Bang to rights

Written by Cllr Jack Cohen and published in Hendon Times on Thu 29th Jan 2009

The full Council meeting on Tuesday got off to a good start. The Mayor opened proceedings by warning the public gallery not to make a noise or interrupt. Otherwise they would have to shut themselves up.

From my vantage point the half full public gallery did not appear a hotbed of agitators. Perhaps the Mayor's remarks would have been better directed as some of the more uncouth lot in the main chamber.

The meeting was fairly typical. The Tory majority bulldozed their way through the agenda. Unsurprisingly the Tories vetoed a debate on Lib Dem Councillor Macdonald's motion congratulating the Leader on his "Private Eye" award. A pity because Cllr Macdonald had a trophy (courtesy of a member of the Leader's fan club!) ready to present to the deserving recipient.

The most contentious item was the Tories' plan to scrap the Welfare Rights Unit. The opposition councillors made a compelling case to retain this valuable service. My colleague Lib Dem Cllr Susette Palmer made an impassioned speech to a background of heckling from Tory Councillors

A Tory Cabinet Member was heard to shout out that he had never heard of the Welfare Rights Unit. Such drivel could only have come from a certain……… well you make your deductions.

The outcome was predictable. We lost the battle. However, the future of the Welfare Rights Unit will be back on the agenda when we consider the Council Budget in early March.

The Council meeting ended in farce. No one seemed to know what to do when an item part on blue paper was discussed. Blue papers contain information which the public or press must not see or hear discussed. They were told to wait outside.

The hardy few who remained (the Press, sensibly, had gone home long ago) trooped out. The Mayor ordered the microphones to be turned off. No chances to be taken that the public may accidentally over hear proceedings.

You would have thought it was about to be revealed the Borough Alchemist had discovered how to turn metal into gold. Or, that the Borough traffic engineers had discovered the North West Passage!

So with the microphones turned off, you guessed it, none of the Councillors who tried to speak could be heard. You could not make it up!

I am off on holiday. Back soon.