Last night's Full Meeting of Brent Council must have left the new Chief Executive Carolyn Downs wondering about the tough task ahead in getting the Council out of its slough of despond, while Christine Gilbert could be forgiven for celebrating her forthcoming liberation by performing cartwheels in the Civic Centre atrium.
The showdown between the two groups of Tory Councillors dominated the business part of the meeting but when the gunfire died down no one could agree on the final outcome.
The 56 Labour councillors may have decided to recognise the Kenton Tories as the principal opposition with the status and funding that goes with that or the decision may have been handed over to a constitutional working party to negotiate on before the next meeting of the General Purposes Committee.
CLARIFICATION (sic) These are the responses I got this morning:
Meanwhile the tweets can tell the story:
The showdown between the two groups of Tory Councillors dominated the business part of the meeting but when the gunfire died down no one could agree on the final outcome.
The 56 Labour councillors may have decided to recognise the Kenton Tories as the principal opposition with the status and funding that goes with that or the decision may have been handed over to a constitutional working party to negotiate on before the next meeting of the General Purposes Committee.
CLARIFICATION (sic) These are the responses I got this morning:
Brent Council Press Office:
The group led by Cllr Kansagra was voted in as the principal opposition last night.
Cllr Michael Pavey (Deputy
Leader - Labour)
As it stands Kenton are the principal Opposition. There is a meeting of the constitution committee next week which will review the situation, but only a vote by Full Council or a change in the number of members in either Tory Group can change this.
The next challenge is to try and allocate Committees between the two.
Cllr Joel Davidson (Briondesbury Park Conservatives)
What happened is that Mo Butt has chosen the Kenton Group to be Principal Opposition, that's what he got his Group to vote for last night. That means that Kansagra and Colwill will once again draw the allowances - 12k and 8k - that come with being Leader and Deputy Leader.The constitutional working party, if there is one, is supposed to negotiate between the 2 Opposition Groups - Brent Tories and Kenton/Butt Group - as to who sits on the 6 main committees - GP, planning, equalities etc.If we can't agree, as seems very likely, then Council will again vote to give all the main committee posts to the Kenton/Butt Group. It's another sad day for democracy in Brent when a Dear Leader can hand-pick a pliant Opposition which has no political affiliation and is committed to giving him as easy a ride as possible. As I asked Butt last night - is 56 Labour Cllrs not enough that you need to co-opt 3 more AND make them the 'Opposition'??
Meanwhile the tweets can tell the story:
23 comments:
Sorry Martin, I'm not Brondesbury Park Conservatives - if anything was clear last night it's that we are now Brent Conservative Group!
Doesnt matter if Kenton Tories have official recognition from tory hq as a duck is still a duck no matter what clothes it wears. Therefore in decising allowances recognition from hq is irrelevant.
yes that is correct, but it is still incredibly brazen and insecure at the same time from Butt to be so scared of some opposition from 3 cllrs that he needs to choose an extra 3 stooges just to make his life even easier!
I think it's deliberate on Butt's part, not for stooges but to maintain the chaos and fragmentation in the Tories. Interesting that their London Region chose to back Shaw who is the power behind the throne in all this.
Might help if you made clear who it is that is (or are) claiming not to be them, then.
I seem to remember Lynton Crosby's 'chaos' mantra being parroted by all the tories before the election ........
I might be able to help. The group 'Previously Known as the Brondesbury Park Group' are now claiming after the CCHQ sponsored AGM that they are THE 'Brent Conservative Group' . Something disputed by the Kenton Group.
It's a bit like recognising a new government after a coup while the previous government is still claiming legitimacy.
Recognition by Wembley Matters, by accepting the claimed designation, could of course lead to UN intervention.
They can provide opposition without allowances can't they?
Stay out of it, Martin. We don't want another Balkans.......
Mike Hine
Its obvious that Kansagra has been off by the promise of allowances. He's been around a long time and he knows where the bodies are buried
Despite everything, the tories are not as dysfunctional as the Labour Group.
If there's only 6 of you and you spend all your time arguing about who you are and whether you'll get your 11 grand for sod all or not, there's not much scope to be dysfunctional, is there?
hi all
that's the point, the allowances are not supposed to be for sod all - they're supposed to be a reflection of the extra work involved in shadowing the administration, holding them to account on committees, etc.
Cllr Warren was and is doing that, Kansagra and Colwill have done and will do nothing of the sort.
Also it's not just allowances - the Butt stooges Kansagra and Colwill will also be placed on all the key committees so that Butt can wave through anything he likes with no challenge at all.
I actually thought even Butt could see how absurd he looks now, but I guess I was giving him too much credit.
Best,
Cllr Joel Davidson
Of course they can. Cop out time.
Did someone die?
If Butt represents the privileged out of touch corporate and aristocratic elite and the Conservatives represent, well the Conservatives then what you're experiencing Joel (this frustration, irritation and anguish) is a parallel of what the rest of us feel when reflecting on our new government. As Conservatives have a long tradition of taking public money for little or no work. In dark rooms it may even be admitted that this is the Conservative Mantra. Kansagra and Colwill are obvs just fulfilling the role society expects of them. I know you returned those iPads but that may make you the exception that proves the rule.
Now, anyone for a duck house?
What's Helen Carr's excuse then?
The Kenton Tories seem to be taking their cue from the Labour Party in Parliament and following a similar strategy regarding their functions as an Official Opposition - don't oppose anything, sit there compliantly and let the ruling party get away with whatever they like.
Anyone got a Rizla?
Butt is claiming that residents who voted Tory at the local election did so with Suresh Kansagra as Tory leader therefore he should be recognised as the Opposition and the Brondesbury coup is irrelevant.
I wonder what Ann John would make of that?
Is that code for something?
The infamous Duck House that was bought by a Conservative MP from us thanks to expenses epitomises the distain our 'rulers' have for us.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5357568/MPs-expenses-Sir-Peter-Viggers-claimed-for-1600-floating-duck-island.html
Only from the neck up, 14:06.
Did the residents who voted Labour at the local elections in 2014 do so on the promise from the Labour Leader, Muhammed Butt, that his party would run the Council with openness and transparency? I suppose he would claim that his failure to do so is irrelevant as well.
Philip Grant.
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