Kent Sheriff turnout concerns

With the shortlist for the Conservative nominations now complete it is clear this blogger does not know the minds of the Tory Selection panel; Cllr Mike O’Brien was not even shortlisted to the position which must be a big slap in the face, to not only this blog for calling it totally wrong (mea culpa), but also to the Portfolio holder’s public and press management which had, despite the ridicule, been managed effectively. Mike even had an agent no less if his press output footer is to believed, which I didn’t realise was necessary pre-short listing; but such is hubris.

The selection of Craig MacKinlay must be bitter-sweet to the Portfolio Holder; the Medway Tories are known for open-warfare (aka Mayoralty fame) but this is simply cruel, and rather enjoyable to behold for an opposition Councillor.  

Even if Craig is not eventually selected for the candidacy it will be noted by Medway Councillor's and residents that when it came to crunch on selection; Craig piped-the-post over Mike with little or no media output at all. It does not bode well for the replacement of Cllr Rodney for the Rainham brigade...

Craig must be pleased; but it appears this result has peeked little or no interest beyond the Medway commentariat; on looking at the twitter output of the Medway Conservatives over the weekend hardly any had bothered to congratulate or re-tweet the River Councillor, which either shows they don’t support his candidacy or, and more likely, there is a total lack of interest and they were out enjoying the sun.  

This total lack of interest could be the destroyer of this particular wonk idea as the rather desperate article, complete with well placed Union Jack, in today’s Medway Messenger by David Cameron highlighted.

The fear in Tory-circles is that if you cant sell directly elected mayors then how are you going to sell a sheriff?  

The pro-camp had one big argument which has now been blown away; that having high profile and charismatic candidates from all parties would introduce vigour and dynamism into the police governance process. It would allow the public to see a figure-head to the Police locally; someone who could be held to account by voters and who could set an agenda. Indeed; that was the fear this blog expressed that we could end up with someone jumping on rank populism which could see police objectives distorted to political priorities elsewhere in Kent.

Time has proven otherwise

Only Labour has delivered some punchy names, mostly politicians, into the process and is treating it seriously; which is ironic given we opposed the process in the first place as being a total waste of public money. The Tories have failed to manage their own policy if the quality of candidate is to be assessed.

The problem for Cameron is two-fold; firstly he has publicly antagonised and undermined the Police who will certainly use this as a proxy to undermine Conservative candidates, and will perhaps generate a small anti-turnout as a result; but secondly the Tories have failed to select half-decent and charismatic candidates for most forces, and have instead opted for a motley collection of third-raters and Councillor's in their mid-late 40/50s, or the ‘sunset’ brigade as part-time Collins dubbed them. Add into the mix a plethora of bureaucrats and pen-pushers who appear to have zero footprint beyond a few wonks and plutocrats in Whitehall and you end up with a major problem - having any mandate to make change.

It is with a particular hubris therefore that Mark Reckless; my local MP has penned a piece taking credit for the Policy this last weekend despite all the obvious (and they really are obvious) warning lights; if turnout is less then 20% fingers will be wagging in his direction.

Indeed, the use of public taxpayers money for this government programme is the major reason why; we will spend millions on an election at a time of austerity; turnout will be extremely low because there is little charisma; and we may even end up with a grey Conservative candidate with little or no mandate to make change.  

Rest assured all those arguments Tories have been using on cost for the referendum for the Estuary Airport can just as much be used against them on this extravagance; add up the cost of the combined process across all boroughs in Kent and you could see millions wasted on an election, at a time of front-line service cuts, on an idea not one member of the public demanded.

There was a reason why Labour so desperately opposed this idea; it is the reason why Kent Conservatives and Lib Dems so opposed this idea.

The Cameron article today for the KM Group is code (and fear) of a low-turnout; if Labour wins in Kent, and that is a tall order given our defect in 2010, we will have a candidate with charisma and clear policy ideas; but the biggest problem will be energizing the public at all.  

Should the Tories select Jan Berry we may replace one bureaucrat with a non-partisan agenda with another, with a mixed reputation, who has had to make a Faustian bargain with Kent Tory Associations. Woop-see-do-dah; watch the hordes turnout in November.

A reckless policy, baseless foundations, shameless cost, frivolous expense with a voteless turnout. 

We will wait to see what November 16^th will bring; but egg on the face for the author of this policy may certainly be one

Opportunity for Portas Pilot missed

The news that two areas of Kent and many beyond the county borders have been awarded Portas Pilot status should send a waning light to residents that Cllr Chitty and Chambers are simply not prioritising small and medium sized business in Medway.

Medway Labour have been robustly challenging the Conservative administration over its poor handling of local economic decline; from abject denial about the situation we are in; to a position where having a major portfolio tasked with inward investment in Cllr Chitty's hands is not appropriate.

