leisure centres another fine mess we are in!!! etc

28th June
This evening we had a meeting of the community services scrutiny to look at the decision of the Tory cabinet to close Willenhall Leasure centre and Bryntisilo campy site in Wales.
After some agrument the meeting was adjourned as many of those who are directly affected by this had not been invited to have their say...
I often !! despair of Walsall Council... this is yet another example of issues that should have been foreseen years and years ago but the relevant senior officer has not taken ownership of that issue and in conjunction with the relevant politician from cabint has not had the foresight to deal with and plan of action way long ago rather than leave until the clock is nearly at midnight and actions are just panic reactions... a story of a culture in walsall that has been disgraceful over the years and I think is the cause of many of the disasters that have happened in Walsall Council to the detriment of the council tax payers in thsi Borough and has wasted so much both in effort and money.....!!
regards
Ian
Cllr Ian Robertson
Blakenall Ward

questions questions!!!

    When will the disgraceful state of Butlers passage be corrected? and what has been the cost  so far in the previous attempts to restore and clean up?

-         What is the current estimated cost and time scale of correcting the pothole damage caused by the frost during last winter?

     Notice of motion

This Council welcomes both the   efforts of individuals and those running a business,  to increase recycling.  .

Council notes the Notice of Motion passed on 2^nd July 2007… where

This Council resolves to make every effort via a full strength enforcement team to stop this activity and to urge and give every assistance to our partners such as the environmental agency and the police . Further this   Council will also share such  information with Walsall Housing Group to encourage them to enforce their tenancy agreements which are clearly being broken in these cases and where appropriate information will be shared with our statutory partners.

This Council notes with concern that since that Notice, the problem appears to have become considerably worse and is affecting an even wider area of streets in this Borough.

Council resolves to have urgent discussions with local Councillors, the Police, the environmental agencies, Walsall Housing group, and other appropriate agencies on how this serious anti social behaviour can be permanently stopped, while still encouraging the efforts of the more responsible people in recycling various forms of scrap or ‘tat’.

Question…  …

What is the detailed breakdown in reasons for sickness absence by employees of this Council over the last year along with a length of time absence expressed if possible please in numbers of weeks absent for individual employees and cost of providing cover either by agency staff or by seconding other employees to cover these absences ? 

  News that over 90000 days were lost at Walsall Council last year due to sickness absence, equivalent to 391 years in work days,

Disgraceful....

regards

Ian Robertson

resident St Matthews 

News from tory run Walsall Council

We learn that the latest news to tory run Walsall from this Tory Government is that funding for the Borough has been cut by a further £6 million pounds, including over £2Million on education alone. The details are being worked out by the tory cabinet at the moment , but we await the details and will be probing especially the effects on the most vulnerable and already disadvantaged in the Borough and even more so in wards we represent.




The news that we shall not be sending any more children to Bryntysillio and that Willenhall Leisure centre will close is bad news for those from more disadvantaged backgrounds who value such opportunities. This Borough faces a serious problem of overweight children which will result in many such now children being outlived by their parents.



The committee looking at the loss by this Council of £ 3 million pounds due to poor record keeping and poor officer management met last Monday and it was admitted that the records are there but not in the right files and so claims back cannot be made. Next Monday the audit committee looks at the draft accounts for the Council and seeing that we have 91officers ( excluding education where we have 215 more) earning over £50000 a year and a chief executive earning over £190,000 a year .. that is £40000 more than the prime minister… are we getting value for money as council tax payers

We also read that the tory cabinet in July is proposing to charge everyone for a replacement wheelie bin including those where the gree bin has worn out after 10 years service... and so the other bins brown and grey will also all be charged £18.50 but probalby going up to £25! The benefits of paying council tax are gradually diminishing!
what do you think?
The news that 1 in 5 cancer patients are having to wait over 2 months to get treatment was revealed by the Primary care trust in their annual meeting… can they imagine what it is like to have to wait that long to find out if you have a possibly fatal illness and have some treatment?


We shall as labour councillors be pursuing these issues with vigour and welcome your comments.

Regards


Cllr Ian Robertson Cllr Bob Thomas
 ( Labour)