How Desperate is Your Council?

 Older people in Northumberland who when the weather turns cold and damp stay indoors may have watched through their condensation covered windows how last week their local postman was leaning towards their bags, carrying weights usually only seen at Christmas time. But unlike Christmas their bags weren’t filled with cheer, they bulged with misery, the misery that comes with red letters from the County Council about arrears on their Council tax.

The Trade Unions Unison and GMB have warned Councils and Government that for the first time in a decade Councils must be centrally funded properly in order to keep communities safe to retain the skilled people needed at the helm and on the street who can organise and work on the rebuilding of Britain after the pandemic.

Its known by all parties involved in Local Government that the current funding gap is £10Bn caused by the 21% austerity cuts placed on Local Government by the Tories at Westminster. With just over half of that sum required to support Adult Care departments of Councils and £1.9Bn needed for Childrens Services. Without this subsidy its ordinary people who will suffer next year.

We at Murky have been informed about the mess Northumberland County Council finances are in, much of it due to the gifting of cash to businesses who are friends of the Finance Portfolio holder of the Council Nick Oliver of Corbridge, we believe the Police are looking at theses claims of mismanagement by the embattled Councillor.

Of course in desperation he has had the ‘red bills’ issued to chase up people who have fallen into arrears with their Council Tax. Thats from a man who its said owes £31,000 in business rates to the same Council. The complete lack of understanding from Councillor Oliver as to the position many who haven’t received a penny from his Council or Government since Feb 2020 are in and the family problems and stress he has caused through his grasping frenzied need to fill the coffers that he and his Government have ripped apart since May 2017.

At murkyville we have been watching older recordings of Council meetings and noted how ecstatic Councillor Oliver was when driving benefit claimants into further debt through his report reducing benefit payments by 8%. We hope that the return of the bullied and battered Chief Executive Daljit Lally to her office leads to Councillor Oliver suffering the same fate as those ordinary residents who have fallen on poor times this year and the letter writers make sure he is shaken not stirred so that the cash falls from his pockets first to begin to fill the war chest depleted by himself.

 

Spending the public precept on another Councils statutory duty, Is it lawful?

Section 137 of the 1972 local government act covers the expenditure of money by a Parish Council for work it has no responsibility towards. The expenditure is capped and a decision of full council after taking advice from their ‘proper officer’ is required. (National Association of Local Council’s advice).

In the case of Cramlington Town Council a Tory led parish in Northumberland, they have sensationally taken on the statutory duty for the care and wellbeing of children in need to supply meals to children who qualify for free school meals, a function of its overarching Tory led Unitary Council (Northumberland County Council) whose leader Councillor Glen Sanderson has flatly refused to assist with funding at this time when his Council has been placed under emergency powers of Covid level 2 where help from relatives for children in need is greatly reduced to protect other vulnerable people from transmission of the disease

The County Council under similar Local Government Acts has the role of Governance through an emergency, as well as the responsibility for services to children along with powers to intervene if the care and wellbeing of children is at risk, (hunger is a real risk for children), a Parish does not and the County Council can raise finance to cover the matters at hand. Here at Murky we very much doubt whether Councillor Sanderson understands his powers and that even the most stringent auditor would balance the needs of hungry children against the needs to maintain reserves of cash in times when such unusual circumstances prevail.

We expect that the Tories on Cramlington Parish Council most of whom are also County Councillors will tell the public today the level of capped finance they can lawfully spend to support their colleagues on the County Council, as they must and then continue disclosure and inform the residents of Cramlington how much they will be forcing up their precepts. Many Parishes budgeted for events and other public matters and will be able to lower local taxes next year when the unemployment level in Cramlington is expected by DWP to be the highest in Northumberland. Or is it that they would like to see the families of those they are helping today suffer debt problems next year?

Twin Hatted Councillors on Cramlington Town council need to ensure that Councillor Sanderson’s responsibilities are hghlited to him and that he instructs his officers to help the kids in his County and not let them as in Dickensian time ‘fall on the Parish’.

 

 

Tories 'winter of discontent' kicks off in October half-term.

 The holes in the ice surrounding Westminster and faithful to the cause Tory Town Halls are opening up so rapidly that the party will have to change as rapidly as Labour has done since December 2019, or the now vocal rebels within their ranks will reform as 'New Conservatives' in order to distance themselves from the the Nasty Party image as soon as they can blame the cremated oven ready brexit deal fairly and squarely on the current PM and his mangy cabinet. The nasty and greedy party image has been redeveloped without any payment to a PR company whose chairman is related to a Cabinet member or political advisor, history may show thats an achievement in itself.

The 'New Conservative' rebellion has been brought about through natural human instincts being attacked by authority. The basic maternal and paternal instinct is hardwired into the human psyche. Members of the current cabinet appear not to think like ordinary folk and have attacked huge numbers of the next generation through taking no notice of opposition politicians who appear much closer to their constituents needs nor grandmothers, fathers and parents within their ranks and wider party supporters. But we must not forget that those ranks did not defy the whips and voted to make sure many young people whose parents have fallen on hard times through the Tories mismanagement of the nation are to be starved out by this failing Government through the lack of support for children in greatest need, those claiming free school meals.

This denial of responsibility by the Tories has been caused by the current chancellors complete compliance with Keynesian monetary policies and brand new policies and laws affecting his figures being formed on the hoof by Boris and his advisors.

