Saturday 16 May 2015

New line up on Brent Council Scrutiny Committee

Reliable sources tell me that the Brent Labour Group AGM today elected a new Scrutiny Committee with Cllr Dan Filson as chair. He is joined by Cllr Tom Miller, Cllr Sam Stopp, Cllr Matt Kelcher, Cllr Shama Tatler and Cllr Harbi Farah.

The election involved Labour backbenchers and excluded Cabinet members. [added for clarity at request of those concerned- MF].

The single Scrutiny Committee had come under fire for its lack of bite and failure to interrogate lead members and officers sufficiently rigorously.

Dan Filson has a a reputation for independence and is known to actually read council documentation, a rare attribute amongst Brent councillors. He comes over as a cross between Monsieur Hulot and Victor Meldrew but has a sharp edge.

Whether the younger members will exhibit a similar streak of independence and be prepared to challenge the Cabinet remains to be seen.

On Twitter Matt Kelcher said, 'Looking forward to my chance to serve my Borough in a new capacity, I hope to be an effective and constructive voice.'

However, on Facebook, LINK Michael Calderbank wrote 'New Brent Council Scrutiny Committee elected - and full of inexperienced young councillors who will have an eye on leadership patronage'.

63 comments:

Anonymous said...

Filson is a good addition but I think Calderbank is right about the others: young, career-driven councillors are unlikely to rock the boat much. Isn't Sam Stopp an Assistant Lead member for something or other, if so how can he reconcile this with a place on the Scrutiny Committee? Conflict of interest?

Martin Francis said...

Yes he was shadowing Environment. There is a possibility that the Environment lead member post has been axed so nothing to shadow. Anyone know?

Anonymous said...

Ellie Southwood is new lead member for environment

Anonymous said...

Believe Ellis Southwood has joined cabinet so assume not...

Alison Hopkins said...

Stopp, Kelcher and Miller are career SPAD types with PPE degrees - at best - and known for being both facile and singularly unpleasant on social media. Filson is acerbic and too driven by politics rather than the interest of residents: he decided not to attend a community forum before the elections because it wasn't in his ward. For example.

I bet Aslam is pissed off. Apparently, Parvez Ahmed was after being Mayor.

I begin to think there should be legisation for all councillors not to be members of political parties, but I doubt that would work. In my old fart mode, I long for the days when most councillors actually wanted to do it for community reasons, rather than as a stepping stone to being a PPC.

Anonymous said...

Miller Stopp and Feltcher? Brent is in real trouble. At least Filson is there.

Anonymous said...

Miller Stopp and Feltcher? What do those kids know about anything? At least Filson has put himself forward.

Anonymous said...

On fightback Tom Miller says there is a "health expert" who is this?

Anonymous said...

Alison's political party collapses and now she says political parties should be banned from council business. Coincidence?

Anonymous said...

Who has been chosen as Deputy Mayor?

Anonymous said...

Mary Daly? Former nurse (or maybe health visitor?)

Anonymous said...

Lesley Jones will make an excellent mayor. She is outstanding at wearing a robe and saying little of consequence.

Anonymous said...

New scrotes for the Scrote Committee! Rejoice!

Alison Hopkins said...

Oh look,my Labour councillor stalker is back. Hello sweetie.

Maybe the health expert is Carol Shaw. ;)

Alison Hopkins said...

Parvez was after it. I've had some interesting conversations of late.

Anonymous said...

Labour collapsed.

Anonymous said...

Sam Stopp stood down in order to serve on Scrutiny.

Anonymous said...

All of these councillors were strong internal critics of the decision to freeze council tax and were threatening to rebel against the March budget. In the end the rebellion didn't materialise because they were bought off with promises of future positions of responsibility. A place on the Scrutiny Committee it is then...

Anonymous said...

There was an election to the Scrutiny Committee. The idea that this is patronage is simply wrong.

Filson and this bright cohort of young politics are the last people re leadership want on Scrutiny. Ideas and democracy can be dangerous...

Anonymous said...

Spin starts already. The young cohort's twitter does not indicate a lightbulb let alone a led between them.

Anonymous said...

An elected committee makes it all open and fair? Because no vote within the Labour group has ever been gerrymandered, right? *cough, Council tax, cough*

Anonymous said...

Good luck to Councillor Dan Filson. Sadly the others are simply yes people and are unlikely to ask the tough questions.

The PPE degrees now on offer simply teach NeoLiberal rubbish so unlikely to see a change towards more radical ideas and approaches.

PPE degree now not worth paper it is printed on.

Anonymous said...

Ellie Southwood got her reward for staying quiet on the Scrutiny Committee, no doubt these lot will too.

Anonymous said...

Watching these little scrotes wail about this article on twitter has been one of the more entertaining aspects of this story

Anonymous said...

The bile on this blog is astonishing. You all need some serious therapy.

Anonymous said...

Not really... She was the last person Chairman Mo wanted in the Cabinet.

Anonymous said...

