Anyone made a secret Freedom Of Info request about me ? Andrew?

[BERNADETTE]

Originally Posted by cashman

from what ive read..... in his own ward bernie, NOT Hyndburn as a whole, theres a world of difference.

I accept that Cashy but if his constituents keep voting him in and the Torys get a majority vote it looks like he will continue to be leader of the council

[Caz]

Why should it be done by PM? Andrew didn't email all councillors and say he was doing a Uni project, for what ever reason did he? He is the reason behind this thread. To my mind an open representative is the one I would go for anyday. And I see no reason why accywebbers shouldn't be privvy to these goings on

[garinda]

Originally Posted by BERNADETTE

No knew I should have ignored this thread But at the end of the day was it really necessary for it to be started? Surely this could all have been done by PM's

I think because the recent stories about some Conservative councillors voting to award themselves more than was recommended than by an independent body, Graham had every right to make Andrew's request for information public, and for us to ask as to his motives for doing so.

If he was hoping to discover some dirt, and provide a smoke screen to deflect away from the real story of some councillor's greed, it doesn't seem to have been very successful so far.

I'm sure he wouldn't have had as much time to post in this thread if he'd discovered some juicy scandal to tell us all.

[BERNADETTE]

Originally Posted by Caz

Why should it be done by PM? Andrew didn't email all councillors and say he was doing a Uni project, for what ever reason did he? He is the reason behind this thread. To my mind an open representative is the one I would go for anyday. And I see no reason why accywebbers shouldn't be privvy to these goings on

Well I will agree to disagree on the reason for this thead, to me it is just paranoia on Grahams part IMHO. If he had asked via PM maybe Andrew would have told him straight off. The whole reason for FOI is lost if the end result is going to be like this.

By the way would be great to see some of our councillors joining in with other topics

[cashman]

Originally Posted by garinda

I think because the recent stories about some Conservative councillors voting to award themselves more than was recommended than by an independent body, Graham had every right to make Andrew's request for information public, and for us to ask as to his motives for doing so.

If he was hoping to discover some dirt, and provide a smoke screen to deflect away from the real story of some councillor's greed, it doesn't seem to have been very successful so far.

I'm sure he wouldn't have had as much time to post in this thread if he'd discovered some juicy scandal to tell us all.

i think it may have deflected that very issue, the awards above the bodys recommendation seems to be fading into obscurity. maybe he's cleverer than i gave him credit?

[garinda]

Originally Posted by cashman

i think it may have deflected that very issue, the awards above the bodys recommendation seems to be fading into obscurity. maybe he's cleverer than i gave him credit?

Nah, let him have his fun.

I haven't finished yet.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by cashman

i think it may have deflected that very issue, the awards above the bodys recommendation seems to be fading into obscurity. maybe he's cleverer than i gave him credit?

...and besides even this thread has allowed some people to be seen as fairly straightforward, open, and honest, whilst others have come across as sneaky, sly, and more than a little obsessive.

Although slightly more rambling, this thread reminds me a little of your thread last week, about the furtive Tory stooge who tried to cover Cameron's back, after his gaffe about Titian.

[cashman]

Originally Posted by garinda

...and besides even this thread has allowed some people to be seen as fairly straightforward, open, and honest, whilst others have come across as sneaky, sly, and more than a little obsessive.

Although slightly more rambling, this thread reminds me a little of your thread last week, about the furtive Tory stooge who tried to cover Cameron's back, after his gaffe about Titian.

it reminds me a lot actually. the abscence from one to the prescence on another,

[SPUGGIE J]

I was looking for a sat nav to get round the thread and still will end up lost!!!!! This was a thread that tortured me!!

[claytonender]

Posted via Mobile Device
At the 2 general elections (1997 and 2001) at which Peter Britcliffe was the Tory candidate it was very interesting at the count watching the ballot boxes for the Oswaldtwistle wards being opened. It was very obvious that the majority of voted cast in Oswaldtwistle were not for Peter.

