Mr Mustard (mrmustard@zoho.com): david longstaff

Showing posts with label david longstaff. Show all posts

8 July 2014

Who's the daddy?

Bloggers often wonder who is running the council, whether it is councillors, officers (a poncy name for staff, or more exactly the senior management team) or Capita and the answer is probably done of them. It is a runaway horse which goes where it wants.

Mr Mustard decided to go to the first meeting of the new Community Leadership Committee even though it sounded pretty awful but he happened to have a free evening so off he trooped. First though, he banged 11 questions in.

Here are the papers:

Community Leadership Committee by MisterMustard

Mr Mustard was initially struck by the modest size of the budget, £1.9m and that 10 councillors were going to have regular meetings about this tiny sum. He also thought it showed the lack of concern for Community Leadership in the borough. Then you will note that £800,000 of this budget is to be axed, the most savage cuts to any council budget.

Anyway, what annoyed Mr Mustard first of all was the usual sloppy presentation by officers and the omission of vital facts and so he set to and asked for what was missing (one councillor also planned to do this but Mr Mustard got in first). here are the first 5 questions:

So although it was said that a saving of £200k was possible from organisation efficiency in the running of cctv (a seemingly bottomless well of future aspirational possibility) which probably means staff cuts and really the report should say exactly how (and councillors should ask how) they was an extra £8k from axing MOSAIC. Thus the total was wrong and there was a lack of detail.

Mr Mustard asked the supplementary question if Capita would provide Callcredit (Cameo) for free. The answer was that it was part of the Contract.

At this point it was obvious that councillors were being asked to approve something which was already contracted for elsewhere so for officers to ask councillors to approve this saving on MOSIAC without telling them they had already committed the council to CAMEO was somewhat naughty. Of course David Longstaff was part of the Cabinet and so he should have known this was part of the NSCSO contract except he probably never read the 2000 pages. To be fair to "goldenarse" he wasn't very happy with the situation once Mr Mustard got stuck into his extra questions and he did answer clsoed questions with a yes or no whereas others might have tried to ride them with a load of waffle.

Mr Mustard's extra question for Q2 was for an explanation of table 2.1 as he couldn't understand why the £10k was not in the first column but was in the second. There was no heading for this table, by the way, but Mr Mustard worked out it was currently planned spend (before the axeman cometh). Here it is:

The answer given by Steven Evans, Assistant Director of Commissioning Strategy, was that the table was wrong. He doubtless doesn't regard £10,000 as material as he probably costs the council that much every month (Mr Mustard is happy to publish the actual salary band & pension cost if it is provided to him). Oh dear. How is it that errors keep on appearing in reports and that no-one spots them, or bothers to correct them, before they jump off the page at Mr Mustard. This table is just so obviously wrong.

So the answer to question 3 is basically a lie as there is already a contract with Capita as Chris Naylor the Chief Operating Officer had been quick to tell Mr Mustard on twitter. He knew he had hit a nerve when Mr Mustard has the COO asking him on twitter what is wrong with Callcredit (Cameo). Possibly nothing is the answer but given the established market leading position of Experian (MOSAIC) and the lack of complaint about it, to change is not worth the bother.

For question 4 the council had to ask Capita for the answer as the council didn't know the answer which is a terrible admission that a proper comparison had not been done before the Capita contract was signed.

It seems, from the answer to Q5 that Capita don't really have a product at all (except they add their own data into it which is of course council data) and are just badging someone else's product and you might as well cut out the middleman and save money. Mr Mustard wonders if they added more or less than £8,452 into the contract price for it. Doubtless the answer is top secret.

