Some green traffic lights disappear - Q4 2010-11

The number of indicators reported on has fallen by 4 and yet more of them are red. A cynic would guess that the 4 that have gone missing were not a pretty sight. Perhaps that is why it took 3 versions of this before it was released.

as you know, click to enlarge & back to return

It is no surprise to Mr Mustard that by the end of the year Better Services with less money has turned red. It really isn't possible. Something has to give. Less services with less money would make sense; look at what you are doing that can be scrapped; consultants, non-jobs, innovation bank, 1/3rd of the councillors, One Barnet, trips to Sandbanks, 8ft high posters, - and get rid of all expenditure that is non-core. The budget would then balance.

So no radical ideas for fixing the waste problem them. You could have crowd-sourced a solution by now, surely.

Procurement really only hit the fan once Barnet's bloggers got their teeth into the MetPro party, to which Mr Mustard was a late arrival. What is clear from the last 4 Chief executive's reports though is that the problem was known about since at least June 2010 and not much was done. Not good leadership, a subject on which Roger has been expounding at The Barnet Eye blog here. Rather than be the de facto leader Roger, why not free your diary off to be the real leader if non-stick is going? Now that would make life exciting at NLBP or Mrs Angry, VickiM57, Mr Reasonable could perhaps job share and do a day a week each? Mr Mustard only works 4 days so could spare one for council work. £40,000 a year each on current rates. PAYE optional, just ask Mr Travers ( who could be optional as well? )

Couldn't this lonely line have been put on the previous page. Yes, but that would have taken thought and diligence.

This page really couldn't have been much worse now could it? This is what a service in meltdown looks like. How can 17 be green overall? Slightly under  budget but miss the other target by a mile. How can 18 be green overall? Mostly red sub-indicators and negative direction of travel for everything. Surely Amber overall?

Interesting indicators. Mr Mustard is not convinced that there is a direct relationship between the performance of the council and his satisfaction with the local area. Mr Mustard is not satisfied with the council but still satisfied with the local area because he is close to the shops, the tube, the countryside & none of those are going to change and because it is his neighbours who make the area what it is. The council generally are making Barnet worse, pumping up car parking charges, allowing crossovers so that front gardens disappear, closing libraries, about to close leisure centres, spending less on road maintenance etc 

Another sloppy error at CPI.21 "by the local by the local". Does anyone at the council actually read these reports? a councillor or 62 maybe?

If there are indicators labelled 22a & 22b there should be a summary, called the basket, for CPI.22. Another sloppy error Barnet Council. 

Mr Mustard doubts that the roads maintenance indicators could possibly be green. Spending on maintenance is being reduced. Time will tell.

Overall performance for the year?

falling off a cliff

 

If there is any truth to the rumours that non-stick is leaving then we need the councillors to carefully consider how they can stop the ever escalating, outrageous and undeserved salaries. Time to set the bar at its maximum and start the process of moving the pay scales down to something more reasonable and still ample to live very well on. 

How about sacking the entire corporate management structure, about 40 of them, cutting the number in half and re-employing the successful bidders on 20% less than their former salary, maximum £100k? 


"Better management for less money" please.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard