time and opportunity to raise all issues in the final Tory proposal which had never been subject to public consultation or debate.
In Cabinet the Tories still had the votes. Sadly the one Labour abstention gave them a clear victory and saved them the humiliation of forcing their package through on the Leader’s casting vote.
The Tory arguments for rejecting a poll and the can be summarised as:-
- There has been full consultation already / There are too many issues on which there was NO consultation;
- The decision making process has been fair / No it hasn’t!
- There would be practical problems in conducting a poll / These "Problems" were spurious and could have been resolved.
- We need to get on with the job / Not if we are getting it wrong we don’t.
In steam rolling through their views against the wishes of the majority of the Council the Conservatives had made two major blunders.
Firstly, their schools reorganisation package for Wyre Forest lacks public and moral credibility. It has not been "agreed" it has been foisted on us. This could have serious implications.
Having had the majority view of the Council publicly spurned by a Cabinet dominated by a minority administration party that majority must now determine if it is simply to become a doormat upon which the administration wipes its boots or if it will now put an end to the reckless abuse of power by the minority administration.
Not only is the future of education in Wyre Forest at stake. So is the future nature of County Council governance in Wyre Forest.
Fran and I have written today to all non-Conservative Members of the County Council urging them to join us in a vote of no confidence in the Conservative "Leader" of the County Council.
We will see what happens.
Tonight I am left sitting here gloomily contemplating the destruction of some very fine schools. It could have been very different. It should have been very, very different!
posted by Oborski, 19:53 | link | comments
 Not representative democracy...
Someone adding a comment to the "A black day for democracy" story below says this is a representative democracy and we elect Councillors to take decisions.
In fact only 10 (the Cabinet) out of 57 elected County Councillors had a say. Of those 10 only 1 was from Wyre Forest. As there are 11 Wyre Forest County Councillors and only 1 had a say you can say that the elected representatives of 90.9% of the population of Wyre Forest did not have a vote. So it was most certainly not representative democracy!
posted by Oborski, 17:44 | link | comments
 A black day for democracy...
The Cabinet voted by 5 votes to 4 with 1 abstention to ignore the the plea from full County Council to let Wyre Forest peope vote as to whether Wyre Forest should stay three tier or go two tier. They voted to push ahead with the reorganisation package previously agreed by the Cabinet.
Wyre Forest County Councillors who are not members of the Cabinet were not allowed to speak.
The vote to push ahead and ignore the County Council plea was pushed through by the 5 Conservative Cabinet Members.
The 4 voting against were 1 Health Concern, 1 Liberal Democrat, 1 Independent and 1 Labour. The other Labour member abstained.
posted by Oborski, 16:06 | link | comments (6)
Greetings on Polish Independence Day...
"The Polish State has arisen by the will of the whole nation"
- Jozef Piłsudski (telegram to foreign Heads of State, November 1918)
Find out more about Polish Independence Day.
Mike Oborski
Konsul RP
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Christmas with The Shuttle...
