While I was thinking about the seven retiring Labour councillors a thought from something I read (I think it was Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath) crossed my mind. The character says that when he was young he met a farmer taking a cow to the bull to be serviced, and that ever since then, whenever he hears the word 'service' he wonders who is getting screwed.
I think we, the people of Renfrewshire, should, as Terry says, thank all of these councillors for their years of service.
Showing posts with label pay-offs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pay-offs. Show all posts
Friday, 27 April 2007
Thursday, 26 April 2007
Departure of the Seven Dwarves: GOOD RIDDANCE
I've just been on Terry (TKMax) Kelly's blog where he is singing the praises of the Renfrewshire Labour Councillors who have decided that they have done enough damage to Paisley and are now going to run away (but not before trousering a large wad).
To read Terry you would believe that these people had made a contribution apart from running Paisley into the ground, but they were always only political cannon fodder for the Labour party, they voted for the most part with no real thought for local people, only party instructions, or Paisley wouldn't be in the mess they have left it in.
The bold new initiative from Labour is to reverse the changes that these numpties made to the town centre traffic and parking arrangements and to hope that the damage isn't irreversible. Yet they are allowed to walk away with the money leaving others to clear up the mess. They have not even the decency to apologise to the businesses which had to close or the workers who lost their jobs as they turned Paisley town centre into a desert. I can only say good riddance to bad rubbish.
Saturday, 31 March 2007
Councillors Severance Pay : A Message to Rayleen
Rayleen decided to publish my last post, but she isn't happy about it. She says that it doesn't deserve a response and that is always a prelude to censorship, so just in case I will post a copy of my response below :-
Rayleen—I can’t think why my comments should not deserve a response but think of these questions
First . At about 18 years of service the severance would be as follows :-
‘The Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 (Severance Payments) Regulations 2006
Section 5 . 1 . (c) £20,000 for a member of a local authority who shall, at the date of the next ordinary election, have served for a period of 15 complete years or more.’
I invite you again to ask your constituents if they believe that the retiring councillors deserve this amount of money
Second The remuneration committee looked at the question of pensions and decided as follows :-
‘Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee
Current arrangements
4.1 There are no arrangements currently in place to allow councillors to be part of an occupational pension scheme. Councillors who wish to make pension provision must make private arrangements, using part of their basic and special responsibility allowances’
So the pension was built into the allowances and councillors were expected to make provision themselves.
Third The payment is not a thank you for service to the community, it is a direct bribe for dead wood time-servers to go away and stop preventing innovative people from advancing better ideas and programmes. They must leave government totally (if they go into the Scottish Parliament then they will not be eligible) and the reasons are in this BBC report which says
‘Critics are likely to portray the severance scheme as a way of placating Labour councillors in the central belt likely to lose their seats under the new electoral system.
The executive argued, however, that it would be a one-off move that would provide some incentive for long-standing councillors to stand down and make way for fresh blood in Scotland's town halls.’
It could hardly be clearer without being downright insulting.
Finally, I am also grateful to the councillors for retiring, because they let the problems in our communities flourish for so long. I am not on the sidelines sniping, I am and have been actively trying to remove them (in line with your own policy) for some length of time. I only regret that I couldn’t embarrass them into going sooner and without a large wedge of public money that they scarcely deserve.
Rayleen—I can’t think why my comments should not deserve a response but think of these questions
First . At about 18 years of service the severance would be as follows :-
‘The Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 (Severance Payments) Regulations 2006
Section 5 . 1 . (c) £20,000 for a member of a local authority who shall, at the date of the next ordinary election, have served for a period of 15 complete years or more.’
I invite you again to ask your constituents if they believe that the retiring councillors deserve this amount of money
Second The remuneration committee looked at the question of pensions and decided as follows :-
‘Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee
Current arrangements
4.1 There are no arrangements currently in place to allow councillors to be part of an occupational pension scheme. Councillors who wish to make pension provision must make private arrangements, using part of their basic and special responsibility allowances’
So the pension was built into the allowances and councillors were expected to make provision themselves.
