paying bills

Some figures are out at how quick local councils and other government funded bodies are at paying its bills. This information has come from the Forum of Private Business.

I’m glad to say that all the efforts of Lib Dem Cllr Tim McNally when he was the cllr in charge of resources has been shown to have succeeded. Southwark Council pay 63% of bills within 10 days and 85% within 30 days. Lambeth Council 60% and 83% respectively and Lewisham 32% and 85%.

On average Southwark pays is invoices in 20 days, Lewisham 26 days and Lambeth 28 days. A week can be a very lung time for a business in the current climate. Well done Tim. Fingers crossed the new administration keep this performance up.

If you run a business facing payment difficulties then do contact the forum anonymously latepayment@fpb.org

Audit Commission charges – wrip-off?

At the last Southwark Council Audit & Governance Committee the Audit Commission presented its charges. They’ve increased their charges by 4.3% since last year. Couched in terms intended to make us feel lucky it wasn’t even more.

The Audit Commission decides who we’re allowed to have externally audit Southwark Council. They unilaterally decide the charges we pay and have decided they will be our auditors. The ultimate in monopoly.

This has to be a regulation that needs to be zapped. Councils should have an obligation to have their acounts externally audited. Massive private companies, factors larger than us have this, but we should be able choose the best value auditors.

The current system has no competition – its expensive in price, disruption to councils and represents appalling value for money for tax payers. 

Council Housing lift contract terminated

Some months ago the then council leader Nick Stanton started the wheels in motion to review the council Housing lift contract. It’s just been announced by the new Labour councillor. Great news that they’ve followed up the hard work started.

Hopefully the new lift service once the current contract is terminated in August will give a better service.

I’d like to see all lift status reported on-line in real time. Residents being able to register a contact method such as mobile phone so they can be texted or emailed or phone message when news about a lift they’ve registered an interest. That way people can be kept updated in real-time and plan their lives accordingly.

Great opportunity to improve many people’s lives.

Cutting councillors allowances

At the first council assembly of the new Labour administration they made a great fuss of saving £70,000. Majority of this saving was cut from scrutiny responsibilities. Not a great start and certainly sending the wrong signals about openness and wanting to be scrutinised. Cynic in me thought of leopards and spots.

It gets worse. It turns out the £70,000 saving is a saving on what will be paid. So lots of talk about reducing allowances but in parallel lots of increases. So Cabinet councillors were proclaimed as taking a cut but actually are getting a rise.

I really feel saddened that the cynic in me has been shown to not have cynical enough.

Primary School Admissions

This years primary school admissions announced today.

This year 83% offered 1st preference, comapred to last years 72%. This year 94% offered one of their four preferences whereas last year 81%.

It was a brave decision showing great leadership by Cllr Nick Stanton to delay this announcement allowing officers to work out the impact of many scenarios of where to place bulge classes. This time will see over 300 more hundreds of kids compared to last year in the schools of their parents choice. Instead of 474 kids being steered through the system during the summer we’ll see 174.

This compares exceptionally well to Lambeth where 75% obtianed their first preference and Lewisham where 92% obtained choices 1-5.

Prayers

I was amazed to read at the weekend that some council meetings in other parts of Britain are preceded with prayers. How truely bizarre. 

For a public meeting to suggest Christainity is the norm for councillors and expected of them in the 21st century is very strange. What if the meeting were to discuss a planning application for a church. How could anyone think councillors unbiased. Or planning permissions for any other faith come to that. We want public bodies to be more inclusive not preceded by exclusive activities of a particular faith.

I wonder how people would feel if a council become dominated by a non christain faith and preceded meetings with another faiths conventions.

I respect peoples right to hold beliefs but these should not be thurst upon others of appear to control public organisations. 

Post elections

Thank you to everyone who voted Liberal Democrat in the elections.

I’m deeply disappointed that Lib Dems no longer lead Southwark Council and now Labour are in control.

Chuffed that Rosie, Jonathan and I were elected to represent East Dulwich ward. I feel really honoured to be be given another four year to work at Keeping East Dulwich Special.

I’m still decompressing from over 6 months of campaigning and seeing my family. I took my daughter to school on Friday and overheard her telling her teacher ‘ daddy’s back’. Heart churning.

Many of things promised by Labour were already business as usual – doubling recycling already on track, local primary schools. Tomorrow fantastic news on the Primary school admissions.

Missing 50,000 residents

One of my councillor colleagues testified to the London Regional Parliamennts Select Committee regarding the 2011 census. The MPs heard a unified message from Newham, Southwark and Westminster councils about how hard it is to count residents.

Each resident attracts roughly £600 of funding from central government.

Currently central government believes 270,000 residents are residents in Southwark. Southwark currently has 320,000 people registered with GPs. That means roughly £30M of central government grants are not being made to Southwark.

It seems unlikely as planned the 2011 Census will close any of that gap. Worringly it could well open it up further.

Car clubs in East Dulwich

Southwark Council is negotiating with which preferred Car CLub supplie rshould have 85 dedicated car clubs parking spaces around Southwark.

Car clubs are a great concept and have shown that each car club car replaces 8-15 private cars. Most private cars sit parked up 95%+ of their lives. Also, car club members tend to increase their thinking about travel and use publci transport more.

To accelerate this the East Dulwich councillors allocated £10,000 for extra Car Club spaces in East Dulwich. These spaces have been proposed no casework feedback about parking issues AND to ensure that generally an East Dulwich resident will have car club space within 200m of their home.

The next step is to finalise the Car Club and then the road markings process will happen across Southwark. 

The Four Lib Dem national priorities

The four main priorities for how the Liberal Democrats will make Britain a fairer place have been announced: fair taxes; a fair start for every child; fair, clean and local politics; and a fair, green economy with jobs that last.

The first priority is to introduce fair taxes, with radical proposals for the biggest tax reform in generations. The Liberal Democrats will close loopholes for the richest and introduce a tax on mansions to fund tax cuts of £700 for everyone else. No-one will pay income tax on the first £10,000 they earn, meaning millions of low earners and pensioners will stop paying taxes altogether, while millions more will get hundreds of pounds back in their pockets. Only the Liberal Democrats will make taxes permanently fair.

The next priority is to give every child the fair start they deserve through a huge transformation of our education system that will build the foundations of fair society. That means cutting class sizes so children get the individual attention they need Read the rest of this entry. Read the rest of this entry.