Category: Ealing and Northfield

Council leader, Jason Stacey, used tonight’s council meeting to announce that the Ealing portion of next year’s council tax would rise by only 1.9%, below even CPI, see previous posting. This is the second year in a row that the council tax in Ealing has risen by this tiny amount.

In a press release issued tonight Cllr Stacey said:

Last year when we announced a 1.9% increase in Council tax, it was the lowest increase for 13 years and I am pleased to say we can again deliver what is in real terms a Council tax cut. Residents were well and truly stuffed by the last Labour administration on Council tax, and in uncertain economic times I know that people are pleased to see some relief.

It is important to emphasise that we have managed to deliver Council tax relief whilst enhancing services as part of our commitment to value for money. Instead of spending money on Labour’s wasteful £50M Response Programme, we have been able to invest in cleaner streets, and community safety measures as well as protecting the vulnerable. We will continue to listen to residents and ensure that hard earned residents’ Council Tax is spent wisely and in the areas that people want.

Yesterday the Leader of Ealing Council, Cllr Jason Stacey, issued a press release calling on Cllr Virendra Sharma MP to resign as a councillor after it was revealed that he has attended only a few minutes of one Council meeting since his election as an MP in July 2007.

Cllr Sharma was elected MP for Ealing Southall at a by-election on 19th July 2007, but decided he would continue as a councillor representing Norwood Green ward. Since then, Cllr Sharma has been scheduled to attend nine Council meetings and yet he has turned up to just one meeting where he was present for around five minutes. Cllr Sharma continues to claim his full councillor’s allowance.

Stacey said:

Since his election as an MP Cllr Sharma has found time to squeeze in three foreign trips so you would think he might be able to attend meetings that affect the lives of the residents he is supposed to be representing. You would think that as the MP for the Southall area he would be particularly interested in ensuring he attended the Southall Area Committee but Cllr Sharma has by far and away the worst record of attendance of any councillor.

He is doing a real disservice to the residents of Norwood Green and I say to Cllr Sharma that he should step aside and let someone else come forward who will do a proper job.

I blogged previously about Sharma’s holidays and partial attendance at one council meeting.

Note: Cllr Sharma has not attended the following Council meetings that he was scheduled to attend since 19 July 2007: Southall Area Committee on 19 September, 27 November and 23 January; Transport and Environment Scrutiny on 17 October, 19 December, and 30 January; Full Council on 11 December; Planning on 17 October and 30 January.

Ealing Southall MP, Virendra Sharma, doesn’t seem to have been putting himself out that much on our behalf since he was elected last July. He has so far managed to have at least FOUR holidays.

Cyprus 30 September-3 October 2007

Went for so-called study visit with Friends of Cyprus delegation. Accommodation costs, use of car and driver provided by the Republic of Cyprus House of Representatives. Return flights to Cyprus paid for out of House of Commons European travel allowance. Registered 17 October 2007. Since when has Sharma had any interest in Cyprus?

India 23-30 October 2007

Went to India, including New Delhi and Mumbai, for international Parliamentarians of Indian Origin event. Return flight to India, accommodation, meals and travel costs met by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. Registered 21 November 2007. Nice for him. Maybe useful for India to be able influence international parliamentarians. What’s in it for Ealing and Southall?

India 16-23 November 2007

Off to India again with London Mayor Ken Livingstone, see previous posting.

Just plain absent 8-9 January 2008

Missed first week back at Parliament and failed to vote for these two days, see previous posting.

I guess his high level of absenteeism explains his low work rate. In his first six months in Parliament he has roused himself to speak only 3 times and has rather feebly asked 3 written questions. Is that really enough work for six months pay?

I acknowledge TheyworkForYou.com as the source for the Parliamentary stats – great job.

Today council leader Jason Stacey has been briefing the Ealing Times about next year’s council tax and his priorities for the borough. He says we will have a below inflation increase. By this I am pretty sure he means a below CPI increase rather than a below RPI increase! CPI, the Government’s target measure for inflation, was 2.1% in December, unchanged from November. RPI inflation fell to 4.0% in December, down from 4.3% in November. See more here.

We already knew that the Mayor’s portion was going up 2.4%, see previous posting. The Mayor compared his, modest by his standards, rise with RPI to make it look good.

Stacey said:

Last year we dealt with the issues of street cleaning and putting more bobbies on the beat, and we will not be pumping more into those areas this year.

I think it’s important we look at the state of the road surfaces which need replacing and put more money into our heritage buildings, some of which are falling down. There are some big figures involved in their maintenance.

We are also abolishing the charge for collecting things like fridges from people’s homes, which currently stands at £15, and will be bringing in a street washing programme.

There is also going to be a £50,000 investment for more litter bins around the borough.

It is always a good laugh reading other party’s literature – or at least it is if you a bit of a political spanner like me. I particularly enjoyed the Walpole FOCUS No. 14 which I saw this weekend. Apparently the LibDem “FOCUS team”, led by local LibDem parliamentary candidates Jon Ball and Nigel Bakhai, has been studying at the Bassam Mahfouz School of Hubris. According to them:

Following a concerted campaign over many years by local Liberal Democrat councillors, the Council recently began recycling plastic in Ealing.

Yeah, right.