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WEASEL WORDS FROM NEW SALFORD CITY MAYOR ON TRANSPARENCY
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Star date: 19th May 2016 `TRANSPARENCY'... `ENGAGING THE PUBLIC'... `ACCOUNTABILITY' PROMISED BY NEW SALFORD MAYOR "It was quite clear during the election process that transparency and accountability... is very much important amongst our electorate..." Paul Dennett New Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, in his first address to Salford City Council yesterday, acknowledged the public perception of a lack of transparency and accountability surrounding decision making in the city – and promised "a fresh approach to governance". What Dennett failed to mention was Salford Council battling to keep documents secret at the Information Commissioners' office, and the ongoing refusal to answer questions from community media. Full details here...
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In his first address to councillors yesterday, new Mayor, Paul Dennett, focused on the complete lack of transparency and accountability within Salford City Council, as he promised "a fresh approach to governance" in the wake of yet another low turnout at the mayoral and local elections (30%)... "An awful lot of people didn't participate in the election and it's incumbent on us all in council to encourage people to participate in the democratic process and, more importantly, to engage with the Council and how we do our business here" he said "It was quite clear during the election process that transparency and accountability, or at least the public perception of those sorts of issues, is very much important amongst our electorate and also the people who don't participate in that election process" he added "So it's incumbent on us all, as an executive, as a cabinet and a mayoral team but also as a council, to tackle some of those issues around transparency, accountability and engaging the public in how we do our business." Arguing that he will take a "fresh approach to governance", Dennett explained that "central to this will be a close working relationship with staff and a transparent approach to decision making", although he gave no details whatsoever of how this would work in practice. Instead, Dennett called for more propaganda... "As a Council we have not done enough in my opinion to communicate and publicise our hard work and the great achievements of this city" he said "We need to be telling the public about the fantastic work we are doing." While promising to `tackle' the issue of a lack of accountability and transparency, behind the scenes Salford Council is furiously trying to protect secret documents from being released to the public, via the Information Commissioner. Last November, the Information Commissioner ruled that Salford Council had breached the Freedom of Information Act three times and ordered it to disclose information about deals to sell off green space land at Hill Top Moss in Walkden. Rather than comply, the Council is appealing the decision (see previous Salford Star article – click here). Salford Council is also furiously trying to keep hidden from the Salford Star details of the Development Trust Account, a fund of public money that developers pay into for schemes around Chapel Street and New Bailey (see here). The case is currently with the Information Commissioner awaiting a verdict. Meanwhile, the "fresh approach to governance" has already seen Labour Party Councillor Howard Balkind about to be censured for sending out an email expressing his views on the state of the Party (see here). And, less than a week after Dennett was elected, his press office refused to acknowledge or answer an email request from the Salford Star for a comment on a senior Council development officer taking a job with a company that has huge contracts with Salford Council (see here). Setting out his `fresh' approach, Dennett added: "When large scale projects such as the Stadium are invested in, we will communicate with the public about where and how the money has been raised. It can sometimes appear from the outside that we're cutting budgets for bus subsidies or bin collections for grand prestige projects when, in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. "Projects like the Stadium generate income that we can use to support jobs and services within the city and, let's be clear, regeneration within the city is our only hope in the context of austerity and local government cuts" he added "It's regeneration that supports and protects some of the most vulnerable people within this city..." The Salford Star would certainly take issue with the new Mayor about how regeneration Salford-style `protects some of the most vulnerable people', when poverty levels, and child poverty levels in particular, haven't moved. Well the Star would question and hold to account the new Mayor on such issues but he and Salford Council continue to refuse to speak to the Salford Star... A `fresh approach'? `Tackling `issues around transparency, accountability and engaging the public'? Weasel words indeed from the new Mayor...