[turkishdelight]

Andrew as a concerned Hyndburn resident regarding the labour government i asked the question last night on here why would anyone vote labour? In response i was given two in-depth views and also some factual information from two labour councillors. I pose the same question to you why should people vote conservative? would appreciate a response to enable me to make a comparative in-formed view to me its clearly obvious in these very worrying social and economic times my concerns are crime rates divorce rates health and mental health disorders drug and alcohol problems will increase and have a major impact on families and are current economic crisis i feel this is only the beginning under this government and there is indeed a real need for change correct me if im wrong.Its a sad state of affairs in the 21st century people have to choose between eating and heating.

[jaysay]

Well be quite honest when I've just logged on his morning and seen the activity overnight, I've decided there is more to Sunday morning than wading through 10 or 12 pages of prattle. Councillor Jones keeps say its a rotten Tory Council, and the he would lead a GREAT LABOUR council, I have two thoughts 1/ self praise has never been a recommendation and 2/ I'm more interested in what the Audit commission say, the council watchdog with no point scoring one way or the other, and their assessment was last year HBC was performing well, far better than when they took over from the last great labour council

[andrewb]

Originally Posted by claytonender

I can tell you why I vote Labour - I remember the damage that apology for a 'woman' Maggie Thatcher (the milk snatcher) did to the ordinary working man and woman of this country. How she said 'there is no such thing society' and set out to try and break the spirit of hard working people, consigning so many to the scrap heap. Selling off all the utility companies, the railways, British Telecom, closing all the coal mines (when we had 600 years of coal left in them). Attempting to break the trade unions, decimating our industries, ending apprenticeships and brining in YTS (slave labour for 16 and 17 year olds. who were then consigned to the scrapheap, because there was a fresh supply of 16 year olds to fill their places). Allowing building societies to become banks, and loosening the financial control on them. Unfortunately we will have to live with the consequences of her incompetence for years to come.

Cameron is in just the same mould - last year he questioned why anyone would live in the North (maybe he would like us all to commit hari-kari). Over the past few years we have had millions of pounds of LABOUR government money, ploughed into Hyndburn for regeneration via Elevate, in 2009/10 there will be another £8.3 million pound to help to regenerate West Accrington. Cameron has said he will withdraw this funding - leaving East Lancashire to its fate (after all he doesn't think anyone should live in the North). As well as the regeneration money, there is money from LEGI and I am sure Graham will tell you all the other LABOUR government money that we receive in Hyndburn.

I am sure that the Tories would not be coping any better with the current economic crisis - they would probably be making sure the rich were looked after but it would be 'devil take the hindmost', after all the ordinary working person is expendable.

Are these enough reasons to let you know why I am proud to be a member of the Labour Party and a priveleged to be a member of the Labour Group on Hyndburn Borough Council.

Maggie? Maggie? Maggie is the reason you want Councillor Jones, in 2009, to be your leader?

He didn't think anyone should live in the north? Where's this rubbish from? You're unbelievable with you're misleading scare mongering. It's not even election year!

The Tories didn't REMOVE the regulation in 1998. They voted AGAINST this. They saw what would happen. Up till 1998 banks lent what they had in their coffers, from when Gordon Brown REMOVED regulation, until now, the difference between what banks had in their coffers and what they lent came to £700billion!

Proud member of the Labour party?

• Proud of Gordon Brown raiding the pension funds.
• Proud of Gordon Brown selling gold at $275 an ounce when it was worth $1000. Everyone can see it's MADNESS.
• Proud of being the worst positioned country in the industrialised world to deal with the credit crunch.
• Proud of burdening every new born child with £17,000 of debt.
• Proud of increasing the poorest earners income tax by 100%
• Proud of falling education rates, proud of dropping from 8th in the world at Maths when Labour got in, to 28th
• Proud of pumping money in to the NHS, but WASTING it.
• Proud of not knowing how to spend the money they have pumped into the public sector, WASTING it.
• Proud of misleading the people of Hyndburn time and time again.