27 November 2013

Hopscotch - hopping mad

http://www.hopscotchsweets.co.uk/seeinside.php

One of the joys of having started this blog is that Mr Mustard has met so many lovely people in the London Borough of Barnet (and he doesn't mean councillors who are a bunch of ......save that blog for another day Mr Mustard and besides there has already been a hatchet job from the inside by you know who). Two of those people are the owners of Hopscotch Sweets which is conveniently situated to the east of Barnet Church on the walking route of the many residents who use High Barnet tube. Having flogged up the steep hill the temptation to pop in for 100g of liquorice allsorts or dark chocolate brazils is high (Mr Mustard can recount this from personal experience) and Michael and Alice are excellent shopkeepers and lovely people (they even survived a visit from you know who demanding that they remove a poster about a certain councillor who was killing the High St. It looks like we might need a new one about an actor who doesn't act much?).

When Michael got David Longstaff's misguided missive (he must have grabbed the wrong script in haste; they certainly weren't golden words from goldenarse) he told Mr Mustard this:

What I was looking for was a commitment from the council to provide support for the High St in general, pointing out some specifics. David’s reply completely missed the point, was completely inaccurate and was personally insulting – I don’t have the time to dignify it with a reply.

but evidently he was more annoyed than he realised as he has now commented upon the "more direct" email in some detail as follows:

David,

I’m afraid I found your reply has completely missed the point I was making and that I found your response somewhat insulting.

Whilst I greatly value your support as an engaged community representative, unlike your fellow ward councillors, and have always held you in friendly respect, I think that some considerable inaccuracies need to be addressed.

Comments in Christmas red below.

Yours sincerely

Michael Kentish

Dear Michael Kentish,

East Barnet doesn't have a tube station. High Barnet does have a tube station. If you want free parking I can assure you the car parks will be full of commuters.

Not if there is a restriction, such as one hour, as in the CPZs.

The High Barnet Town Team agreed to maintain the baskets if the Council bought and installed them, but did not. The HBTT is now defunct.

I thought the Town Team had been resurrected – and that you are a leading member of it!

High Barnet had a publicly funded Christmas Tree in 2011. East Barnet did not.

Funded by the GLA – NOT Barnet council.

High Barnet had OLF money in 2011. East Barnet did not.

Yes, HB is a larger shopping area. This was GLA money, not Barnet council money. East Barnet were not in a position to apply for funding

Several shops had makeovers with that money... and even then Pacino could only be motivated to put up one half of their shutters. Did you email them to complain about their lack of pride?

The shops that had makeovers were chosen because they were central to the vistas that a motorist sees on approaching the town. They did not ask for the makeovers – and those that did went without. Pacino’s had problems with their landlord who wanted them out and he succeeded by not maintaining the structure – and hence the new development that is going on, in contravention of planning and Conservation Area rules.

As 'Barnet Traders' did you constantly write to the previous owner of the market as she ran it into the ground and destroyed footfall?

Yes we did, and joined with the Friends of Barnet Market in their fantastic campaign.

What about the owners of the former 'Greggs' shop? Have you contacted them about their pride? I did speak with the owners this week and told them it was in a dilapidated state. There are 'legal' issues that need to resolved first, but I have implored them to get on with it.

Well done, much appreciated!

This year High Barnet had the Freedom Parade by the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment. East Barnet did not. That parade brought a lot of people to the High Street, but that parade could have been done anywhere in the borough.

We supported this very actively. If you remember, I copied you in the chain of emails I sent to officers and the mayor’s office in an attempt to get some publicity going. We flooded social media to generate interest. We printed and put up posters at our own cost because of the lack of material. Yes, it brought out a lot of locals, who then simply melted away the moment it was over. The council had the bright idea of bussing the troops out asap to the other side of the borough for lunch instead of giving them the freedom to roam the town and enjoy the personal greetings and thanks of residents before being fed at the town barracks! The result – business takings were drastically down, but that was not the point was it?

There is free parking on the High Street. There hasn't been free parking on the High Street for many years.

I do not think that two shared loading bays are going to turn the town around, do you?