Third The payment is not a thank you for service to the community, it is a direct bribe for dead wood time-servers to go away and stop preventing innovative people from advancing better ideas and programmes. They must leave government totally (if they go into the Scottish Parliament then they will not be eligible) and the reasons are in this BBC report which says
‘Critics are likely to portray the severance scheme as a way of placating Labour councillors in the central belt likely to lose their seats under the new electoral system.
The executive argued, however, that it would be a one-off move that would provide some incentive for long-standing councillors to stand down and make way for fresh blood in Scotland's town halls.’
It could hardly be clearer without being downright insulting.
Finally, I am also grateful to the councillors for retiring, because they let the problems in our communities flourish for so long. I am not on the sidelines sniping, I am and have been actively trying to remove them (in line with your own policy) for some length of time. I only regret that I couldn’t embarrass them into going sooner and without a large wedge of public money that they scarcely deserve.
Rayleen's Fantasy World of Dinosaur Councillors
I've tried before to publish to Rayleen Kelly's site and been censored, I don't know if its because I'm anonymous or because of what I say, but I've left this comment on her piece about retiring councillors.
Rayleen—I really can’t let you away with this one. Six retiring councillors with 110 years service between them means an average of about 18 years each.
Look at the changes in Paisley in the last 18 years and we will see their legacy.
Traffic flow is monstrous. The town centre is like a graveyard for old unused shops with many of the major retailers who are left wanting away. Local taxation is higher than it has ever been and services are in decline. There is no major industry to speak of. Drugs and crime are rampant in the housing schemes, and councillors are arranging congratulatory dinners in the midst of a child poverty crisis (let them eat cake). It’s sick.
As for the severance awards (pay-offs) which these people are being awarded, ask the people at your surgeries what they think those councillors deserve. I’m sure the answer won’t surprise you.
Just to clarify, because you either don’t or won’t understand. These pay-offs were not for work done. These people were overpaid every year for that. These pay-off were not needed as a pension; millions of people are expected to get by on the state pension unless they buy an extra one for themselves, and if the state pension isn’t enough whose fault is that! These were ‘get lost’ payments to dinosaur councillors, paid out only on condition that they go away from local government and never come back. If we can get back to a situation where councillors serve the community instead of their own egos then it might have been worth it, but I doubt that will happen under this present lot, and you shouldn’t mislead people.
I don't know if she will publish it because Renfrewshire Council knows no shame. Even the Paisley town hall clock has a red face.
Rayleen—I really can’t let you away with this one. Six retiring councillors with 110 years service between them means an average of about 18 years each.
Look at the changes in Paisley in the last 18 years and we will see their legacy.
Traffic flow is monstrous. The town centre is like a graveyard for old unused shops with many of the major retailers who are left wanting away. Local taxation is higher than it has ever been and services are in decline. There is no major industry to speak of. Drugs and crime are rampant in the housing schemes, and councillors are arranging congratulatory dinners in the midst of a child poverty crisis (let them eat cake). It’s sick.
As for the severance awards (pay-offs) which these people are being awarded, ask the people at your surgeries what they think those councillors deserve. I’m sure the answer won’t surprise you.
Just to clarify, because you either don’t or won’t understand. These pay-offs were not for work done. These people were overpaid every year for that. These pay-off were not needed as a pension; millions of people are expected to get by on the state pension unless they buy an extra one for themselves, and if the state pension isn’t enough whose fault is that! These were ‘get lost’ payments to dinosaur councillors, paid out only on condition that they go away from local government and never come back. If we can get back to a situation where councillors serve the community instead of their own egos then it might have been worth it, but I doubt that will happen under this present lot, and you shouldn’t mislead people.
I don't know if she will publish it because Renfrewshire Council knows no shame. Even the Paisley town hall clock has a red face.