Medway needs to treat economic investment seriously; with countless regeneration schemes on the back-burner and whole swathes of our towns no more then muddy holes because of private-sector withdrawal we have a two cabinet members living in laa-laa land. 

Take one look at Mountbatten House which towers over the Medway sky-line. It has been empty for months.

The Tories in Medway have lost grip on regeneration; why is that every area but ourselves took the Portas Highstreet review seriously enough to put in bids; with numerous highstreets in Medway this should have been an absolute priority for Cllr Chitty; instead she sneered at the author and two competitor highstreets are to have significant investment.

Why is it that no one has lobbied for Medway to be included in Economic Enterprize Zones; we have a huge blue-collar workforce and a Chatham economic centre desperately in need of private-sector interest. The Tories should stop apologising for government policy and start engaging through our MPs to make Medway an area which could be considered feasble.

As the biggest conurbation outside London the South East why are we not pushing the boat out on bids for economic regeneration and investment; instead the total lack of focus from our local blue-rinse brigade is giving weight to those like DRINK who are calling for regeneration and jobs with a mega-airport.

It is time the current administration took small business and the local economy seriously; we have seen nothing but hot air from Chambers on regeneration. His legacy is fast becoming a regeneration quagmire; Strood Riverside under-developed, Rochester Riverside a collection of weeds, Gillingham regeneration mired in squabbles and continued threats to Capstone Valley; as the Deputy Leader even acknowledged now a major risk under his government. 

It is all piece-meal, late, overbudget and the result is visible swathes of our town centre no further forward.

Of course the econony can be blamed; but when there is the potential for Portas pilots and other Economic initiatives it sends the wrong message that Medway is never in the room; beating the drum for our innovators and small businesses.

Chambers needs to step up; may I suggest putting in a 'capable' portfolio holder for Regeneration and to give Cllr Chitty her marching orders. A Cllr Mackness / Irvine or Bright would have a far better grasp of the policy nuances and be able to influence key stakeholders in Westminster and Whitehall and would probably build bridges with business instead of scaring them witless through inaction.

Vestas investment welcome

The news that Vestas has had its planning permission approved for Sheerness is welcome news for Medway Ports and those construction firms in Aylesford and beyond.

Many were expressing concern about the Vestas site after the government appeared to wobble on wind in the Spring.

I know this blog irked a number of local MPs on this issue, though not personal, I am a big believer in the United Kingdom leading the way on renewable technologies for the future. We have some of the best scientists and engineers in the world and finding a solution to the climate change problem does require active engagement by the state; indeed the state can be the catalyst for innovation if investment is targeted at the right firms. 

I accept that land based, or onshore, wind-turbines are contentious but making planning law impossible for the applicant will not benefit the consumer or the majority of the public. 

Neither is there any risk that Capstone will be developed onto an onshore wind farm as has been irresponsibly suggested.

A balanced and 'precautionary' approach to wind must be applied.

In a recession we must set a strategy and plan for growth; investing in infrastructure and energy platforms can be part of the solution. Energy companies can be given grants to invest now to benefit our country in the medium term; I believe the Green Investment Bank (suggested by Labour in 2010) will do this but only with active government.

Having such an innovative, high-tech and forward looking industry investing in North Kent can not be under-estimated; not only because of the thousands of jobs it will create but also the potential to make North Kent a hub for wind technology for the rest of the United Kingdom; this is something local government should be pursuing vigorously.

On a recent to visit to Southampton I caught up with a number of fellow Labour Councillor’s who were dismayed to lose Vestas after the company closed down part of its manufacturing franchise on the Isle of White; the resultant damage to supply chains and jobs led to real anger.

Kent is now in a position to benefit from wind technology and to lead investment both onshore and offshore in other parts of the UK; our MPs should be cheer-leaders for this type of investment; for some to jump on the anti band wagon is, in my mind, ill-judged. 

Challenging organisational conservatism

As someone who works in a small business I get immensely frustrated with the inertia and bureaucracy that I find in local government; the volume of committee checks, officer sanctions and verbosity before the smallest thing gets done is immensely frustrating.

It actually angers me sometimes that it feels like wading through treacle, with added crude oil, before I get to see the upside.

Working for a young organisation in an innovative space I rarely go to work in a suit; I work in a flat structure opposite a founding-partner of the business, and whilst there is hierarchy it is not at the expense of fearing what your boss will say if you suggest a different solution to a problem. There is a real verve and drive to finding solutions to client problems and issues; and we win business as a result.

I compare and contrast this paced and client-focused approach to working with my experience in local government and despair by the difference!

An example recently was from a neighbouring unitary authority when a colleague of mind was trying to secure dog bins in their ward; what should have been a simple request to place dog bins on lamp posts took months of engaging senior people on the feasibility and durability of such a basic request. Amongst the glut of conversation was the relative likelihood of dogs choosing to urinate on particular lamp posts and the risk of collapse as a result. After weeks of engagement he eventually lost the argument for putting dog bins on lampposts, and they had to be fitted on separate stalks. I note that across our borough bins on lamp posts are quite common but apparently there is rising and documented concern, at a number of conferences no less, of structural fatigue caused by dogs 'choosing' to urinate on particular lamp posts with dog bins on.

