Bankers Pay

Not for the first time the announcement of another huge Bankers bonus payment has sparked furious response and condemnation from a wide range of organisations. The latest award is for the Head of state owned Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Stephen Hester.

The Bank is 83% owned by the taxpayer; yes that’s you and me. Mr Hester is already receiving a salary in excess of 1 million pounds so can hardly be described as “on the bread line”.

David Cameron is believed to have demanded” that any bonus should be below the symbolic 1 million pound level.”  I think this just shows how out of touch he is with real life and how ordinary people see these types of wage rewards. They see them as unnecessary, extravagant and obscene. What’s wrong with him just getting a salary like the rest of us?

I think Mr Cameron should tell the board of RBS to think again and tell Mr Hester that his salary should be enough in this difficult economic climate.  The problem with this is that the board of RBS are all in the same boat, many are members of other companies Board of Directors, all scratching each others backs.  

If Mr Hester is not happy with just a salary he can always leave. I am sure there are plenty of good bankers out there who could do an equally good job. How difficult must it be to sell off some businesses, make thousands redundant, and watch the share price fall to all time low? Maybe I should apply? 

KINGSBURY AND KENTON AREA FORUM

DATE CHANGED

The next meeting of the Kingsbury and Kenton Area Consultative Forum has had the date changed.

The meeting will now take place on TUESDAY 7^TH FEB not on the 8^th Feb as previously stated in our blog in December. The venue remains Kingsbury High School, Princess Ave, Kingsbury and the meeting will start at 7.00pm.

The topic for the meeting will still be “Have your Say” it will be an opportunity to listen to the Leader of Brent Council, Councillor Ann John who will outline the issues for next year’s Council Budget and Council Tax. The Council is facing difficult financial decisions due to reductions in the level of Government grant for the last few years. Many Council services will either have to be reduced or priorities changed due to less money being available.

You will have an opportunity to ask questions.

Please pass on this message to anyone you think attends the meeting who may not know of the date change.

Cllr George Crane

A new look for services?

In a couple of months time the Health and Social Care Bill will get its final reading in the House of Commons. If this become law your health service will change radically. Whilst I oppose the Bill in principle since I think it undermines the founding principles of the Health Service I have some optimism about the way our Adult Social Care Department is working with Health to improve the way in which people are cared for. The Council, Brent NHS and the GPs are hoping to create a system where all the services (social care, public health, community health, GPs) will work together to support the individual whether their needs are primarily health or social care. If this comes off it should provide a service which is easily understood and much more responsive to what a person needs at any one time.

Ruth Moher

Changes to your health service

The local hospital trust is bidding to merge with Ealing Hospital and a business case has been prepared. If this is accepted there will be a public consultation about service design. This will be important in terms of whether all three hospitals will stay open and what services will be provided at each one. It is important to have your say since whatever the outcome, there will be changes at your local hospital.

Ruth Moher

'We're all in this together' - how the cuts affect us locally

One of the areas hardest hit by the government-induced cuts in Council services has been our Environment and Neighbourhood Services (ENS). Last year it lost nearly £11m (over 19%) and again this year it looks
to be in the front line for cuts/savings.

One area within the ENS Department hardest hit has been our parks staffing with the number of wardens being reduced from 12 to 5 and the loss of two vehicles. This severe contraction is now beginning to impact on the work in the parks. Not the (politically inspired) 'privatisation' scares, but the far less dramatic inability to do many of the things the Department would like to do.

A recent example in this neck of the woods is the withdrawal of a facility much appreciated by our conservation volunteers in Fryent Country Park. The work they have been doing almost every week for 28 years no matter what the weather - enhancing and preserving this historic (16th century boundaries) and richly biodiverse nature of what is designated as Metropolitan Open Land - is simply amazing. For some time, the ENS Department have assisted them with a vehicle and driver. This is to drop off and pick up the heavy equipment (barrows, slashers etc) which the volunteers take out from the Walled Garden in Kingsbury to the park each Sunday. With the reduction in wardens and vehicles, however, the Department budget can no longer afford this.

Naturally, we as local councillors, couldn't just shrug our shoulders and walk away. So, we brought the ENS senior officers out to meet many of the volunteers at the Walled Garden and discussed various possibilities (including the use of Ward Working funds - though that proved not feasible for this ongoing expenditure). However, the officers agreed to continue providing vehicles and a driver for all the Sundays in January while alternatives were being explored.

Happy to say, a volunteer driver and vehicle has now agreed to come to the rescue on a regular basis and so the crisis is averted. The Ward Working officers are also considering how to assist the volunteers who perform such an important service, in the future, perhaps with one-off grants. The Walled Garden lease has also been renewed by the Council on a free basis, in recognition of the work the Barn Hill Conservation Group do.

This is just one small  example of the difficult decisions that Councillors and officers face each day now on behalf of their residents, (most of which do not find such a ready solution). People used to take this kind of service for granted in Brent (unlike in many other neighbouring councils), but now as the government 'turn off the funding tap', it simply cannot be afforded. We haven't had a Council Tax increase for 2 years either and this year is likely to be  the same. Is this what we want?