But the public won't let go of this and as always we at murky like to bring matters back to Northumberland. Two of our nasty party parliamentary members have went public and are currently whinging and bleating on about being criticised as politicians. Anne-Marie Trevelyan and the minion himself Ian Levy MP who in the words of corporal Jones in Dads Army "they don't like it up em!" Have pathetically written a letter of complaint to parliament about Angela Rayner calling them scum. Was she wrong? We think not. 

As always we don't have any idea about Guy Oppermans stance on this and probably won't until Councillor Gordon Stewart his social media presser has seen which way the sun is shining.

True to type Tories have been running out a sticker on Facebook illustrating that Councils were given £63m to protect families in need earlier this year but reports in the heavyweight press show that Councils shelled out £120m to cover the free school meals costs over the summer holidays without even an IOU from the Treasury to indicate they are ever going to receive it back, which will cause major problems in some all purpose unitary council areas over the next few year.

Cramlington Town Council, a Tory Parish led by 'New Conservative' fly by night politician Wayne Daley (who is responsible for the mess the educational system is in the West of the County through his philanthropic style of management working with and on a non-Council academy in Hexham and who jumped ship as the allegations against the County Council of corruption, bullying, mismanagement, racism etc., came to light) has come out stating they will support Cramlington children's free school meals ad- infinitum in several well written press articles showing how large the split is between the dreadful pinny wearing 'Morpeth mob' nasty party Councillors and the New Conservatives in Cramlington the Counties second largest Town are and how the gangrenous splits won't heal quickly if ever as experts believe Cramlington will be hit hardest by the Governments monetary policies and Brexit as we enter 2021.

The Labour Party in Northumberland are also out with a letter demanding that the new on probation Council Leader Glen Sanderson funds those Children in need. Seeing him live on TV since his promotion shows that Councillor Sanderson who likes to come over as the perfect gentleman is ageing rapidly and the pressure he and his deputy Councillor Dodd are under through being exposed to Police and internal investigations is certainly something these two yokel farmers have never experienced before and they are certainly struggling to hack it.

With neighbouring Councils in the North of Tyne and Borderland partnerships funding the free meals until after Easter term Northumberland is totally reliant on neighbours, family, local businesses, charities, and the Churches working together to get this huge geographical area, the utterly diverse County of Northumberland  through this mess while the nasties hide behind their useless government. Or is that their financial egotistical wizard, the man who hasn't paid off his company debts Councillor Nick Oliver has he blown the lot on gifts to businesses and farmers? When the investigations and audit committee get round to him without interference from Councillor Wearmouth and himself were sure to find out!

Feed the kids Glen, like your Tory ex deputy leader Wayne Daley is doing in Cramlington show you have a heart, some basic feelings of what is right and a smidgen of leadership qualities and forget the handshakes and secrets for now.

 

Remember, Remember the Fourth of November Backstabbing, Loses the Plot

 With the public sector either working from home or in the case of the NHS shorthanded and swamped, Murky noticed the slipping through of a law change by the Conservative Government which will not only alter the retirement plans of millions of families experts say it will lead to unending unclearable debt as the housing market slips into deep decline on the back of party right wingers trying to stop headline reports of high cash payouts for highly paid top staff.

The restriction of public sector exit payments regulations 2020 is being rolled out to cap payments to anyone made redundant or retiring from the public sector down to £95,000. 

To make matters worse the cap includes the payments made to public sector pension funds to ensure pensions for those long serving staff who are made redundant do not suffer from reduced pension payments. Meaning highly paid staff could be made redundant and owe money to their former employers. The BMA are challenging the Government over this anomaly.

This year mainstream media reported widely on the many highly paid civil servants who have slipped out of the system with reporters indicating they were having difficulty working with the Governments political advisors but kept tight lipped on the real reason.

Long serving public servants earning as little as £20,000 a year, thats just over £1.60 an hour above the minimum wage, made redundant at 55+ will be affected by this new law and reductions will apply. For a Boris Johnson manifesto headline where it was indicated that the change was necessary to stop headline payouts to sacked Council senior managers the Tories have used the opportunity of the backing by the public of a general election to rapidly extend their creation of a two tier society. But in fulfilling their dreams they have sunk the future retirement plans of millions of ordinary workers.

Many of those workers caught by the new law will be manual and craft workers whose jobs have damaged them physically and can no longer perform to the maximum, road workers, refuse collectors many of whom walk almost a marathon distance each day behind a vehicle, joiners, roofers and plumbers whose knees have gone, hospital cleaners and community nursing and care staff working alone all get worn out bodies due to their employment serious enough to force them into their employers disciplinary processes but not serious enough to prove through the Duncan Smith benefits system they are suffering permanent ill health. Keeping a roof over your head and feeding your family is not a reason to get Government assistance.

In Northumberland both local government and health will require urgent reorganisations as soon as the financial merry go round of government mismanagement and a Tory council which actually believes the spin from the Treasury and are doling out reserves on the back of a Conservative promise. As we have seen Conservative promises in the County come to nothing but accusations of corruption but how will the conglomerate of health and local government which has been blended into an almost seamless service over many years deal with reorganisation without the basic assumption that they will pick up older volunteers. How will the trade unions deal with employers and can we expect a return to 1960's last in first out reorganisations leading in a very short time to the development of an aging workforce and the management of ill health dominating the scene rather than the mixed age group vibrancy currently delivering for people.

Luckily the Labour Party have promised to repeal this vile legislation but we have another four years of stagnation before the next General Election. To clear the damage to the public sector and the effects of a negative or no deal Brexit to leech from the sector may take two decades according to city analysts. By that time swathes of dreams and retirement plans will be shattered and the reliance on the housing market outside London will be completely depleted.

