Monday, January 08, 2007

A Tale Of Two Councils - or Why I Wish I Had Hammersmith & Fulham Council

Today I heard from two separate London Borough Councils, performing very differently.

This morning my five bedroom flat received four envelopes from Newham Council seeking to confirm the electoral register. Three were for "the occupier" of empty rooms seeking confirmation that no-one is there! What a waste - a single envelope for the entire flat would have sufficed. If such waste is taking place on this micro scale, what else are they squandering money on? Mayor Sir Robin Wales, SHAME ON YOU!

Then I heard the news that Hammersmith & Fulham Council has achieved a 3% cut in council tax through efficiency savings. (The Bristow Blog: Council Tax Cut in H&F) At a time when many councils are holding up their hands and claiming that council tax cannot be cut, Hammersmith & Fulham have shown that it is possible.

But there is a sore point still. Whilst Hammersmith & Fulham Council have managed to cut their tax, the GLA tax is up by 5%. If Mr Livingston ever decides to visit the borough (Ken chooses Cuba over Hammersmith) he could learn how to deliver services efficiently and waste less money. Instead he choose to carry on his self-publicity drives and his pathetic crusade against Trevor Phillips. (Livingstone vs Phillips round infinity) Mayor Livingston, SHAME ON YOU!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Really good post Tim. Like the comparison between the two boroughs.

This was all about going in with a vision and delivering - not getting sidelined by officers. Not disrespect to council officers - some who do great work - the problem with many councils is that they are officer led and a vision is not pushed by councillors.

Paul

Anonymous said...

Yes, good points made. Hammersmith and Fulham emailed this press release to Tory bloggers instead of the mainstream media, it shows how the tide is turning, they are very progressive by the sound of it.

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