To be frank, the politics of Hyndburn makes me sick. I am absolutely shocked at the way Labour councillors come on here, and spread their misleading information. Even right through this thread, from the first post here, you can see the vile rumours they wish to circulate. They are absolutely determined to use every method in their power, do anything they can, to trip up the Tories, to gain control of the borough. They don't care who they mislead, even if its the people they want to represent. An opposition that does this, is not ready to lead. The people of Hyndburn have no alternative. The financial incontinance within Labour is absolutely shocking.

Some people fire away at Conservative wastes. That's true. They're not wrong. The Conservatives however, are a damn lot more competent than Labour as can be seen. It was only last year that Graham Jones, the man who wants to manage your multi million pound budget was learning percentages. It was only the last time Labour got hold of power that we had a multi million pound DEFICIT. We now have multimillion pound reserves, and a healthy council pumping money into additional areas as of this next budget, voted excellent by the audit commission.

I would give up, but I cannot stand to see the people of Hyndburn be conned. If you want to get democratically elected, want to help this borough. Stop tripping the Tories up. This thread is just another example of trying to attack the Tories, on the thin alignment that I have voted Conservative. Work for the borough. Stop treating people like fools! Luckily I can follow the council as part of my degree, not everyone has the same luxury of being informed. You have such small amounts of time to get your information across. Don't mislead them with erroneous headlines. Stop your leaders bare hatred of Conservatives, from blurring his judgement.

[claytonender]

Originally Posted by andrewb

Some people fire away at Conservative wastes. That's true. They're not wrong. The Conservatives however, are a damn lot more competent than Labour as can be seen. It was only last year that Graham Jones, the man who wants to manage your multi million pound budget was learning percentages. It was only the last time Labour got hold of power that we had a multi million pound DEFICIT. We now have multimillion pound reserves, and a healthy council pumping money into additional areas as of this next budget, voted excellent by the audit commission.

I would give up, but I cannot stand to see the people of Hyndburn be conned. If you want to get democratically elected, want to help this borough. Stop tripping the Tories up. This thread is just another example of trying to attack the Tories, on the thin alignment that I have voted Conservative. Work for the borough. Stop treating people like fools! Luckily I can follow the council as part of my degree, not everyone has the same luxury of being informed. You have such small amounts of time to get your information across. Don't mislead them with erroneous headlines. Stop your leaders bare hatred of Conservatives, from blurring his judgement.

Andrew have you any proof that it was the last Labour administration (which was in power from May 2002 to May 2003) that accumulated the debt, or are you taking Peter's word for it. What happened between 1999 and May 2002?

I could give you a long list of what the Labour government has done to benefit the people of this country but really can't be bothered.

Why are you not asking questions about the losses that the Leisure Services are making?

Graham is speaking the truth when he says the current administration of Hyndburn Council is 'not fit for purpose'. They are ignoring lots of problems - have excluded certain areas of the borough (such as Church Kirk) from the re generation money. I have seen the minutes of the Housing Market Renewal panel - which showed all the areas that met the criterion for Elevate money, and know which areas were excluded. Peter Britcliffe claimed at the last Council meeting that Elevate specified which areas the money had to be spent in and that Hyndburn Council had no say in the matter. That is all smoke and mirrors - Elevate specified the areas within Hyndburn that were elegilble for re generation money but the Tory administration choose which of these areas to spend the money in.

What about the minibuses with potentially unsafe second hand rear seats? Other authorities insisted that the minibuses passed a very rigourous test immediately, but Peter Britcliffe allowed them 6 months to satisfy the safety test. How would you feel if you where (or more importantly your child or grandchild - as many are used for schoolruns) in a minibus and were unsure if it was safe? If there is a serious accident - will Hyndburn then be prosecuted under the Corporate Manslaughter legislation.

I could go on and on but maybe I have given you some more reasons to request FOI on same very serious subjects.

Incidentally your mother seems to have suddenly developed some political ideas in just a few hours - remarkable.

[garinda]

How can the 'Tories be tripped up' on here, when they don't have the courage of their convictions to join the public debate?