Halloween is almost upon Northumberland Conservatives yet no new update from its new leader regarding the ‘State of the County’ and the setting up of a non-democratic dictatorship?

Murky notes that during July 2020 accusations regarding the Tory Party and their activities first hit the headlines. It was to be the demise of the Tory Leader, the paramour Councillor Peter Jackson was deposed from Office by the joint forces of the LibDems, The Labour Party and the non-Bedlington Independents on the Council. The Bedlington Independents along with their Tory managers voted to retain a Leader whose administration had been accused of dodgy land dealings, lying, racism, bullying non payment of rates & Council tax among other nasty party issues, we have reproduced the e-mail that kickstarted this complete mess below.

A New Leader was brought in to the Council following the series of revelations on the above matters in the Regional, National and Local press over a period of weeks. That new leader was none other than the Lead Tory Peer for the Local Government Association, representative of the National Parks and wealthy Farmer, Councillor Glen Sanderson.

Yet from a man that is supposedly so experienced in Local Government matters and issues, so much so that he is paid handsomely to teach other Councils how to improve and better themselves he has sat back and let the nasty sores growing on his parties members watching them sour and fester through his complete silence.

Its been rumoured to Murky that Glen Sandersons officers are making changes behind his back to completely control the Council in future and we ask why then is it necessary to have elected members at all if they will have no power to deliver on behalf of their public and that officers will have them over a barrel constantly?

So Councillor Sanderson considering the above and the e-mail reproduced below why have you not told us your public anything at all about the mess you seem to be making worse? Where are your statements to keep us the public informed?, whats happening with the investigations? And how many strings will you be fitted with by Council officers to bring you to the stage and nod for them?

Daljit Lally GCSX <daljit.lally@northumberland.gov.uk>         27 July 2020 at 22:00
Peter Jackson <peter.jackson@northumberland.gov.uk>
Wayne Daley <wayne.daley@northumberland.gov.uk>

Hello Peter thanks for your email. It is helpful that you have articulated your understanding of the meeting as I have a different recollection and perspective on a number of the issues you have raised.

The meeting this morning was at your request following the issues of concern I raised with you last week. I provided you with some context in relation to the emails that you quoted to me when requesting todays meeting.

I raised with you my whistleblowing concerns about the actions of two cabinet members specifically and my well documented concerns about the Advance managing director Ken Dunbar and the lack of willingness to address my concerns, some of which include potentially illegal behaviour and also your subsequent reticence to act on the concerns that I have repeatedly raised.

The two member issues I raised are as follows.

Firstly I raised the issues of concern about Councillor John Riddle who as I have previously advised you previously in one or two meetings and again in out one to one meetings in March this year has sought to seek the purchase by the Council of land in which I am led to believe he has a financial interest and also  continues to seek confidential information and inappropriate social services action via myself and Cath McAvoy social services action in relation to his son and grandchild. I detailed these concerns on both these matters to you and I have not had a satisfactory response. I also raised Councillor Riddels inappropriate comments to me.

Secondly I raised my continuing concerns about the issues relating to your personal relationship with Councillor Homer. When I raised the monitoring officer guidance that I sent you about declarations you did not deny the relationship but you were clear that you were unwilling to comply with the advice of the monitoring officer.

At our meeting this morning I set out some of my concerns via a whistleblowing disclosure about Cllr Homer’s behaviour towards staff and in some ways your behaviour towards staff clearly in conjunction with Cllr Homer, this has included discriminatory behaviour and the fact that I have had to put in place specific support arrangements for staff (including myself) due to the stress we are being put under.

You stated to me you had a number of issues to raise with me indicating that I was not performing in my role. I found the latter statement very surprising as you have never raised any performance issues or concerns either at our regular briefing meetings with members  or when I pressed for examples of the issues you were referring to so I could respond to them or put them to the executive team to ask for responses as is our usual process with any enquiries you make you really struggle to coherently articulate any issues. As I have always said I have no issue if members need to resolve issues as that really is the only mway we will get issues sorted out.

The issues you raised were:

Heads of service being prevented from speaking to cabinet members
My response to you was:
I asked if this was Glenn Sanderson as I have clearly previously arranged for local services heads of service’s to provide written notes as part of their performance. You will recall you agreed to the instigation of the notes when you said you and Glen Sanderson wanted David Laux dismissed. You will also recall that I said staff can’t just be dismissed at a whim and that a record of their meetings would be required to determine if  there were any performance issues that could be looked at and acted upon.. You stated that it was not Glen but Councillor Riddle who was being prevented from meeting the Director of planning. As I said this morning I was not aware of Rob not meeting with Cllr. Riddle and that I would raise this with Juliemma. Having thought about it this afternoon I have however considered that it might be Rob being careful about meeting with Cllr. Riddle given Cllr. Riddle’s track record of making inappropriate requests of planning officers. An issue of concern I have raised with you before.

Bedlington Leisure facility and your false allegation that I was withholding information from you only my response to you was:
I advised you that I was aware that yourself and Cllr. Homer have made political promises to a member of Bedlington Independent group but that I am duty bound to act in line with the budget that the Council has set and following Neil Bradley’s the £250k you then promised the member for the development would actually need £3.3m which are unbudgeted for and cannot demonstrate VFM. I said I was happy to share the report Neil has drafted but it has not been agreed through the usual officer process. I also stated subsequently Cllr. Wearmouth has asked Juliemma to take forward  the development via a town centre gym it would be helpful if you could advise which scheme you want to pursue and I will advise Juliemma of the correct course of action.

