Kingston Lib Dems lose a councillor

Today saw the departure of one of Kingston's 39 Lib Dem councillors.  More here - but it doesn't make good reading for the current leadership who are political pygmies in comparison with earlier Lib Dem leaders of the Royal Borough.

I moved to Kingston in the 1990s when the party was a bastion of liberal and radical thought.  I was mentored by people like John Tilley and Roger Hayes - campaigners who understood and developed community politics and made it relevant to the well heeled, middle class streets of Kingston, Richmond and Surbiton.

People like John and Roger and the recently sadly departed Brian Bennett - who got 70% of the vote in white working class Chessington by being openly liberal - knew how to both explain the reality of ever increasing centralisation of government (particularly under Labour) but still be creative and radical in local administration.  They introduced neighbourhoods - devolving budgets and opening up decisions to local people - bringing government closer to those it affected most and continuing the radical tradition of the sadly maligned Tower Hamlet Liberals, Eric Flounders and Peter Hughes.

The current administration's pledge to plant 500 trees is a pale shadow of this radical tradition.

Kingston Council consultation farce

Conservative run Kingston Council likes to consult its residents.  So much so it launched more than a dozen important consultations over the summer holidays.  This of course has the advantage of making it as difficult as possible for residents to participate.  And when your council leader enjoys a symbiotic relationship with some of the biggest property developers in the country, local residents just get in the way of maximising corporate profits.

So I was somewhat surprised to receive the other day a letter from the council asking for my views about a local housing issue.

The letter however includes a bizarre explanation of council incompetence, "A consultation process took place during April and May this year...Unfortunately residents in two roads, did not receive consultation letters... While this was rectified in August where 140 residents received a consultation pack, unfortunately 20 residents in York Road were still missed ...This has come to light very recently.  We appreciate that this is an unsatisfactory situation..."

One has to wonder just how seriously Kingston Council takes its duty to consult its council tax payers - especially as they have told neighbours they won't engage with them until after the decision is made.

Kid's last minute home made Euro plea

Seen in a north Kingston window this afternoon.  However, I'm still not sure it isn't about the European football...

Kingston Tory leader's Cannes flight mystery

Kingston's Tory Council Leader, Kevin Davis is determined to change the face of the Royal Borough with a series of  developments of increasing scale, height and numbers of luxury home and decreasing numbers of affordable homes for local people. 

Kingston's jet setting Council leader

While cutting youth centres and old folks' homes and putting up the council tax he has set up a £4m fund to encourage even more of his developer friends into the borough.  So it was of little surprise that he swanned off to Cannes in March for the annual property and booze fest that is MIPIM spending more than £4,000 of taxpayer's cash in the process.

So what did he get up to during his three day, four night Riviera junket?

According to my FoI request Cllr Davis attended three dinners courtesy of Scape Group, Countryside and the City of London Corporation.  He had drinks with the President of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a 'think tank' (whatever that may be) with the Mayor followed by lunch, drinks courtesy of Barrett and half an hour with ex England centre half Rio Ferdinand - who was apparently doing some sort of a double act with Housing Minister Brandon Lewis.  Strangely, Ferdinand appears to have no connection with property development whatsoever, so one can only imagine what the purpose of that meeting might have been.

To be fair to Cllr Davis, it wasn't all pleasure he also packed in a large number of meetings with the great and the good of the UK property scene including:

• Countryside Properties - based in Brentwood, Essex
• Berkeley Group - based in Cobham (one junction on the A3 from Kingston)
• Tellon Capital - based in London W1
• British Land - based in London W1 (and currently redeveloping a shopping centre 50 yards from Kingston's Guildhall)
• Atkins Global - based in Chelmsford, Essex
• Public Sector Plc - based in London N3
• Hadley Property Group - based in Covent Garden
• Bouygues Development - based in Canning Town
• Thinking Place - based in Hull
• St William Homes (Berkley) - based in SW8
• Barratt London - based in Tower Hill
• Transport for London - based in Victoria
• U + I - based in Victoria
• Anthology - based in London WC2
• Buro Happold - based in London W1
• Ktesius - based in London W1
• Downing - based in Liverpool
• Lend Lease - based in London NW1
• Ocean Village - appears to be a marina in Southampton
• Scape Group - based in Nottingham

One has to ask whether the same could have been achieved with a couple of zone 1-6 travel cards and a day return or two?

Which brings me neatly on to the most curious revelation - Cllr Davis appears to have forked out (from the public purse) £458.07 for a Nice to Cannes return flight. Now Cannes is a mere 17.5 miles from Nice airport and Cannes airport has no scheduled flights.  However there is a half-hourly helicopter service.

Azure Helicopter offer just such a service stating gushingly:

"Have you always wanted to make an entry in Cannes like a star? How about to land on the Croisette in a helicopter ? To mark the 2016 Film Festival and other events in Cannes ( MIPIM, CANNES LIONS FESTIVAL YACHTING, etc) AZUR HELICOPTER airline offers flights between Nice and Cannes in just 7 minutes, comfortably, and with stunning views on the Croisette!"

And at 160 Euro (+50 for a hold bag) each way the bill is spookily close to £458.07 once converted to good old British pounds.

According to the Cannes or Bust website the express bus takes less than an hour from Nice airport to Cannes and costs just 33 Euro return (or about 20 quid).

So did Cllr Davis 'make an entry in Cannes like a star'?  And did the poor old council tax payer stump up for it?  I think we should be told...

Edit - the kind people at the Kingston's Residents Alliance Facebook page have pointed out Ferdinand does indeed have a property connection through his initiative called the Legacy Foundation. 

Kingston Council seeks illiterate communications chief

The benighted burgers of Kingston, who already stump up the highest Council Tax in London, are soon to stump up a further £60k for a new spin doctor for the Tory administration.

The gushing language declares they are  'looking for someone who is fully conversant with the full range of communications tools'  but with four typos in just six sentences proof reading is clearly not one of them...

Here's the full text:

There has rarely been a more challenging or opportune time to work in local government communications. Seismic changes in the way local government is operating means that it is no longer sufficient to simply tell local people and others what the council is doing - we need to really engage and win peoples support for a shared vision for the local area.

Kingston council has created a new role of Head of Communications to work closely with the Senior Leadership Team and leading members to ensure that the council not only tells it's story but builds real engagement with residents, staff and key partners.

We are looking for someone who is fully conversant with the full range of communications tools from excellent media skills and campaigning ability to the latest digital techniques and innovative ideas on community engagement, but that just gets you to, first base.

To be successful in this role you will be a leader, bridge builder, strategist and true innovator.

Above all you will have an absolute passion for public service and it's ability to improve lives.

If this sounds like you and you ready for the challenge of building the best corporate communication service in local government we would like to hear from you.

Is this the UK's most sexist school?

If you can't read the text (taken from a poster on the rear end of a speeding bus in Kingston) it says:

Above the picture of a boy and pilot "Speed on the wing.  For a life in the air."

Above the picture of a girl and woman "Testing materials.  For a life in fashion."

You can presumably find out more about their equal opportunities policy at www.stgeorgesweybridge.com

How the Lib Dems won a landslide in Grove

Cllr Jon Tolley writes about his campaign  on his blog.

Kingston Council leader proves David Cameron's maxim about too much tweeting...

The Surrey Comet has more.

Interestingly, despite twice being Leader of the Council, Kevin Davis has never won a borough wide election in Kingston.

Last V2 fell on Kingston 70 years today

The Surrey Comet has the report.

Greg Mulholland in North Kingston

Chair of the Parliamentary Save the Pub Group, Leeds NW Lib Dem, Greg Mulholland, visited Kingston earlier this week.

Greg visitied the Willoughby Arms in North Kingston where he met local residents and publicans and talked about the next stage of the campaign to Save Our Pubs - ending permitted development rights that can see pubs change use to a supermarket or estate agent without any public say so.

Greg and the all party group have tabled and amendment to the Infrastructure Bill on Monday to remove permitted development rights for pubs.

More here.

Richmond Park candidate, Robin Meltzer and landlord, Rick Robinson, welcome Greg to the Willoughby Arms in North Kingston.