Monday, 19 March 2007
Councillor Terry Kelly and Renfrewshire Council
As some of you may be aware I have been in some discussion with Councillor Terry Kelly over on his blog.
Because I won't post my personal details on the internet (never advisable) he has decided to bar me from posting to his site, nothing, I am sure, to do with the questions he cannot or will not answer. For the sake of clarity, I will copy those questions here, and he can answer if he has the gall. I wont bar him.
Terry-- in that case can we expect in the fullness of time, that you will address the questions I have posed in respect of housing/homelessness, Trident, the Iraq war, Councillor pay-offs and deprivation (where's the pub, where's the bank, where are the jobs, where are the apprenticeships, where is the policing -- the police station hasn't opened its public office for months and even the police station sign is vandalised -- where is the cleansing dept--there is an old mattress lying in a lay-by not 50 yards off your own street in Drums Ave. and it has been there, to my sure and certain knowledge for at least 3 weeks, I pass it going home every day-- do the council's employees who pass sweeping the streets not report anything. Yes, Ferguslie Park certainly has a lot to thank Labour for.
Terry—I said I would do my own research into the housing situation after our last exchange, so here it is :-
April 1st .............. number on waiting list for council housing
2004 ............... 6534
2005................ 7465
2006................ 6719
in addition, in 2006 there were 2820 on the transfer lists.
Are you still pleased about the number of houses you knocked down and didn’t replace?
Terry- If as you say, 'There is only one etc.' then you obviously believe you already have my ID. For me to post it on your site would be to invite the same people who posted your full address on their site to do the same with me. I don't believe that we should do that. If you want to bar me then that's fine--I'll post on my own blog and be just as happy.
Juat added a new post on TK(Max) site:-
Reads
Terry—You’re just not getting it. The old mattress was a symptom of a greater problem, it wasn’t the problem in itself. Getting the thing shifted really shows how effective you are in exercising influence in the council. It might have been more believable if they had shifted the old tyres lying in the same lay-by for the same length of time, however, it’s the thought that counts, and you probably think you are effective.
Because I won't post my personal details on the internet (never advisable) he has decided to bar me from posting to his site, nothing, I am sure, to do with the questions he cannot or will not answer. For the sake of clarity, I will copy those questions here, and he can answer if he has the gall. I wont bar him.
Terry-- in that case can we expect in the fullness of time, that you will address the questions I have posed in respect of housing/homelessness, Trident, the Iraq war, Councillor pay-offs and deprivation (where's the pub, where's the bank, where are the jobs, where are the apprenticeships, where is the policing -- the police station hasn't opened its public office for months and even the police station sign is vandalised -- where is the cleansing dept--there is an old mattress lying in a lay-by not 50 yards off your own street in Drums Ave. and it has been there, to my sure and certain knowledge for at least 3 weeks, I pass it going home every day-- do the council's employees who pass sweeping the streets not report anything. Yes, Ferguslie Park certainly has a lot to thank Labour for.
Terry—I said I would do my own research into the housing situation after our last exchange, so here it is :-
April 1st .............. number on waiting list for council housing
2004 ............... 6534
2005................ 7465
2006................ 6719
in addition, in 2006 there were 2820 on the transfer lists.
Are you still pleased about the number of houses you knocked down and didn’t replace?
Terry- If as you say, 'There is only one etc.' then you obviously believe you already have my ID. For me to post it on your site would be to invite the same people who posted your full address on their site to do the same with me. I don't believe that we should do that. If you want to bar me then that's fine--I'll post on my own blog and be just as happy.
Juat added a new post on TK(Max) site:-
Reads
Terry—You’re just not getting it. The old mattress was a symptom of a greater problem, it wasn’t the problem in itself. Getting the thing shifted really shows how effective you are in exercising influence in the council. It might have been more believable if they had shifted the old tyres lying in the same lay-by for the same length of time, however, it’s the thought that counts, and you probably think you are effective.
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