The local Barnet Resident Association (redacted) and Barnet Traders (redacted) had a recent meeting with Cllr. Cohen regarding the parking changes. It was agreed that parking was greatly improved (figures confirm that), but that Moxon Street Car Park needed changes and they will be announced very soon, along with another parking change.

Excellent – I await more news. I trust it will be that a second meter will be installed for redundancy, as we had before you ripped them out, and that they will be cash enabled.

There is free parking after 2.30pm at the north of the High Street. There are no restrictions on Meadway, there are one hour restrictions on the streets west side of Barnet Hill/Wood Street. You frequently complain that this is not close enough for your shop, but if you needed vehicular access then why set up shop on a narrow bend with double yellows on both sides of the street?

This is so insulting and unbelievable! It also betrays your complete ignorance of business and local economics. And it is not what I would expect of a locally elected representative of the council. Is Waitrose operating on Hadley Green? Is Iceland moving down to new premises on the Meadway? Where we are is at the heart of Barnet, by the church and the new garden, in the Wood Street Conservation Area. Where the historic Squeeze is and on the site of the original Barnet Market! I really don’t need to go on!

There is free parking on the weekends up to Christmas in December.

That’s a good start. But Saturdays (Sunday is free) are more for big shopping trips to Brent X and London Colney. We need Free after Three in the week, cash meters and more.

High Barnet has had substantial amount of money put into transforming the Churchyard Gardens; and nearly £20,000 this year on further works. East Barnet hasn't, to my knowledge.

Again, not Barnet council money. There could have been £2,000,000 from the GLA but the council declined to engage with Round 2 of our application for OLF funding!

The High Road has been resurfaced. East Barnet's, to my knowledge, has not.

Again, not Barnet council money. This was a Tfl obligation. I understand that additional funding of up to £2,000,000 was offered by Tfl to enhance the High Street streetscape but the cash was left on the table by the council – it was just too much trouble.

High Barnet has a tremendous Remembrance Parade - over 500 residents involved or watching this year. The best attended in the borough. The High Street was looking excellent. Was your shop open to serve the visitors?

How distasteful can you get? When we used to trade on that day we shut the shop for the duration in respect. No, we do not open on Sundays at present as the takings no longer cover our costs.

The Council is a major stakeholder in the Chipping Barnet Town Team. The Barnet Traders should have a major part to play as a stakeholder in the Town Team. For reasons I don't understand, the most successful trader in High Barnet was once part of the Barnet Traders, but hasn't been for three years. His presence would surely have a galvanising effect on the Barnet Traders. Why is he not part of Barnet Traders?

I think you are referring to a local landlord and property developer. With the latter hat on his recent work has been respected, but there was a major conflict of interest where he used the BTA to his advantage and was unaccountably and secretly engaged with the council over property, land banking and planning matters. His portfolio of tenants represent EVERYTHING that is symptomatic in the decline of the high street and includes at least one each of the following (from what we know): a money shop, a charity shop, an optician and an estate agent and not a single independent business. Many believe his aim was to drive down freehold prices to acquire an extensive portfolio. It was a ridiculous situation for him to be chair of a traders group! Again, it betrays your business knowledge – landlords are the scourge of the high street and have been instrumental in their decline.

If you want the Christmas Tree lights switched on by the Mayor, then you could have requested it through the Mayor's office, or asked a local Councillor for advice on contacting the Mayor.

We do not want the mayor to switch the lights on thank you. My point was that the council seems to be very busy supporting other high streets.

The Mayor does open the Barnet Christmas Fayre each year - because the organisers request it.

Excellent.

I believe redacted has been in discussion with Council officers and arranged Christmas lights - 'simple design but elegant' her email said.

But WHERE ARE THEY? Eleventh hour or what, when every other high streets had them glowing, in some instances for weeks. (Will be here by the weekend - Mr Mustard)

I will speak with Cllr. Cohen, but money and resources are tight. High Barnet is a large area with a large number of demands. The area does get a reasonable share. One always wants more and that's what I'm constantly trying to deliver.

