Re: Duke Fame to run as Marple Councillor?

[amazon]

Much less that it used to have, and there are more cuts to come, such as:

What's your view on the above, Duke.  Too much of a cut?  Or not enough??

What's your view ,

[wheels]

Thanks Wheels,

I wasn't aware of some of that particularly the reduction in the Executive. Is that wise in these particularly critical times ?

When you say "commonly accepted" - by whom ?

I was aware of the way the leaders allowances are arrived at. My point really was the disparity between the two "salaries". Surely the Council Leader has the ultimnate responsibility for the Council and whereas I understand that Councillors are classed as part-time volunteers surely the Leader's position is totally full time and perhaps even more.     

I don't think you would be able to function as the Leader of a Met Council on a part time basis so I agree Simone that's a full time role. That's partly now recognised as amendments to elected members pensionable service allows full time councillors to join or rather stay in the LG Pension Scheme. Before Duke complains that's unreasonable the current Leader of Stockport left her job to become leader.

[Dave]

Nonsense, the council has a lot of discretionary spend.

Much less that it used to have, and there are more cuts to come, such as:

Stockport Council are proposing savage cuts from the Parks and Open Spaces budget in 2014/2015.

£1M (30%) is planned to be cut from a budget of £3.9M.

The proposals include things like:
No longer employing people with any horticultural knowledge to look after flowerbeds, trees, shrubs and parkland.
Removing instead of repairing or replacing broken play equipment.
Removing instead of repairing or replacing broken fencing, seating, signage, and other street furniture.
Picking up litter in parks NO MORE THAN once per week.
Fewer staff based at specific parks (this will almost certainly impact Marple Memorial Park's staffing).
Removing support to Friends of Park Groups, leaving them to try and get on with a bigger work load on their own.
A cessation or reduction in the frequency of hedge trimming, cutting grass, removing graffiti, pruning, weeding and maintenance of parks.

What's your view on the above, Duke.  Too much of a cut?  Or not enough??

[simonesaffron]

Thanks Wheels,

I wasn't aware of some of that particularly the reduction in the Executive. Is that wise in these particularly critical times ?

When you say "commonly accepted" - by whom ?

I was aware of the way the leaders allowances are arrived at. My point really was the disparity between the two "salaries". Surely the Council Leader has the ultimnate responsibility for the Council and whereas I understand that Councillors are classed as part-time volunteers surely the Leader's position is totally full time and perhaps even more.     

[wheels]

Simone my reference to "the outer darkness" was meaning that at least one of the Marple Councillors who is on the Executive will lose their place and will end up on the back benches. That is just because the size of the executive has been reduced and the maths would make it almost certain that one of the three will lose their place. Further I think it is commonly accepted that there will be a new Deputy Leader of the Council as the current post holder will certainly be challenged.

As an aside  Simone the Council leader does not get 40k for being council leader almost 10k of that is the about basic allowance that all members get. The leader gets 28k for being leader.

[Duke Fame]

No Duke, it isn't nonsense, the Council has some discretionary spend otherwise it wouldn't have been able to make the cuts it has made in recent years, but Wheels is quite correct the lion's share of it is provided against a statutory requirement for "people" a word which you don't seem to mention too much.

If you stood, I would willingly vote for a change of face particularly in Marple, I think that some of them (not all) have been around for far too long and achieved little whilst they have. Do you not think that we should have a maximum term of office for Councillors particularly Executive One's ? Then of course there is the same old problem. Nobody wants to do it so you would either end up with no Councillors or the same old faces - which is what you get anyway.  There needs to be a root and branch review of everything to do with local Councillors; Eligibility, Qualification, Terms and Conditions, Pay, everything. Speaking of pay why does the Chief Exec of SMBC get paid 175k whilst the leader of the Council only gets 40k ?   

One of the Marple Councillors is standing down next year. It's a certain Libdem seat - does anybody know how many applicants there are for the Libdem candidacy?  I'll be amazed if there is more than three and I'll bet they are all men over 60 with private pensions or independent means of some sort .

Anyway Duke back to your policies which seem to be based around everybody working a 65 hour week for reduced pay (which to me just doesn't seem very clever) plus cheaper shopping in Stockport. Why don't you call yourself the ..."65 hour week shopping party" it has a kind of iambic pentameter about it, don't you think ?

Wheels, I am not quite sure I understand your "banished to the outer darkness comment". There aren't any local elections next month are there ?       

Well, I think £175k for a public sector job is absurd unless it's baased on a % of savings achieved for the taxpayer etc.

The reality of life is that if I were a councillor, I'd not be abole to do much but highlight every bit of waste there is and ensure we get good value ffrom the council.  I may even go in as an Orange book LibDem.

[simonesaffron]

Nonsense, the council has a lot of discretionary spend.

No Duke, it isn't nonsense, the Council has some discretionary spend otherwise it wouldn't have been able to make the cuts it has made in recent years, but Wheels is quite correct the lion's share of it is provided against a statutory requirement for "people" a word which you don't seem to mention too much.

If you stood, I would willingly vote for a change of face particularly in Marple, I think that some of them (not all) have been around for far too long and achieved little whilst they have. Do you not think that we should have a maximum term of office for Councillors particularly Executive One's ? Then of course there is the same old problem. Nobody wants to do it so you would either end up with no Councillors or the same old faces - which is what you get anyway.  There needs to be a root and branch review of everything to do with local Councillors; Eligibility, Qualification, Terms and Conditions, Pay, everything. Speaking of pay why does the Chief Exec of SMBC get paid 175k whilst the leader of the Council only gets 40k ?   