Seaton Delaval school site and your false accusation that I was seeking to purchase land. The rather odd issue that you raised that I was seeking to purchase land to redevelop the school. As I advised you this morning this is a clearly false accusation that you were making. I advised you of the most recent dialogue that I have had with Cllr Daley and Cath McAvoy and I am sure you will check that out and find my comments to you are factually correct. I must say I am very concerned about theses false accusations that you made particularly as you appear to have based them on false information which you could have checked at the housing board last Friday.

Performance Reporting
You raised concern that performance is not being reported to cabinet members. As I stated to you the cabinet and execs meet very regularly. The execs have evidenced that to me regularly in writing. The issue you raised of the report is as I have stated i.e. the report is ready but we were holding it until Cllr Sanderson could leave his harvesting to join in the informal cabinet meeting which is what you said you wanted. If you change your mind the report can be brought next week to JC.

Appraisal
You indicated that I had not completed an appraisal. This is incorrect. I drafted my objectives and passed them to you for comment. Unfortunately you failed to complete the assessment template, comment on the objectives and you failed to attend the agreed meeting with Sir James to discuss them.

After the above issues you again said you have issues and I asked what they were. As you appeared to be able to articulate these issues I stated maybe it was the elephant in the room which was clearly which was clearly resulting from Cllr Homer’s inappropriate and discriminatory behaviour to myself and other staff members and it was may view that issues were not being dealt with because of your close relationship and the influence Cllr. Homer is exerting is the reason you are asking me to leave my job and that the potential of bias really needed to be considered as I was being detrimented by her and your actions. I advised you there were numerous other concerns that myself and some other members of the staff team have raised or would wish to raise particularly your behaviour and that of Councillor Homer and that I would be more than happy to share the information as the behaviour is inappropriate. Some examples that I cited include unagreed use of resources in a manner targeting advantage to Cllr Homer’s preferences rather than needs based spend on her ward area including your insistence to develop Hexham Middle school even though it is not in council ownership, pressure to purchase a Hexham site outwith its valuation and preference to spend on Cllr Homer’s portfolio rather than based on appropriate need.

You were clearly unhappy about the advice you have received about declaring that relationship and that potential bias was being evidenced.

I stated I was more than happy to continue working in the unbiased way that I have as I was just seeking to do my job well. You then stated you have taken advice from the LGA about asking me to leave the Council due to my not performing. When asked about ahta specific advice you had sought you said “about this”. I believe you were referring to one email which you described as curt. I advised you the email was polite and professional. I then stated the issues that you have asked about have all been appropriately responded to, these include the structure of the organisation and preparation for my role as interim head of NOCTA in January 2021.

I asked you if you were asking me to leave my job with the Council and you said yes you were and that it was not just yourself and that you had agreed with your cabinet just as I was raising issues on behalf of the executive team. You said that I had asked to leave some weeks ago and I said we have often joked about you being out of a job after the election and possibly myself too. At no time have I resigned as you put it in your email below and I would ask that in any discussion you have with cabinet members about forcing me from my role as you are doing via this email you need to make it clear to cabinet members that I have not at any time offered my resignation.

I did say that as you were asking me to leave my role in the Council that there is due process to follow via the monitoring officer which is in a report to the staffing committee followed by a report to full council. I asked if you wanted me to ask the monitoring officer to arrange the staffing committee and you said no you would seek further advice from the LGA. I’m presuming you have taken that advice and hence your email to me below. I would reiterate that I have not resigned my role and should you feel you have written evidence that you should provide it to me by return. Also if you are now suggesting that our conversation of 30^th June was seriously questioning my continued employment with the Council I would have expected to have been offered the courtesy of representation both there and today accordingly.

I am disappointed to have received your email below as the context of our discussion is entirely distorted. Since the brief discussion of 30^th June we have had many face to face discussions, video calls in the presence of others which have been very positive. Most recently our briefing last week where we discussed the issues listed on that agenda. I am unsure what is obvious in determining yourself as leader and myself as CEO has deteriorated to a level as I believe my email responses are professional and business like and it would be helpful if you could outline on which occasions you feel I have deliberately undermined you in front of senior officers and or members. The allegations of bullying are statements based on examples where members have spoken to/emailed staff (including myself) inappropriately.

I am also disappointed that you are now suggesting to me in writing that my performance as CEO is not acceptable. This is the first occasion you have stated this and I would now suggest that you enact the councils performance management process so that we can both be clear on the expected level and outcomes of performance and behaviour.

I am clear I do not have any intention of resigning from my role if however you wish to enact the disciplinary process regarding my statutory role as CEO I suggest you seek formed advice in this regard.

I would like to make it clear that I do not believe that you have grounds to discipline me or question my performance as the CEO. The council has had many successes since I was appointed and it is to the testament of the Executive team and the senior leadership that they are now regarded as high performing and nationally well regarded.

I entirely accept that you and your cabinet set out the strategic direction of the Council and the operationalisation of that and subsequent delivery of that is my responsibility along with the executive team.

If you are now suggesting that our conversation of 30^th June was seriously questioning my continued employment with the council, I would have expected to have been offered the courtesy of representation both then and today accordingly.

I appreciate you are now suggesting we need to find a constructive way forward and that you have decided to write to the LGA to ask for the option of formal independent mediation. I am unclear on what basis you are requesting mediation e.g. my employment relationship etc., therefore I would expect this to be clarified in due course.

I would expect all discussions and correspondence to remain business like however where you are proposing to discuss any aspect of my employment I must insist on having representation at any future meetings.

In relation to future meetings I will ask the Deputy Leader and Deputy Chief Executive to be present at my meeting and notes to be taken and any requests for information to be clearly articulated in writing by cabinet members and with agreed timescales.

As you are aware I have notified the deputy leader Cllr Daley of our discussions today as you informed me that you were acting on behalf of the cabinet. I now understand that this was not the case.

I would also make you aware that my employment is through also through a formal joint contract with the NHS and should you take steps to terminate this with or without good reason you should notify Sir James Mackey.

At no point in our discussion today did you indicate our meeting today was confidential so I will advise you that I will share the discussion as necessary.

Also as I was concerned that you were recording our last conversation I would be clear with you that that you do not have my permission to record todays conversation or in fact any previous subsequent conversations so if you have done so please provide me with written assurances whether you have or have not and provide me with a copy of the audio by return.

Apologies for the lateness of my reply but I did not get home from work until after 7pm. I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards

Mrs Daljit Lally
Chief Executive
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
NE61 2EF




 

 

It's a double blank for Prudhoe as Tory's fail the Town.

 Murky notices that the growth in online dominoes with friends has grown enormously through lockdown and has continued ever onwards through the recent periods of respite. We at murky who are certainly not the best at this sport, or is it a pastime? have been amazed at the comments being thrown out from players who seem to relax into the pub style from their back bedrooms and kitchens.

Some of the most interesting comments from Northumberland  players have come from the mid-tyne town of Prudhoe where questions have been asked about failed cop, now pathetic male litter picking photographic model Councillor Gordon Stewart. Most didn't appear to know he was a Tory County Councillor and a member of the allegedly corrupt, bullying, racist, land fiddling secret Council at County Hall, Morpeth which has had its nefarious activities reported to the Police by a whistle-blower, and we're led to believe a major internal investigation is already harvesting evidence.   

It appears to the local public that Councillor Stewart has developed an image of a slightly crazy street cleaner who likes to take selfies all over the Town whilst paper picking, doing a local worker out of a job.

The stories of his party's failures in Prudhoe started to appear on more open social media and we at Murky have been monitoring matters since the spotted game members revelations. 

During winter 2016/17 the Tories forced the Council to close the local youth centre in Prudhoe due to suddenly finding building problems with our male model front and centre of a campaign to have it repaired and reopened immediately after Prudhoe's public voted him in. 

The County Council is in the last six months of his administrations life prior to purdah restrictions being put into action and nothing at all is in place to fulfill his promise, in fact local people noticed the run down of sure start and the additional slashback of support for those in the position of having to apply for Council Tax benefit were both fully supported by him over the last three and a half years.

But the thing his constituents are most worried about is what Councillor Stewart is not saying. Following his election in May 2017 the road sweeping facebook star and Tory Councillor made loads of noise about his support for the former Labour plans to insist Northumberland Estates begin the Town Centre development ensuring Prudhoe shoppers grasp a local footfall habit prior to opening up the new retail developments at Low Prudhoe. His colleagues at County Hall sat back and just like Bedlington town centre, Ashington 'hole site' and Blyth Town centre the Tories and their costly company Advance Northumberland have washed their hands (do Tories do that?) and simply ran out rhetoric instead of getting shovels into the ground.

Why? the people are asking. We at Murky say 'its because Prudhoe is not and never has been a part of Castle Morpeth the only Town the disgraced Council Leader Peter Jackson, current Leader Glen Sanderson along with the Chair of Advance Northumberland Richard Wearmouth are interested in.

 

Lilidorei the Tory Jokers laugh at your expense.

Murky is sorrowful as we ask you to remember this, "Eighty new jobs in Alnwick and an extra 1,500,000 visitors a year will put that Town on a smoother road towards sustainability and lift its local economy out of the doldrums. Our strategy for the market towns of the County is to assist growth where we can" Was, in late 2016 what the then Leader of Northumberland County Council, Labours Councillor Grant Davey told the press in regards to the Council  offering a loan to the Alnwick Gardens Trust and the developers of its proposed elfin village scheme, Lilidorei.

The Tories in the shape of the now found out and disgraced Councillor Peter Jackson aided and abetted by his Tory group ran story after story out in all forms of media attacking what they called 'a gift of public money to the richest family in the County'.

One Tory ducked out, Councillor Gordon Castle the voice of the Duke in the Council chamber. He went into hiding as the Town he represents slipped further and further down the economic staircase and saw tourist growth in its competitive neighbour Amble to the detriment of his County Town, Alnwick.

According to Tory Government figures its estimated that to create a sustainable job outside London the public purse would have to invest £270,000 per job. Yet the Tories in Northumberland effectively turned down 80 jobs in a town where poverty is on the increase for what was in the medium term for free! The noise caused by what are now becoming branded as the Castle Morpeth Pinafore's  (CMP) caused the Tory doners and members on the Alnwick Gardens Trust to stop the project due to their own parties bad publicity.

But the CMP group on the Council don't seem to care that playing the two faced joker in the pack will be remembered by the innocent right across the County and that rumour has it the disgraced Councillors Jackson, Oliver and Wearmouth have in secret been pestering officers of the Council to ensure a free non repayable grant of £3m is made available from the borderlands capital funding pot to their colleagues who ran away in fear from the bad publicity with the remaining £5.5m being found through commercial loans, slowing the period the new jobs will take to bring on line and help Alnwick recover. The £3m grant was confirmed by the borderlands publicity team earlier this month.

We at murky hope that with the exposure of the 'politics' from the CMP group being opened out to public scrutiny that same public will begin to see why being managed as a herd by Tory farmers is not what people want or need and that dwelling in Northumberland doesn't have to feel like your living in a real time Thomas Hardy novel.

 

 

Northumberland Labour Councillors concerned with Johnson rejection of the Rushford deal!

Murky's investigations have revealed Northumberland Labour Councillors, the Trade Unions and Teaching staffs are extremely concerned regarding the absolute rejection of the Marcus Rushford plan to feed children on free school meals over the October school holiday fortnight.

Since the return to school following Prime Minister Johnsons edict, pressure has grown on school staffs and Councillors as the effects of unemployment hits more and more families particularly in the most deprived wards where professionals find the nett effects of grinding poverty growing and the future prospects for families in deep decline.

One Councillor told us that 'because of the austerity cuts from Government over the last decade the current Conservative administration at County Hall in Morpeth have shifted millions of pounds worth of cash over to highways repairs in the deep countryside whilst cutting essential poverty in children indicator staff such as Sure Start and the Youth Service down to the bone'. 'We have no idea what the new leader of Council Glen Sanderstead will make of this situation and as a serious difference has developed between his administration and the Chief Executive were not sure where impartial advice to help the situation will come from.'

Teaching and ancillary staff in schools have felt under pressure for a number of weeks as joblessness, regular and ongoing family hunger and the fear of homelessness is affecting children badly with the BBC reporting a high level of concern from mental health professionals about the dire situation young people find themselves in which is expected to grow out of all control as we move ever closer to a no-deal Brexit.

A trade union activist told us that the Council is moving towards a period of massive upheaval and the new Council Leader, Glen Sanderson who has been operating with a well developed chasm sitting between the Council and its constituents whilst investigations into the alleged actions and activities of his fellow cabinet members take precedence. 

Whatever he does he needs to do it soon.

6.6% North East Unemployment, whats Wearmouth doing about it?

Murky noted that since May 2017 and the formation of a minority (supported by Bedlington Independents on a Yo-Yo string) Conservative administration at Northumberland County Council, staff in the direct labour section of the Council who concentrate on cutting grass in the summer months have been paid off. A mirror image of the gross disrespect shown for the workforce that was doled out by Castle Morpeth and its pinafore Councillors led by the now failed Peter Jackson for many years.

During the Labour administration 2013-17 that practice ceased, Labours Councillor Ian Swithenbank who’s portfolio it sat in had a winter work schedule formatted by officers and as many staff as possible were kept on each and every year.

Since the revelations of corruption, bullying, racism, the total inadequacy of monetary control and dodgy legal advice directed by Council Cabinet members exploded into the public arena we have had an enforced change of Leadership, switching over Councillor Glen Sanderson to Leader with Portfolio for Local Services. This is seen by many as the foot on the rocky road for the Council. Councillor Sanderson is also a Regional Peer for the LGA and a Board Member of Northumberland National Parks, so when he’s going to find time to do any leadership when he has to work for his huge extra income from the other two named bodies? we at Murky know that something will slip, historically looking at his record it will be the Council!

To that end and to cover his back, he promoted a much battered by failure to deliver through his expensive to form ADVANCE Northumberland and now subject to reports that we believe are being investigated by the Police, Councillor Richard Wearmouth to manage business on the Councils and his behalf.

Councillor Wearmouth’s first hurdle is to tackle the major surge in unemployment across the County that is set to grow even more rapidly as his Governments furlough scheme unravels in two weeks time.  Retail growth funded initially through panic and now through furlough support will slump violently until after the mess his Government are also making of BREXIT is over and a recovery of sorts begins to unfold.

In order to stem the flow towards a flattening economy he needs to pick up the phone to Councillor Swithenbank and take advice from someone who worked hard to ensure dignity for the workforce was maintained and incomes to support their families was available by ensuring essential work that can only be undertaken in the winter months such as tree lopping, ditching and drainage gets undertaken on the paying publics behalf.

Then he needs to lower himself from his self-built pedestal breaking his vow of silence and tell the Public what he’s doing to help otherwise the retail sector the Counties only saving grace will lose the secure future it hoped to retain over the next twelve months and the growth will shift over to the development of food banks County-wide.


   

 

Olly its another fine mess you got us into!

The unbelievably self overrated failed businessman and now a Northumberland County Councillor Nick Oliver of Corbridge whose period of office has been coloured by his inability to accept the truth on a huge number of fronts including paying his tax debts to the department he has been placed in charge of.

He is the financial portfolio holder of the Council and one of his more regular business collapses has according to County and regional newspapers left himself and his wife owing £31,000 in unpaid business rates.

This week he has attempted to revive another vicious misnomer or to be slightly more generous to Council Oliver a blatant lie. That of the new Council Offices that Labour was hoping to develop in Ashington one of the Councils most deprived areas would cost £80m.

Rumour from the 'dark zone' at Morpeth County Hall is that he was asked by a Labour Councillor Lynn Grimshaw to prove his claim, after the huge expensive refurbishment of Morpeth County Hall was debated at a scrutiny panel.

We here at Murky thought we would give the Councillor Oliver the Councils prime fairy story teller a bit of a hint, from a Freedom of Information request on the Government web site 'what do they know' the link is below and here's the shortened version of the answer:

In the recently released Northumberland Conservative manifesto 2017, in

the name of Conservative Leader, Councillor Peter Jackson, It is stated

that the new Council Offices being built in Ashington will cost £80M.

 The County Council has published in the local press that they have fixed a

price of £32M through their company ARCH with a national building

contractor Galliford Try for the development of the new building.

Which is the correct figure?

Answer:

The figure of £80m being quoted as the cost of the new Council Offices

building in Ashington is incorrect.  The outcome of the recent contractor

procurement exercise confirmed that the new office building will be

delivered within the original cost estimate of £32.2m. Therefore the true

figure is  the £32M

Isn't it a pity that the Conservative Portfolio holder for finance hasn't bothered to check the true facts before prattling on and making a complete fool of himself.

 Get on to your pc Oliver and let the next rumour from Morpeth County Hall where the Tory administration accused of corruption resides is that you have apologised to Labours Councillor Grimshaw. Murky won't hold its breath while we're waiting.

 

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/estimated_cost_of_new_council_of

 

Hubble, Bubble Toil and Trouble. She's definitely back!

 

 Murky giggles now that Northumberland Conservatives have shown how all the bullying they dished out, all the corrupt actions they have undertaken on the public purse all the lies they ran through their stage managed audit committee and how all their plans to scoop the pool and live on the back of the Council for years are being stirred in the witches pot.

 Unlike the Tory allegations against the Council company ARCH these matters are already covered by hard evidence and will be scoped into the huge investigation process that if history is to be repeated will be rapidly underway using some of the most expensive negative legal and audit investigators public money can buy.

 The biggest problem the Tories have is that the witches are a team and have wormed their way into the pockets of the Tories enemies Dungworth and Hill and through the solididity of womenhood  the only differences they may ever have is how hard to stir the pot.

 Right under their corrupt noses the Tories fell into the trap of trust as over the last three years the 'magic trio' at the top of the Council slipped the male officers towards the fire exits and lined up a team that have to prove that they can be even more vicious than the former postholders. The analogy to this trio being  Pele, Messi and Ronaldo world beaters on their day turning out for the same team each Saturday. Any team listing these three players in their day would have caused havoc among their opposition on match day. The game for this magic trio will be ever onward and decisive and for the Councils new leader, the Cabinet member for finance, the Chair of advance and the now famous land swindler as well as others in the Jackson cabinet will be career ending even if jail is avoided through the trowel, square and apron coming to the rescue.

 

Blyth town centre modernisation, is it to be ditched by the Tories?.

Murky noticed during September 2020 Northumberland Conservatives ran out an optimistic piece of spin regarding the release by Government of £750,000 as a kick-start offer from the Future High Streets fund. One of two funds which along with the 101 high streets fund described by Government and Northumberland Conservatives as  £3.6bn capital allowances to help bring life back to worn out and run down High streets across the UK. The split between the funds is £1bn to the Future High Streets fund and £2.6bn to the 101 High Streets Fund cumulatively known by the Ministry of Housing,Communities and Local Government as the Towns Funds.

The Towns funds are privately managed by the project engineers ARUP who will co-ordinate a group of consultants to help develop bids. The early release funding is to be primarily used to ensure the bid is strong and stable. Final bids must be in to Government for evaluation by January 2021 and its believed Northumberland County Council are ready to bring their final offer to the public for comment. The public will then see if the Market Place described by both the military and many architects as one of the best public open spaces nationally will be filled with old shipping containers to be used as shops. We will remind you that a local transport company executive is the Chairperson of the local business project team.

Due to the short run in to the December 2019 General Election the Tories decided to run out their manifesto in short speeches from the PM over a period of six months. In June 2020 as part of the infrastructure manifesto Boris Johnson announced the strengthening up of the Towns funds raising the cap above its earlier versions of £25m in exceptional circumstances. A short while later if MHCLG indicates they are not happy with the conception and planning of final bids there is no guarantee of funding.

The Prime Ministers announcement included an additional funding arrangement which would offer first tranche towns the opportunity to gain access to cash between £500K - £1m to kick-start work and cover the consultancy costs of the bid.

Unfortunately due to the impact of the pandemic a note from the Treasury put back second round bids 'for the foreseeable future'.

This week at the Tory Party conference two top Tories put the national town centre projects in doubt. The Chancellor Rishi Sunak explained he was ready to ditch manifesto pledges to balance the nations books. He said "We have a sacred responsibility to future generations to leave the public finances strong". He went on to say "Through careful management this Conservative Government will always balance the books. If instead we argue there is no limit on what we can spend, that we can simply borrow our way out of any hole then what is the point of us?".

He was backed up wholeheartedly by Sajid Javid Theresa May's austerity Chancellor who advised him to begin a 'radical review' of the nations finances and look at every departments books and zero base their project expenditure. He said "What I found in every Government department that I inherited… if you ask the officials for a spreadsheet, a list of every programme that department is working on, the cost, the number of full time equivalent people working on each project, how much has been spent and how much is programmed to be spent you will find programmes and projects that are no longer necessary".

Blyth and the Towns fund are peripheral to the current needs of a nation who will have to find cash to pay Universal Credit to an additional 1.3m claimant's from 31st October also Councils are not fully prepared to handle those claimant's need to access Council Tax and other benefits.

At least it may halt the possibility that rusting containers will be the new eyeful visitors will remember following their trip to the Town.

Northumberland Conservatives Capitulate

 

Northumberland Conservative leaders Sanderson, Dodds and Wearmouth have decided to bring Mrs Daljit Lally the County Councils CEX back from exile to get her feet under their 'new table'.

It appears to us at murky that they have capitulated under the massed pressure from the Labour Party and Councillor Hill who have destroyed the Tories via social media.

We at murky need to know what now happens to the Police investigations, the results of the Councils secret investigations and if a deal to rein back on the revelations of corruption via an expensive deal?

Murky will be watching for the lumps that are to be swept under the carpets!

Build, Back Better

 Murky notes none other than Premier Boris Johnson has been preaching his latest slogan build, back better. In his usual bumbling style he has tried in vain to explain that its his (and Dominic Cummings) method of rebuilding the nation after Covid 19 and Brexit but it hasn't gelled with his party's supporters particularly those elected members from the Shire Counties who have used their local planning frameworks and plans to control voting support in their favour for the last three decades. If objection numbers are high then the development doesn't happen and sleepy councillors put on their shining armour and defend the voting public with all their might and guile.

The new changes to planning law exploded into full view during August when Tory constituency parties began to debate the first of three consultation documents that have been aimed at gaining support from and for developers by introducing an algorithm into the national planning framework that favours building outside of the current urban conurbations and developing homes where people ideally wish to live, in the Countryside, in the Government's hopes that village and market town expansion will reduce the unsustainable state they have slipped into over the last two decades.

In Northumberland the mess that has ensued in planning since the disgraced Councillor Peter Jackson's regime abandoned the Councils core strategy in favour of a 'let's dump all future housing in our urban areas' local plan that they were going to produce in "a few months", three years on it was eventually presented to a Government planning inspector who asked at examination for evidence (which the council haven't got) to prove their plan. 

After they were caught out they began making their usual spinning noise expecting to blame Labour who in reality had resolved the shire tory squires conundrum by supporting the Tory Governments garden village program and an edge of Town site at 'Clickerman' farm to suck up the rural development numbers. Peter Jackson had them stopped at great expense to the Council which now means through his own Governments proposals and his complete denial that the core strategy was right for the County, development will take place in villages all over the county leading to slippage in housing values on current homes as choice increases widely.

Although we at murky like the general public have been parked in the cold on the clarification of annual housing numbers to be developed between 2022 and 2052 but were led to believe they have doubled from the figures being used in the Tories unclassified local plan to over 1000 each year, that's 30,000+ over the expected lifetime of the plan and without the development of much needed Council Housing on Council owned Land the numbers will only be met through the development of low quality high profit executive homes with towns and villages looking unbelievably similar like 1990's high streets.

Housing development and planning law changes are only part one of the Tory Governments plan to nullify local government through power grabbing now that they are aware that people can be controlled through centrally announced edicts. They are so sure they can force through these changes Premier Johnson has already announced phase two of his build back better plan, the development of 40 new hospitals over the next few years. The Government need to force this through as their developer allies need the land the outgoing hospitals stand on to manage their investment plans until councils nationally can resolve the issues of land supply to furnish the Tories new massive housing program.

Its said from time to time that all publicity is good publicity, but through the damage caused by Councillor Jackson and the accusations of bullying, racism, fraud, dodgy land dealing by his cabinet and an unacceptable local plan against the Council then the only good to come out of the most recent dreadful announcements can only be good for the Labour Party as Tory voters begin to realise how they have been let down by their own distant MP's.

Are Northumberland Tories actions encouraging unlawful activity

Although murky has looked at the way Northumberland Tory Councillors, many of whom including their recently resigned Leader Councillor Peter Jackson and his current replacement Councillor Glen Sanderson are millionaire farmers have poured cash into agricultural and rural businesses to help them through the pandemic and beyond as Brexit hits, we believe the Council should look again at a group they have ignored, the plight of those who pour revenue into the Councils coffers each year while keeping residents safe and sound, our struggling cab drivers.

For those who aren't aware of how costly and how controlled the taxi trade is in Northumberland the Council has drivers fully shackled and holds them to ransom to pay for both Hackney carriage and private hire licences and then pay the Council to test their vehicles sucking up the drivers profits while allegedly allowing Tory leaders to run a love affair on the revenue income of which cab drivers payments are a large part.

Nationally the cab drivers trade bodies have surveyed their members and on average through the pandemic their incomes have been slashed by 80%.

Yet the Tories who run the secret society known as the Council Cabinet have decided to support others, many in the farming and agricultural industries with grants and top up payments.

This has led many drivers down the rocky road to ruin, as their cars have to be maintained to an exacting standard which is extremely costly steering them towards using loan sharks if anything needs repairing on their vehicles.

Labour controlled Councils in the North and Midlands are looking to drive illegal lending out of this trade and in conjunction with Police and Crime Commissioner's are considering halting licence payments for the time being until trade resumes at a profitable level and starting Council led loan schemes to stop the trade being swamped by criminality. 

Northumberland accused by their suspended CEX of corruption on an almost industrial scale have simply been supportive of their own kind and hard working cabbies seem to be excluded on a permanent basis

Murky reveals the member of the public for Tory town councillor D Carr as former leader of Northumberland County Council Grant Davey also a long standing Councillor on Blyth Valley

 

Fancy that!

Murky notices the Blyth Town Councillor who doesn't live in Blyth Daniel Carr didn't recognise one of only a handful of people who have produced anything for Blyth in the last two decades.

As Dave Stevens Cabinet member for regeneration he brought the Town its iconic beach huts, built Dave Stevens House, Richard Stannard House and laid the plans to regenerate the Town as well as bringing the Blythscope public art when developing the market place. His progress was stopped by the Tory/LibDem coalition at County Hall.

After winning the 2013 election and sorting out the money mess left by the coalition he went on to build two new council estates in the town, also modernised Hodgesons Road estate including new homes for families.

He also brought the Commissioners Quay hotel and had workspace 2  built to improve job opportunities for people.

His name Councillor Carr is Grant Davey a quiet man who's name will go down in history while your still only famous for putting up a few litter bins and hiding behind the rhetoric spinners in your party who like to talk about all sorts and deliver nowt!