Thank you, much appreciated.

Regards,

Cllr. David Longstaff
Cabinet Member for Safety and Resident Engagement

In May 2014 you get the chance to vote for new councillors. Have a look through the candidates and see if you find any who promise to take more positive steps to save the High Streets, which are under siege from all quarters, and in which councillors should be heavily investing our money, of which they are mere custodians, for the good of society.

Let Mr Mustard anticipate that Goldenarse will now send him an email trying to rescue the situation as despite the recent backing on twitter of you know who (the backing of a person who said this about him "promoted too soon and a lightweight" may not be worth having) he is up the creek without a paddle and losing electoral sympathy at a bad time, demanding that Mr Mustard set out his priorities for the High Street and saying which budgets he would cut to fund investment in the High Street. Well it isn't Mr Mustard's job to do such a thing but if Goldenarse cares to send him a list of all the financial support that Barnet Council gave to business in his ward of High Barnet in the year ended 31 March 2013 then he will try and find some space in his diary (Mr Mustard has 2 jobs, the blog, 50 PCN to appeal and his role as an unpaid SPAD for the parking department so is somewhat busy, busier than an actor who isn't seen in many roles that is for sure) to give a detailed reply. Mr Mustard doesn't hold out much hope after that though; remember the Longstaff Letters after which silence was golden.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Update 11:38 on 27 November 13.

The Cabinet member for Engagement has now decided to engage. Marvellous.

He has been in touch with Hopscotch and the following will happen:

The outcome is that the council will contribute an amount equal to the total cost of the tree and decorations, thus freeing up an extra amount for further initiatives such as hanging baskets.

He will also look into whether the council’s water bowser could be deployed in maintaining troughs and baskets over the spring and summer.

Hurrah. What a pity that Mr Mustard has to pillory councillors into action but at least they are starting to see sense.

A much larger conversation needs to take place about the role of the High Street in modern day society and what positive steps the council should be taking to make barnet a place where High Streets thrive. Cash parking meters or free time-limited parking would be a very good start. After that how about closing the offices in the North London Business Park and spreading all council officers across the borough in and around the various High Streets to generate trade for shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants after having brought all jobs back in-house of course.

26 November 2013

Tis the season of goodwill

A poke in the eye isn't a goodwill gesture

It’s all rather strange.

Let’s compare and contrast a few points.

In High Barnet
• We are told we have to pay to park without cash meters
• We are told there is no money for troughs and hanging baskets.

• We are told the council would have no means of watering them in any case.

• We are told there is no money for a Christmas tree.

In East Barnet

• There is a car park where It is free to park

• There is lovely municipal planting that is regularly refreshed

• There is a council owned water bowser that visits to keep everything looking tip top

• There is to be a Christmas tree to be switch on by the Mayor

From what I see in social media and the papers, the Mayor is having a very jolly time turning on the Christmas lights in high streets all over the borough. Whereas here in High Barnet it seems that the council is doing nothing to help Christmas on its way, no lights, no tree, no bonhomie and seasonal cheer. It seems that Christmas is happening everywhere else except High Barnet.

Whilst writing I have just had a customer come in a say that Barnet High Street was the most forlorn and unloved shopping street she had recently been to. To sum up she said there was a “TOTAL ABSENCE OF CIVIC PRIDE”.

For a start we were led to believe that we were getting new Christmas lights for our lampposts – clearly we are so far down the list of the council’s list of Christmas priorities.

So what’s going on?

What’s to be done?

This is not a trivial matter. High Barnet’s commercial offering has suffered so dreadfully as a result of the council’s parking policies and lack of support. It really is time that the council put something back to help the struggling High Street. In retail this period is SO VERY IMPORTANT to us traders – it just seems that High Barnet is losing out.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Kentish
Hon. Treasurer
Barnet Businesses & Traders Association

c/o: Hopscotch Trading Ltd
88 High Street, Barnet, Herts, EN5 5SN
T: (020) 8364 9777

Mr Mustard was somewhat surprised by the tone of the reply from an elected representative especially one charged with responsibility for resident engagement. A good councillor would soak up the criticism, do something about the complaints if he could and write with grace and style. Instead, this poke in the eye arrived.