One of the Marple Councillors is standing down next year. It's a certain Libdem seat - does anybody know how many applicants there are for the Libdem candidacy?  I'll be amazed if there is more than three and I'll bet they are all men over 60 with private pensions or independent means of some sort .

Anyway Duke back to your policies which seem to be based around everybody working a 65 hour week for reduced pay (which to me just doesn't seem very clever) plus cheaper shopping in Stockport. Why don't you call yourself the ..."65 hour week shopping party" it has a kind of iambic pentameter about it, don't you think ?

Wheels, I am not quite sure I understand your "banished to the outer darkness comment". There aren't any local elections next month are there ?       

[Duke Fame]

Duke, the vast majority of any Councils expenditure is statutory expenditure over which you would have no control.

Don't offer up what isn't deliverable

Nonsense, the council has a lot of discretionary spend.

[wheels]

Much more interesting and relevant than Dukes doomed campaign is to watch the various political groups AGMs in the coming month. Which of the Marple 3 will be banished to the outer darkness. Who will be the new Deputy Leader given that the current post holder is sure to be challenged. An interesting month of observing lies ahead.

[wheels]

Duke, the vast majority of any Councils expenditure is statutory expenditure over which you would have no control.

Don't offer up what isn't deliverable

[Duke Fame]

And the 'core' is.......?

AFAIK council staff work a 37 hour week and get 25 days annual leave, plus public holidays, and there is little or no difference between that and what staff get in other areas of employment.  There is not much money to be saved there, I fear. 

So, if we reduce the starting holiday entitlement to 21 and hours to 39 hours we'll get 127 extra hours out of each employee thereby reducing staffing levels and improving efficiency. There are lots of council emplyees so saving £££££££££££'s.

I'd also review all empty buildings operated by the council adn either get them sold or (in the case of the daft lease back arrangement) transfer office space to residential.

[Duke Fame]

Duke

Am I mistaken or did the ..."good people of Heald Green ratepayers" recently vote with the Libdems for an increase in council tax.

"Reduce Council services to the core"?   What would happen to; Old People, kids in care, cemetarys, parks, schools, planning, licencing, roads, pavements, mad dogs, wild rats, the poor old Chief Exec at Stockport Council on his 175k per year?

Most of those services are core services. I'd have a radical review of every penny being spent questioning what needs spending and what jobs are needed.

Aren't many "new employees" our children. Do we want them to have reduced terms and conditions ?

Putting in a few extra hours never hurt anyone, I put in around 65 hours in my job. If Stockport employees are known for hard work, I'll take the credit.

We know what you would do for car park charges and Council tax bills but after you'd given all the Council tax payers and car park users a few extra quid in their pocket what would you actually do for people ?

I've given them more money to spend on things that they want rather than allow a faceless self-fullfilling council decide what is good for individiuals. By making Stockport a cheaper place to shop, it's more likely that they will spend it in Stockport and thereby create emplyment and encourage self-fullfillment.

Duke, are you sure your not a bit of a Tory? If you are you'll never get in you know, 25 years ago they used to rule Stockport with many of your ideas but there is only about 10 or 11 left of them now, they are on their way to wipeout in Stockport come 2015.  

We'll see, I've got you down as undecided.

[Duke Fame]

You would be elected for the whole town covering all services, so lets here your views on Adult social care, education, Leisure services, regeneration of Brinnington I could go on.

Well, for adult education, i'd drive home the difference between "hear" adn in hearing and "here" the present here and now.

And Duke what you outline are not principles or philophies but tactices.

We're still on education, aren't we.

The Healed Green Independents are a long established well respected organisation with a very large membership that operate as the leading political force in the area so don't lets pretend they are a bunch of well meaning unaccountable to a membership group of people.

We all start somewhere, The Marple ratepayershas a ring to it

[Dave]

Reduce council tax bills by:
Reducing council services to the core.

And the 'core' is.......?

Increase new employee's working hours and reduce paid holiday in line with the private sector.

AFAIK council staff work a 37 hour week and get 25 days annual leave, plus public holidays, and there is little or no difference between that and what staff get in other areas of employment.  There is not much money to be saved there, I fear. 

[simonesaffron]

I don't think I've given any indication that i could not do such a thing.

I think ideology gets in the way of logic, Philosophy? Perhaps. I was thinking of speaking to the good people of Heald Green rate payers. But my philosophy is:

Reduce council tax bills by:

Reducing council services to the core.

Increase new employee's working hours and reduce paid holiday in line with the private sector.

Work with the shopping centres to have free parking in Stockport area to compete with the Trafford Centre.

Duke

Am I mistaken or did the ..."good people of Heald Green ratepayers" recently vote with the Libdems for an increase in council tax.

"Reduce Council services to the core"?   What would happen to; Old People, kids in care, cemetarys, parks, schools, planning, licencing, roads, pavements, mad dogs, wild rats, the poor old Chief Exec at Stockport Council on his 175k per year?

Aren't many "new employees" our children. Do we want them to have reduced terms and conditions ?

We know what you would do for car park charges and Council tax bills but after you'd given all the Council tax payers and car park users a few extra quid in their pocket what would you actually do for people ?

Duke, are you sure your not a bit of a Tory? If you are you'll never get in you know, 25 years ago they used to rule Stockport with many of your ideas but there is only about 10 or 11 left of them now, they are on their way to wipeout in Stockport come 2015.