To hear Paul Dennett's full speech see the stream on Salford council's website – click here
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Joe nobody's wrote
at 20:26:39 on 29 May 2016 |
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| Poor Paul removes the 13 deputy mayors as promised. But then re elects 13 same back on . I do hope he never bullied by the old guard..but reading through this paper ..labour rushing to close al those secret deals..so no one will be able too report...sad |
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Michael James Felse wrote
at 12:06:57 on 21 May 2016 |
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| I am sure most will agree to a month grace for Mayor Dennett to get his feet under the table. I expect from 6th June 2016 to see any barriers removed, the restrictions ended and whistleblowing to be allowed. If not then I will be forced to withdraw my offer of support for our new Mayor and instead offer myself as Greater Manchester Mayor candidate to enable public condemnation of any lack of leadership in Salford. |
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Salford lad wrote
at 10:28:32 on 20 May 2016 |
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| Life is Loud, Dennet may have been a mayors for only "5 minutes" but you have failed to take account that he has been a Councillor for a number of years and did not effect change or make a difference then so don't hold your breath with this Mayor and his officers. |
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grafficksman wrote
at 10:28:05 on 20 May 2016 |
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| History teaches us many lessons that we would do well to heed!
What on earth do we have to do to get true democracy back into our City and the Council Chamber at Salford City Hall and rid ourselves of the “Totalitarian Corbynistas” masquerading as “democrats”?
Many of us of a “certain age” will remember the heady days of 1989 when the totalitarian states of the Communist Warsaw Pact countries fell like dominoes, in the face of “People Power”, culminating in the fall of the Berlin Wall. Those “totalitarian” states’ Governments kept telling their citizens that everything was “rosy in the garden” and that all the problems were caused by the “nasty” West.
What does that remind you of? Salford Labour shedding “crocodile tears” blaming the Tories for the Cuts when in reality Salford Labour is the font of its own – and our - ruin! Don’t misunderstand me: I am NOT a Tory, a Tory Supporter or a crypto Tory. I am “Liberal” and “Unionist” in my views. But that to one side.
So what do we have to do to get democracy back into Salford? Organise an “online” petition for Westminster to “abolish” Salford City Council, and have a mass re-election of all Councillors and Mayor? Do we march on en masse to Salford City Hall, requiring their resignation, in the face of “People Power”?
I would ask that Salford Councillors and the Mayor remember the words of Oliver Cromwell to the “Rump Parliament” in 1653 and reiterated by Leo Amery in May 1940 to Neville Chamberlain:
You have sat too long for any good you have been doing lately ... Depart, I say; and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!
…. and stop hiding behind weasley words and if you have any principles, stand up for them!
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Tahir Chakotai (Independent Housing Advocate) wrote
at 17:35:35 on 19 May 2016 |
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| Oh joy of joys!!!!! Councillor Dennett has become the new mayor of Salford. This is the man that promised me and the Salford Star on the 15th of October 2014, that he would bring the Salford Housing Allocation Policy up to the Equality Standards of 2010. As it stands the under 55 disabled and / or vulnerable cannot bid on a suitable adapted social housing property, if the property is aged for the over 55's. However, in my opinion, this constitutes as a breach of Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. Age banding has always been a "discretionary" act, and certainly does not form part of "Manditory" social housing legislation. However instead of Mr. Dennett resolving this equalities breach for the numourous disabled who live in Salford, he, in my opinion, bends the Salford Housing Allocation Policy, to ensure he gets a Social Housing Property, while jumping the queue, that consists of those with higher housing priorities than himself. "What a fabulous new Mayor". Let's all celebrate by shouting a big "Hee" "Haw". |
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Shirley Jones wrote
at 11:10:05 on 19 May 2016 |
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| Join the great ignored club Salford Star, known better as Salford Citizens... you are not alone.