Dear Michael Kentish,

East Barnet doesn't have a tube station. High Barnet does have a tube station. If you want free parking I can assure you the car parks will be full of commuters. (A one hour restriction would solve that supposed problem)

The High Barnet Town Team agreed to maintain the baskets if the Council bought and installed them, but did not. The HBTT is now defunct.

High Barnet had a publicly funded Christmas Tree in 2011. East Barnet did not.

High Barnet had OLF money in 2011. East Barnet did not.

Several shops had makeovers with that money... and even then Pacino could only be motivated to put up one half of their shutters. Did you email them to complain about their lack of pride?

As 'Barnet Traders' did you constantly write to the previous owner of the market as she ran it into the ground and destroyed footfall?

There is free parking on the High Street. There hasn't been free parking on the High Street for many years.

The local Barnet Resident Association and Barnet Traders (reps' names removed by Mr Mustard) had a recent meeting with Cllr. (Dean) Cohen regarding the parking changes. It was agreed that parking was greatly improved (figures confirm that), but that Moxon Street Car Park needed changes and they will be announced very soon, along with another parking change.

There is free parking on the weekends up to Christmas in December.

High Barnet has had substantial amount of money put into transforming the Churchyard Gardens; and nearly £20,000 this year on further works. East Barnet hasn't, to my knowledge.

The High Road has been resurfaced. East Barnet's, to my knowledge, has not.

If you want the Christmas Tree lights switched on by the Mayor, then you could have requested it through the Mayor's office, or asked a local Councillor for advice on contacting the Mayor. (This one sentence is actually sensible advice)

The Mayor does open the Barnet Christmas Fayre each year - because the organisers request it.

I believe (redacted) has been in discussion with Council officers and arranged Christmas lights - 'simple design but elegant' her email said.

I will speak with Cllr. Cohen, but money and resources are tight. High Barnet is a large area with a large number of demands. The area does get a reasonable share (a completely unsupported statement, no comparative figures with other town centres, easy to write but hard to prove). One always wants more and that's what I'm constantly trying to deliver.

Regards,

Cllr. David Longstaff

Cabinet Member for Safety and Resident Engagement

Mr Mustard isn't Richard Cornelius's biggest fan, although enjoys perfectly cordial chats with him and will happily buy him a pint when time allows after a council meeting, but at least Richard's politically tuned brain for self preservation, and that of his team, doesn't let him down. He never writes much but that is a whole lot better than what his cabinet member wrote.

From: Cornelius, Cllr Richard
Sent: 24 November 2013 18:40

To: <mail@hopscotchsweets.co.uk>
Cc: Longstaff, Cllr David;
Cohen, Cllr Dean;
theresa@theresavilliers.co.uk
Rams, Cllr Robert;

Subject: RE:

I think David has replied to this email, perhaps more directly than I might have, but correctly.

Yes, we do want to help High Barnet and all the high streets.

regards

Richard

Suitable chastened, David Longstaff wrote again. So much better when you write fewer words David, take a tip from the leader, least said, soonest mended.

Dear All,

I have spoken with Cllr. Cohen and he has agreed to look at his budget and see what can be put toward the Christmas Tree.

Regards,

By this time the High Barnet traders had raised enough money for a Christmas tree but they can put that aside for now and use it on hanging baskets in the spring or other initiatives. The flowers on the crossing near the police station are still looking fab thanks to Hopscotch Sweets (well worth a visit for their huge range and warm welcome).

Merry Christmas to one and all. The council are lucky that we have traders who care and do things collectively to help the High Street survive whilst the council tax it to death with high business rates and a vicious parking ticket enforcement regime.