I use this example because government needs to rid itself of this type of institutional conservatism; whilst it is easy to suggest that the above problem represents the worst type of over-government encroachment I have no problem with push-back on issues; it is the time taken to resolve something that causes me so much pain.

We need a can-do attitude which reaches beyond the narrow and (quite old-fashioned) bordered fiefdoms that some plutocrats enjoy; we need a new class of government official which instead of spending inordinate amount of time telling you they can't do something; that instead they come back with a solution of getting around, and quickly, an actual and proven problem in a costed manner. 

Local government should not be a collection of 'Citizen Prevention Officers' there to wave any yellow flag at Councillors on something which could cost a couple of pounds. When they then rarely wave a yellow flag when other projects go millions over budget; no, that seems to get lost in the management fog and bureaucracy.

In local business someone who purely comes back and says business can't be done will not last long; its the do-ers and grafters that should be celebrated; it is the reason why I have no major objection to responsible wealth creation and those who want to make something of themselves.

One of those small businesses in Rochester with such a mentality is Rochester Coffee; a young and innovative company which is being managed by someone who is reaching for the stars. We need a lot more of it if Britain is to be a world-class player.

Sadly in local Councils it requires a total mentality shift; we have in my mind an institutional way of doing things which denudes authority to constant and unachievable consensus and decision-babbling by those seemingly involved in huge numbers of other committee's, sub-committee's, forums and working panels. If for instance, like me, you happen to have a career, or family, or a personal 'life' and you miss one of these meetings you miss key snippets of information and things are waded down even more.


I applaud democracy and engagement but in some cases things dont get done because there are too many people with fingers in the pie; what annoys me more is that some of these forum's have no actual power to do anything. Therefore people are spending inordinate amount of time talking about a problem to pass it up to another forum (e.g. Cabinet) which then ignores everything you have just spent hours discussing

Meanwhile sometimes I feel that local politicians are perceived as just a nicety of the elections; as merely lightning-rods for local discontent and the odd piece of case work; that is not the reason why I came into the job.

There needs to be a mindset shift; we need more innovators in local government, a 'can-do' and 'make-do' attitude to working, less Generation X fiefdoms and 'space ownership' on matters, and a willingness to engage and promote good ideas.

A look the my generation and those younger then me and I see hope; those born in the late 1980s and 1990s are far less likely to defer to hierarchies or indeed choose to work in organisations like this; local government will change.

Meanwhile will continue to have to push against the Sir Humphries and institutional conservatism until things get done; months later and after four panels have had a chance to discuss whether or not that dog bin can be fitted on that lamp post.

Tory jamboree must be exposed

Since the selection of Mayor Cllr Vaughan Hewett we have seen two significant events which in my mind mean our local area has difficult decisions ahead; firstly, we saw the econony return into recession as a direct result of Cameron and George Osborne's failure to follow Plan B early enough; secondly we saw the local election results where the public sent a message to the Tories that they are sick and tired of their lamentable management of local finances; unfortunately we have three years of woeful management left. 

From Southampton to Sefton the Tories were sent a message; stop living it large off the public purse.

It would seem the message has been lost on the Tories locally who seem to be continuing to spend money hand-over-fist on mayoral jamboree's, dinners and events. 

These are events which cost lavish amounts, or segregate locally elected representatives in gated or special areas, whilst the public has to pay. 

At a time of austerity, when the public in Medway are suffering from cuts to care homes, cuts to police, cuts to the NHS, cuts to libraries and cuts to Sure Start it is simply unaccpetable for Conservatives to be given preferential treatment at lavish events at the public subsidy.

It sends totally the wrong message about us all being in it together; Tories lording it over the rest of us behind guarded rails.

Last year I refused to attend the annual mayoral meal as a singular objection to this type of event at a time of economic uncertainty and cuts. 

This year we are in a double-dip recesssion; there is zero reason why Councillor's need to lord it up, or be segregated, or expect preferential treatment.

The Tories argue that mayoral ticketed events make money for charity but given some of the lavishness exposed I would be interested to see how much on each ticket price really goes to charity. 

I have no problem with Councillor's attending civic events like Remembrance where the public expect representation; I have a problem with mayoral jamboree's which are a 'nice to have' because my friend blue-rinse Vaughan is the man in the chain. I dislike Councillor's being given a segregated area because we happen to have had the honour of elected office. 

I know this is rocking the boat on tradition; but times are tight and the public put us in the Council chamber to spend their money wisely; and not fritter it away on three course meals, copious quantities of wine and the best seats at riverside events.