What! So..'TRANSPARENCY'... `ENGAGING THE PUBLIC'... `ACCOUNTABILITY' PROMISED BY NEW SALFORD MAYOR...' Yeah right! How come then, apart from the blatant breaches with FOI & them appealing the decision that went against them, during the run up to the election Paul Dennett asked me to add him on Facebook which I did. I politely & respectfully asked him to meet with residents campaigning to protect the green public open land at Hill Top Moss saying that we would listen to him if he listened to us. Can't say fairer than that you would think. His reply was that he would be in touch to make arrangements to visit us.... but never did, he blatantly chose not to & instead chose to rub salt in the wounds instead. He totally ignored our very polite requests only after consulting with his colleagues at the council about what it was all about. We can only assume that they advised him to do otherwise, but wonder why? Then later him and the rest of the Walkden Councillors were blatantly seen over the road taking selfies, having photos taken of their visit to Walkden North..... but none, not one Walkden Councillor or Paul Dennett had the decency to visit the beleaguered & now devastated area of Hill Top Moss. Wouldn't want proof of that environmental mess on their selfies would they! A mess they allowed to happen coincidentally...or not as the case may be! They could see us from where they were stood! Their uncaring, disgusting, very blatant & cruel disregard of concerned residents is both astonishing and appalling. To rub salt in the wounds of local residents after I posted a polite note on FB to the effect of how very disappointed residents were that they had failed in their promises, that they seemed to have purposely ignored us on their pre planned trip to Walkden North to encourage residents to vote for them, Paul Dennett in true Salford council cowardly fashion then swiftly removed the comment! Seems he doesn't like to hear the truth after all, no matter how politely we put it! How is this being transparent and engaging the public? All we asked of him was that he visit and listen to us, to 'Engage' with us, nothing more. Well seems apart from hiding the truth from us he also wants to hide himself from us! No one from the council in 2 years has met with concerned residents to discuss this proposal. Salford Council have however, been meeting in secret to do secret deals with developers behind residents backs for several years. Even our Labour MP Barbara Keeley, she who professed to work to keep Salford's open spaces open & free from inappropriate development in her pre election promises, has consistently refused point blank to meet any of her constituents to listen to our concerns. However, she has now been outed, thanks to the FOI, as someone who has also been pushing and encouraging meetings between the developer, herself & Salford Council to ensure our green public open space land is sold, to push forward the proposal to sell it, but not even to the highest bidder, to a single out of town developer of their choice, that they have already negotiated with & agreed an exclusivity deal with some years ago should the Deputy Mayor Lancaster decide to sell it, and all before local residents most affected were informed. I say informed, whilst the MP, Salford Council and developers were meeting in secret, & developers were afforded lots of officers & Deputy Mayors time, assistance, advice and were communicated with very well at every level, residents were left to find out about the proposed sale by way of a tiny well hidden notice in a free newspaper that we weren't receiving here at that time. We found out in effect by accident, they even refused a request for an extension of time under the circumstances, for residents to lodge their objections to the proposal. We had less than a week to get them in. Developers get several years, residents mess than a week. How unfair was that? We have continued our amazing fight against this extremely unfair, unwarranted proposal to sell off our much valued Hill Top Moss, regardless of Salford Councils disgusting & unwarranted disregard of concerned residents. Salford Council continue their appalling behaviour towards us by appealing the Information Commissioners' decision. To rub even more salt into the wounds they inflicted, both Salford Council and Redwaters developers appear to be joining forces to gang up against us to try and prevent access to the correspondence between them both that the IC decided we should have! Redwaters, the Councils chosen developers who they desperately want to sell to over anyone else, (we can only wonder why that is?) have stepped in at the 11th hour & asked to be added as a party to the proceedings in the appeal against the IC's decision, thus further delaying the process. How pathetic is that! But why would they go to these extraordinary lengths??? What is it that they are all fighting so hard to keep from us, to keep secret? Must be something really big and if it's that big then it's in the publics best interest that residents from the whole of Salford be allowed access to it. So far residents have had nothing but our valid concerns & questions totally ignored, failed promises, appalling treatment, have been denied access to the truth, secrecy, lies, lies and more lies! We deserve better than that! So residents challenge Paul Dennett to now uphold his pre election promises to meet with us, if as he now says he wants transparency, accountability and to engage with the public...we are the public! We don't understand why they are all so scared of meeting a few of us, we've behaved in a very polite, reasonable & exemplary manner considering how they've behaved. All we asked was that Paul Dennett listen to us, just him & a few of us, to listen to our very valid concerns but he couldn't even manage to do that. So much for accountability, transparency and a desire to engage with the public! Seems he needs to consult with a dictionary! Doesn't bode well for the future with him at the helm does it? Just another puppet to keep Muffin the mule company! Already failed promises before he even performed his first speech to Councillors. Not good is it. Perhaps he will change, but won't be holding my breath! Seems like a case of same old, same old to me. The old boys club that is Salford Council still behaving like the uncaring blinkered dictatorship it has become, still stifling & crippling this city beyond belief. Some things, like Salford Council, never change.... |
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tom nolan wrote
at 10:13:00 on 19 May 2016 |
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| he's an ian stewart clone... |
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life is loud wrote
at 10:12:56 on 19 May 2016 |
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| Give him a chance he has only been in post 5 mins |
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