Are you thick? The leadership and the Cabinet were not in the room. They had no part in the conversation and were not allowed to vote.

Anonymous said...

The only thing stalking you is your past...

Anonymous said...

What about the whip?

Anonymous said...

"We're not children" whine the adults who behave like children on twitter.
"We have experience" they say.

Anonymous said...

Remember when everyone had a vote for the budget and whether or not to raise council tax but Cllr Butt overruled everyone and said the democratic process did not matter.
He has sent youth out as he knows they are looking for patronage and will not answer back.

Alison Hopkins said...

I'm very proud of my past - and of the work I am still doing locally, and will go on doing. I'm also very happy to post under my own name. Unlike you, my little friend, on both counts.

But then, I don't do it for the money or the patronage. Nor do I insult people's age or gender on Twitter. Again, unlike you.

Alison Hopkins said...

Ah. 18:32 and 18:33. The self same coward of a current Labour councillor who won't use his name for fear of being deselected and losing all.

Pretty stupid really. Especially as we know who they are.

Alison Hopkins said...

And there the Labour councillor goes again. 18:31, 32 and 33. Utter coward - is Butt really that scary?

Alison Hopkins said...

Interesting comment - why was he so unkeen?

Anonymous said...

What 'bile'? Brent Council is morally corrupt in its dealings with one very public and continuing case, if nothing else. Most councillors are either actively complicit or culpably passively collusive in this. Unsurprisingly, people are not happy about this.
If you object to the word 'scrote', it's merely a (perhaps appropriate) play on the word 'scrutiny' and the complete lack of real scrutiny which has been engineered by councillors and 'Leaders' in order for them to what they want to do without check or examination.
Is that clearer?

Mike Hine

Anonymous said...

I don't expect a lot from the 'Leader' but isn't it time he had a word? Or is it the 'Leader' who has allotted him this role?

Mike Hine

Anonymous said...

Sort him out, Butt for god's sake

Anonymous said...

Because she's made such a huge impact on the Scrutiny Committee proving herself to be an independent and principled backbencher with so much to say for herself and her community.

Anonymous said...

Naughty children reading WembleyMatters. There will be sore Butt if you don't Stopp Miller-ing about Kelcher-ing up with the latest news.

Anonymous said...

Same Labour councillor who is desperate to move ward at the next election because he "can't relate to the Asians" in his existing ward

Anonymous said...

If you at home and the people in the audience are asking if the Labour Youth are tough enough, let me tell you one thing.

Hell yes!




Edward Miliband.

Anonymous said...

Come now Mike. Without a very precise set of rules to follow from the leader these councillors would have to resort to relying on comon sense and their consciences - and where would that lead to, chaos, that's where.

Anonymous said...

She's a woman.

Anonymous said...

56 councillors out of 63... Major collapse...

Anonymous said...

Who would you have preferred?

Anonymous said...

Couldn't the Leader give him some tips on this when he has a word? Or maybe he could just find a new ward in, oh, say Thanet?

Alison Hopkins said...

Good for her on both counts. Is Marquis still chairing Planning? I was very impressed with her.

Anonymous said...

I think 22.14 may have been sarcasm

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your comment of 17 May at 21:33, Mike.

In case any readers are wondering what "case" he is referring to, it is the Employment Tribunal case of Ms R.C. Clarke v. 1) London Borough of Brent and 2) Cara Davani. For information on this, and Brent's failure to scrutinise, please see my guest blog of 30 April at:
http://wembleymatters.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/cara-davani-and-christine-gilbert.html

Philip Grant.

Alison Hopkins said...

Ah. OK. I've not seen Southwood in action, so I took it at face value. ;) My comment about Marquis is genuine.

Anonymous said...

Moral collapse certainly. 56 councillors, zero balls.

Anonymous said...

Oh the ageism...

Anonymous said...

Kids. The pettiness of the prejudice here is amazing.

Anonymous said...

Nobody on the Scrutiny Committee studied PPE.

Try again.

Anonymous said...

Its clear to all and sundry that this is inclusive of anyone who has studied the components of PPE thus meaning they know nowt about anything else.

Anonymous said...

re: Anonymous17 May 2015 at 23:26
Same Labour councillor who is desperate to move ward at the next election because he "can't relate to the Asians" in his existing ward

//////////
This is because of differences in work ethic right?

Alison Hopkins said...

Not even the myriad SPADs?

Seriously, there's a dearth of people with analytical or financial experience of any kind on that committee now. Even Filson's financial experience was as a tax inspector and in civil service audit, rather than the commercial world.

Alison Hopkins said...

If someone can't "relate to Asians" or other people who aren't WASP, then I wonder what on earth they're doing living or standing as a councillor in Brent.

Anonymous said...

White Young Males in position of power claim discrimination. Right...

Alison Hopkins said...

Ketan Sheth for one.

Anonymous said...

Sorry - is there a Labour councillor on record saying they can't relate to Asians...?

Anonymous said...

Not on record, no. But someone in the Labour group left a tap running...